On October 4, FujiTV aired a 2-hour special of OjaMAP!! Zakiyama took on the role of director, Zaki-D. And the special guest? Tsuyoshi Kusanagi!
We got a 2-hour special of OjaMAP where Tsuyoshi dragged Shingo around Tokyo!
The episode’s filming took place on September 22, the same day as the launch of Atarashii Chizu. And unlike the FujiTV special with ShinTsuyo earlier this year, this one was the 2-hours as promised. I still haven’t forgiven FujiTV for saying they were giving us a 2-hour ShinTsuyo special then cutting it last minute.
Another notable happening? The Twitter ban is no more!
The OjaMAP!! official account began posting photos from the set with Shingo and Tsuyoshi.
実は…
今日、ロケしちゃってます!!こっそりここだけ、ロケ風景をアップしちゃいます!!!
何してるかわかるかな？？
この模様は、10月4日水曜夜7時から放送の２時間スペシャルで!!!#おじゃマップ #おじゃＭＡＰ #フジテレビ pic.twitter.com/D0aRiwhS9c
— おじゃMAP!!【公式】 (@oja_map) September 22, 2017
“I’ll secretly upload this from the location!!! Can you tell what’s going on?? This guy will be on two-hour special, 7 PM on Wednesday, October 4th!!!”
Enough with that, on to the episode!
Seven Things Tsuyoshi Wants to do with Shingo
- Go for a drive in his beloved truck
- Get an outfit for Shingo
- Take Shingo to a guitar shop
- Have BBQ together
- Earnestly street dance
- Share where they record their radio show
- Sing together
That’s the list of the 7 things Tsuyoshi picks out for the two to do together. But before they start, there’s one more thing Tsuyoshi wants to do: appear on OjaMAP with his beloved pet French bulldog, Kurumi!!
Kurumi’s First Appearance
Shingo puts it well, “it’s been a long time since we’ve been on set, but she’s the star!” Yup. Kurumi definitely is a natural star. Zaki-D even gives her a chance to show off her acting skills by re-enacting the tabloid photos that were taken of her and Tsuyoshi papa earlier this year.
The internet was abuzz with Tsuyoshi and Kurumi because of those tabloid photos. Fans latched onto Kurumi, but haters latched onto how Tsuyoshi was sitting in the street. (Okay, I’ll admit I found it hilarious.) No comments were made, and Tsuyoshi never mentioned he had a new member in his family. But free from Johnny’s? They address it head on, and it’s hilarious.
Shingo hits Tsuyoshi while he’s sitting on the ground again with Kurumi, “didn’t I tell you to not sit at the side of the road!?”
Going for a Drive in Tsuyoshi’s Beloved Truck
After Kurumi-chan’s introduction, they head to Tsuyoshi’s truck for a drive. He has a ’69 Chevy C-10 that he imported from the US. No idea what American movie the truck was in, but Tsuyoshi shelled out a ridiculous 70K USD for it.
We also got to see the notorious signature Shingo left behind on the truck door. Notice the SMAP?
When they get off to go clothes shopping, Tsuyoshi tries to feed Kurumi-chan. She refuses to eat… Until Shingo offers her some food, which she eagerly eats from his hand.
New Outfit for Shingo
Tsuyoshi takes Shingo to BerBerJin, a vintage American-clothing shop that he’s been frequenting for 20 years. Shingo asks the shop manager how many jeans Tsuyoshi’s purchased from there… an absurd ~70 pairs!
Tsuyoshi picks out a pair of 1960’s 501XX Levi’s, t-shirt, red vintage Converse and Shingo picks out a jacket for himself. The total comes out to a whopping 433,296 yen! Think $4000 USD.
Tsuyoshi’s shocked by the total and calls Shingo out, saying that the jacket isn’t something he’s interested in. Then Tsuyoshi tries on the jacket himself, likes it, and says he’d buy it for himself and let Shingo borrow it.
Shingo seems a bit surprised at the end after Tsuyoshi goes to pay the cashier. “You’re really going to buy it for me?”
Yeah, he does. So sweet.
Guitar Shop Visit
On the drive from BerBerJin, Tsuyoshi battles a toll booth. Tsuyoshi didn’t have an ETC (think a digital tag for toll roads) and held up the traffic. The scene reminded me of Tsuyoshi and the 5-man trip with SMAP a few years back and his struggle with the toll booth.
They talk a bit on the way to the guitar shop, about how they haven’t gone shopping together before, but have gone for drinks and food. Tsuyoshi asks if Shingo has gone out to eat with Zakiyama, to which Zakiyama interjects and says it’s only been once! Shingo really does keep to himself.
The guitar shop Tsuyoshi brings Shingo to is TC Gakki, a guitar shop that Sho Wada introduced Tsuyoshi to. Tsuyoshi browses the guitars, but the real reason he’s there? He brought his own guitar in for repair.
Shingo asks what they are doing there. Tsuyoshi says he’s killing two birds with one stone, filming OjaMAP and getting his guitar repaired. Shingo then asks Zaki-D what the purpose is of being there.
Tsuyoshi: “I want you to experience the atmosphere.”
Tsuyoshi did pick up a guitar to try out and the shop manager gives Shingo a guitar to play as well. It just happened to be the most expensive guitar in the shop, shocking Shingo. But they play a little together.
Zakiyama then suggests that they listen to the most expensive guitar and the cheapest guitar, and see if they can tell which is which.
Thankfully, Tsuyoshi gets this one right. That would’ve been pretty embarrassing if the didn’t, though he did admit beforehand he can’t really tell the difference. But with that behind them… off to have BBQ! But not before a side trip to Shingo’s house.
Shingo’s House
On the drive to have BBQ, Tsuyoshi brings up the birthday present he gave Shingo about two years ago. It was a picnic basket, and he wants them to use it.
Shingo told Tsuyoshi on Power Splash he didn’t have it anymore, but I guess Tsuyoshi didn’t believe him and keeps pushing. Tsuyoshi wants them to use it so bad that he says they’ll go to Shingo’s house to pick it up.
Shingo doesn’t want them to go at all. But in the end, he’s a good sport and they do end up going to his house. Or maybe he had no choice since Tsuyoshi was the one driving. Zaki-D also joins them with a tiny camera (but not before they blindfold him on the drive there). The staff pixelates everything, so Shingo’s privacy is protected.
These are the only things we can see:
- Their faces (Shingo, Kurumi, Tsuyoshi)
- Shingo’s paintings
- The leftover pieces of the picnic set
- Airport waiting room chairs
In the end, they retrieve a fraction of the original picnic basket set and make their way to the BBQ location site.
BBQ Together (without rice…)
They arrive on site, next to a small river and it’s completely empty. But it works out for them I suppose.
Tsuyoshi introduces all the types of meats he’s brought. Shingo asks about the rice! The veggies! The yakisoba! Tsuyoshi says he wasn’t responsible for that.
Zaki-D and Tsuyoshi go back and forth for a bit. Tsuyoshi says he only said he’d bring meat. Zaki-D says otherwise. The audience sees everything though, and Tsuyoshi did say he would take care of the food.
Tsuyoshi says he was half joking using this really lame half-joking hamburger pun, causing Kurumi to speak up finally. She’d gone the entire day without barking, but Tsuyoshi’s joke was so lame she couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
Good girl! 😂
They start eating the meat, but it really needs rice. Zaki-D tells Tsuyoshi to go to the houses in the area and ask for rice. He awkwardly does and approaches a few people before being introduced to an older lady that recognizes him as “Tsuyoshi-kun!” She doesn’t have rice ready, but she says she’ll make a fresh serving for them.
How is Tsuyoshi supposed to turn that down? He doesn’t, and Zaki-D has to run all the way back to stop Shingo who is already grilling. Shingo’s reaction to being told some rice is being cooked for them right now?
A little bit later, Tsuyoshi arrives with the rice (well, the entire rice cooker). They’re able to have their meal finally.
Zaki-D tries to pry a bit, ask if they’ve talked about their love life with one another. “We’re idols, so we can’t.” Zaki-D doesn’t buy that, not now. Shingo keeps saying they haven’t, but they totally have… he tells a story of Tsuyoshi’s.
Tsuyoshi’s girlfriend was moving around so he couldn’t sleep. He kicked her out of bed, and she slept on the sofa. Zaki-D doesn’t believe Tsuyoshi would do something that terrible. “Isn’t sleep important?” Tsuyoshi asks.
Wow. Tsuyoshi goes on to explain how annoying it is for someone to move around. Then Kurumi barks once more, interrupting him! She must not like what he’s saying again!
Zakiyama: “Why didn’t you go to the sofa yourself?”
Tsuyoshi: “Lots of reasons. Isn’t it a pain to do that?”
Shingo: “That comment is the worst!!”
Zakiyama: “That’s the past. You aren’t like that anymore, right?”
Tsuyoshi: “A lot has changed…”
Kurumi: *BARK*
Zakiyama: “She’s calling you a liar!”
Shingo then shares another story, which looks more recent from Tsuyoshi’s reaction. There’s a girl that Tsuyoshi was really in love with, like ‘she’s the one.’ Except the moment Tsuyoshi hugged her from behind, he changed his mind. Tsuyoshi got upset at him for saying, then says he was half joking. But who knows. 😂
Street Dance In The Rain
The next thing Tsuyoshi wants to do with Shingo? Street dance. This goes back to there time as teenagers and picks the song they’d dance to Gonna Make You Sweet (Everybody Dance Now). Yeah, the everybody dance now song.
Shingo remembers dancing to the song. They’d dance to a lot of different songs, learn a dance, and take turns. If either of them messed up, they’d have to start the song over. They’d dance through the night and finally finish in the early morning and crash.
They spend about 50 minutes learning the choreography. During it, Shingo points out what he loves about Tsuyoshi: He’ll be this strange guy saying and doing weird things and then suddenly he’s serious.
I love this line from Tsuyoshi, “It’s been a long time since I’ve danced with Shingo. Isn’t this nostalgic? That means a lot of different things. We danced together as kids, but excluding that, it’s still nostalgic.”
Hmm. Wonder what Tsuyoshi meant. Maybe not performing together under Johnny’s for nearly a year.
After learning the dance, they head out to a station to perform… in the rain! Their outfits? Tsuyoshi told Zaki-D they used to dress up in clothes like MC Hammer. So… these are the outfits that were picked for them…
But yes, the two head from Tsuyoshi’s truck in the parking lot to the front of the station. Rain is coming down, and they’re shouting out in English to try and attract a crowd. It isn’t a massive crowd, but a few people stay in the pouring rain to watch. It doesn’t matter though; they have fun together.
Tsuyoshi’s speech at the end though, “from today on, it’s the start of our new life.” Shingo laughs. I did too. Because it really made it look like they’d downgraded from SMAP to street performer duo.
On the wrap up inside, Tsuyoshi shares that he’s never seen Shingo’s expression bare like that. And the audience too, they were warm and welcoming. He thought the atmosphere would be more like, “what the hell are those guys doing?” He says it really brought back memories of their teenage years.
Shingo agrees. He remembered their time from back then. They’d shout out stupid things like “CHECK IT OUT!” back then too, except people wouldn’t gather. This time, they did.
ShinTsuyo POWER SPLASH Recording
Tsuyoshi wants everyone to see where they record POWER SPLASH. It feels like this entire year Tsuyoshi has complained about their studio being cramped and hot.
If you’re a regular listener of the show, that’s where they record. Tsuyoshi said they’d cleaned up for the recording. 😂
They don’t show too much here, but that’s okay. We got to hear it all on the radio. The only thing I wish the episode would’ve shown us was Shingo and Tsuyoshi going through the newspapers, as this was the day the Atarashii Chizu ads went out.
Singing Together under Tokyo Tower
What’s the conclusion to this ShinTsuyo trip? Singing a song together. Together with Zaki-D, Tsuyoshi puts in his request to bring in a violinist and percussion and to use the venue of Tokyo Tower. The song they’ll be singing? ShinTsuyo Be on right!, the song that Tsuyoshi wrote for their 20th anniversary of SMAP POWER SPLASH.
Zaki-D pulls through, and the two get to perform underneath Tokyo Tower at THE PLACE of TOKYO.
Shingo has made it no secret that he loves Tokyo Tower.
Tsuyoshi did a great job picking a location for them to do their performance. The two of them are super nervous, but they go ahead and make it through ShinTsuyo Be on right!
If you haven’t watched, then… just watch it. It’s an excellent performance. Or it could be nostalgia. Shingo and Tsuyoshi haven’t performed in forever, let alone perform together.
Of course, Shingo points out for everyone who isn’t a musician at home, that Tsuyoshi rushed the song badly. Tsuyoshi’s excuse? Nerves.
And that’s our conclusion to the 2-hour OjaMAP!! special. The episode brought in a 9.6% rating in Kanto region, the best for the timeslot that night. It was also the 2nd highest rated OjaMAP episode that year (the first being Tsuyoshi’s other guest appearance back in January.) It looks like Japan likes seeing the guys together.
That’s cool. So do I.
OjaMAP!! Playlist
- You’re In Love With A Psycho / Kasabian
- Can’t Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)/ Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
- Iijuu Rider / ShinTsuyo
- Holding me Back /Shawn Mendes
- BROTHER / OKAMOTO’S
- Jamaica Song / Hanaregumi
- Zenryoku Shounen / Sukima Switch
- Another Starting Line / Hi-STANDARD
- Good Day / DNCE
- SUN / Gen Hoshino
- Castle On The Hill / Ed Sheeran
- ShinTsuyo Be on right! / ShinTsuyo
- All Good Ska is One / Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra