【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 85

•The episode starts with this. After HARU reads the penguin story, a staffer asks them if it's related to SCANDAL since Venus is part of the lyrics in their song "Space Ranger." They laugh and HARU goes, "You mean we were involved in alien business ever since we first formed?" The staffer says that they're being contacted by Venus; TOMO goes, "Through penguins?" HARU chuckles and says that it's crazy that penguins might be aliens. TOMO says that that would make her heart skip a beat if that was true. MAMI wonders how they came here. HARU says there must be a reason why they'd come here. MAMI says that they weren't as cute as they are, they may have been targeted. RINA agrees and says that being cute = likely to be safer. TOMO says that she's looking forward to finding out more info about this. RINA wonders if it'll be figured out in their lifetime. HARU says that it's possible that the penguins here right now aren't necessarily aliens. There's a pause before TOMO asks her what she means. She goes, "The first penguins that came were aliens..." TOMO laughs at the 'first penguins' part but gets what she's trying to say, that penguins from the second gen onwards would technically not be aliens. MAMI says that supposing penguins were originally from Earth, it's possible that the beings from Venus came and thought they could blend in if they changed their appearance to that of penguins (HARU: "We were invaded!"). RINA says that the penguins in aquariums see all these people taking pictures of them and saying they're cute, and they're probably thinking, "Heh." They all laugh and TOMO says that's like Pingu. The staffer says Pingu must be an alien. The band agrees, and TOMO talks about how Pingu was everywhere when she was little and was even on stuff like insurance files. HARU says that it's kind of suspicious how Pingu doesn't talk, even after having an animated series about him, which the others agree with.

•HARU then mentions how British astronaut Helen Sharman had mentioned in an interview that aliens exist and could already be here on Earth. After she reads more details about the astronaut, RINA says that the feelings of someone who's actually been to space are probably the closest we have to having a correct answer. TOMO says there's a possibility some people could be aliens without knowing it, since you don't retain memories from when you're born. RINA and TOMO think that there definitely have to be aliens here on Earth. RINA says that's mysterious humans exist, after all. TOMO says that humans are probably also aliens of a sort. MAMI thinks within the entire universe there are probably very few humanoid beings. TOMO asks if that means we're lagging behind. MAMI says yes, and that there could be 100 different types of aliens and only 10% are humanoids. She also says that other ways we might be lagging behind are things like using our mouths to eat and talk, and that the human race still causes painful things to happen. TOMO wonders if there are planets where there are no conflicts/fighting and says that Earth is definitely behind on that regard. HARU agrees that we're probably behind on communicating--she and TOMO say there are probably ways of communication that exist where you can convey your thoughts in an instant, like telepathy. RINA says that everyone's pretty knowledgeable about these things, which they laugh at. HARU says that they like things like this.

•Next, they talk about UFOs and stuff mentioned in this article. MAMI goes, "Isn't that that Roswell incident?" She says that the army found a UFO and recovered it but didn't inform the public about what they possibly discovered. HARU says that it's okay if you do or don't believe this, but she's seen a UFO before. MAMI goes, "No way!" A staffer goes, "Come on now!" HARU says that she doesn't know if it was a UFO, but at the time she did think that aliens had arrived on Earth. This incident apparently happened at her home. TOMO says that she saw the video HARU took of it and it definitely looks like something UFO/alien-ish. RINA asks if that means she caught a UFO on camera. HARU laughs and says no, and that this happened late at night at her current place in Tokyo. RINA is super surprised at this and goes, "This was recent, then!" HARU says that this happened maybe about two years ago. She was about to go to bed and turned off all the lights. It was also dark outside so it made her place pitch black. However, a light suddenly started went off. She thought it might have been lightning but it wasn't. The light suddenly came from outside and was bright enough to illuminate the entire room--this happened about three times in an irregular pattern. She thought it was weird, and looking outside she noticed there was a spot that was emitting light irregularly and took a video of it. She says it was super bright but wasn't like the light of fireworks nor something like a flashlight. RINA asks if the light was moving. HARU says no and that it stayed in one place. She thought it was pretty mysterious, though no one else had mentioned anything about it to her in the days that followed. But when she talked to her mom and told her about what happened, her mom said that she saw that same light the previous day. At that time her mom was walking the dog in a place where there weren't many street lights. She then saw a really bright light around the tops of houses and thought that it might start raining so she decided she should go home. The rain never came, however, and she once again saw the light shining again near the tops of houses. It made HARU go, "Ehh??" TOMO says that someone's trying to tell her family something. She also asks HARU if she checked Twitter to see if others were talking about it. HARU says there weren't.

•TOMO then talks about how her friend who was at a music production studio by Mount Fuji took a video of a light that was moving very weirdly and very fast in the sky. It wasn't an airplane and it was moving in really weird angles. She says that Mount Fuji is one of those supernatural places along with Kyoto where nine-tailed foxes are said to be, and who some of her friends claimed to have seen before. She says she's never seen stuff like this herself, though, and then says, "I guess I'm not an alien." MAMI says that she's also never seen anything but her mom has. She says that her mom tells her basically every day at the same time stuff like, "I saw something flying! I saw this light!", though it doesn't seem to have happened lately. Since everyone else is sharing these kinds of stories, RINA seems pressured to say something. She says that she's never seen any aliens. MAMI says she's never seen any either, and TOMO says so as well and that she'd like to make contact with one one day. RINA says that aliens probably aren't bad. TOMO says that like how there are all kinds of humans, there must be all kinds of aliens. RINA asks what they would do if they met an alien. TOMO says she would greet them. RINA says it might be better to not speak directly to them and instead exude an aura that you're aware of them. HARU says that they might be kind to you if you do notice them. TOMO says maybe try appealing to them so that they take notice. RINA says she'd tell them, "Thanks for your hard work! Good morning!" MAMI says that one day HARU might disappear and if you greet whoever takes her place like that, they might be like, "Let's go to space!" HARU says that she's never talked about that experience until now, and she did so because the occasion called for it/she was in a position where this was a subject she had experience in. MAMI says that those who play music are often good at expressing themselves. HARU says that their power to sense things seems to be strong. MAMI jokes and says that they're a band whose vocalist is an alien (TOMO: "That'll help us sell well!").

•The last thing they talk about is how they're interested in what space smells like. HARU reads info from an article that has info from this one. They say it seems to smell gunpowder-like. TOMO says that the "walnuts and brake pads" smell is the most mysterious. MAMI then says it might be weird but she has a feeling she kind of understands what the smell of space is said to be like, a sweet kind of gunpowdery smell. TOMO says that she can imagine that scent as well. MAMI then says she thinks it's kind of the smell of being inside of a car that hasn't been driven in a while. RINA wonders if the Earth has a smell. TOMO says that it depends on what part of the Earth, and says that foreigners are said to say that Japan smells like soy sauce. She says that Earth itself might smell like greenery. RINA says that talking about things they don't know about is fun. They also wonder if there are listeners who have experienced things like seeing UFOs before. MAMI says that there are a lot of stories about things like this overseas, after all. They say to write in if you've experienced such things. HARU then says that the top thing they want is to get messages from aliens (RINA: "Could we even read them?"). RINA wonders what they would do if that actually happens and says that would be scary. HARU tells aliens to not forget to include their address when sending a message in so that they can send them stickers, which the others laugh at (MAMI: "Address??" - TOMO: "Maybe it'd say 'Space'").

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:RINA talks about something that she was reminded of. When she was in middle school, her parents divorced and she had to change her last name. She didn't like her new last name nor the new environment she was in

Yomiuri Shimbun's "MAKE A WISH DAISY PROJECT" interview with RINA

More repercussions for popular segment "Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai"!?

Episode ＃86 blog

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HARUNA: We'll be reading lots of messages this week,

But as for the English title of "Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai" that's been problematic...


[So the staff basically writes that they got a message about their slightly-Engrishy, original title of the segment, then lists my message once again haha, and say that another suggestion was given to them so as to keep the "ABC" abbreviation]


HARUNA: We decided the other day that we would be sticking with the "ABC" abbreviation...

TOMOMI: It went from "ABC" to "FLA," and then back to "ABC."

HARUNA: We thought things had calmed down, but then we got another message about it.

MAMI: Ohー? Then let's read it.

Spike

Hello, SCANDAL! I'm an overseas fan from Canada. My Japanese is not very good - sorry about that. I hope you can understand my message.

My question. Does SCANDAL need to apologize for the English translation of "Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai"?
A subtle line between being cool and being accurate.
A listener wrote that "Association of Borderline on Catch Up" was cool but unnatural. They said "Fine Line Association" is more accurate but may not sound that cool.

For fun, I put "境界線境界" in Google Translate,
And the translation came out as "Boundary Boundary"!

- Boundary in English means "dividing line." Speaking of boundary, I think that overseas fans are familiar with it.
- "Boundary-Boundary" is an English repetition of "境界線境界"
- It's easy to remember
- Please sing it like "Laundry Laundry."

RINA: "Boundary Boundary" sounds nice. It has a Japanese-like nuance to it.

HARUNA: "BB" is nice.

RINA: Does that mean it also sounds cool?

HARUNA: I think so.

MAMI: Spike is saying that this sounds good.

TOMOMI: I think it is.

RINA: Yeah. Shall we call it "BB" temporarily?

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 86

•They start the episode by reading messages from listeners who attended their joint-band tour. They're kind of not that interesting lol so I will not be translating them. This then follows.

•HARU then says they have an important announcement to make: The four of them will be undertaking a new 'mission' on the program, which will be titled "one more time Study" where the four of them will draw lots to pick a subject they know nothing about and then will have to study up on and read their findings on future episodes. HARU reads that this was originally supposed to be a project held during the summer, and it's now a late-summer independent research project (TOMO: "It's basically winter now - We're wearing long sleeves"). They say that they were pretty busy during the summer. HARU says that the staff has picked out four topics written out on cards in envelopes in front of them, with each member picking one. TOMO asks if they're all different topics; HARU says they are, and wonders if the staff picked topics that the members basically have no interest in. RINA wonders what they should do if the topic's too hard. A staffer confirms that they're not too hard.

•The band then decides which envelopes to pick by way of jan-ken-pon (rock, paper, scissors). MAMI wins and she chooses her envelope first, followed by RINA, TOMO, and HARU in that order. They open their envelopes all at once and immediately go, "Ehh??!" MAMI's topic is punch perms, RINA's is ladybugs, TOMO's is kokeshi dolls, and HARU's is manhole covers. They confirm with the staff that they're free to research the subject however they'd like. MAMI goes, "Is it okay if I go and get a punch perm myself?" They all laugh and HARU goes, "You'll actually experience it!" MAMI says that it would be the best way to learn about it, which the others agree with (TOMO: "Like, what it's like while you have it" - HARU: "Or whether or not it hurts"). RINA goes, "What'll happen if MAMI shows up like that next time?" TOMO says that it'll probably suit her. MAMI says that she might want to do something like have a shaved head one day.

•TOMO brings up her topic and says that there's a famous person who loves kokeshi dolls. MAMI says that that person's the other half of a female comedic duo Tanpopo; TOMO knows her name: Emiko Kawamura. She also jokes and says she wants to be friends with her by next week, and that she'll send her a DM saying that she needs to research kokeshi ASAP. A staffer says something unintelligble in the background, but based on HARU's reply, it seems that they were asking if listeners who are knowledgeable on the topics should send in messages. HARU says that they could, and that if they do the band will read it along with their own research. The staffer wonders if people will send messages in; the band thinks there will be. RINA says that there definitely are people well-versed in these topics. HARU says that there definitely must be ones who know a lot about punch perms. TOMO also says the same for those knowledgeable about insects, and that there are many people interested in manhole covers. HARU says that she's looking forward to it all.

•The staffers say something in the background to the effect of them being done with the required topics of the day, and if they'd like to simply chat--it had been a month since all four band members were together on the program, after all. HARU says this is the first chat segment. RINA says in a very monotone voice, "Anyone do anything recently?" They all laugh and HARU goes, "That's so rough!" MAMI says that she's been into making beaded accessories recently, and that she can make a beaded ring in mere seconds. The others say that MAMI has all made them things. MAMI says that doing this really has a relaxing effect on her and that she's gotten really good at switching gears.

•RINA says that she can now only fall asleep if she listens to something, which she isn't sure is a good thing or not. She says she doesn't like it if she doesn't listen to songs to fall asleep to on YouTube or the like. HARU wonders if RINA can't fall asleep because she's thinking about something completely different. RINA says it's probably the opposite--she feels very calm when music's playing. She also mentions that videos that say something like "Fall asleep in under five minutes" are actually like 12 hours long. She wonders if there are any ones that are literally five minutes long. HARU says that people do fall asleep at different rates. MAMI apparently tries looking up some videos and finds one that says "Ambiance that'll make you sleep soundly" and notes that the genre is electronic, which makes the others laugh. RINA says that there are playlists like this on Spotify, but when you play them as you go to sleep, around three hours later EDM will start playing because the original playlist runs out and will switch to another playlist. TOMO says that trance music makes you sleepy. She also says that she can just get in bed and go to sleep, which HARU says is the same for her. MAMI says that if she just can't get enough sleep, she listens to hard music and goes to sleep. RINA says that on tour overseas when they used to have two members per hotel room, MAMI would be watching SpongeBob the entire time on the TV. Since RINA was the type to sleep in the dark and in silence, she would be like, "I can't sleep like this!" They all laugh, and MAMI says that she did in fact watch SpongeBob a lot. The others verify this. RINA asks if she does that only at hotels and not at home. MAMI says she thinks it's still the same at hotels, though she does keep it silent but has to have something on that has a light. She thinks it's due to darkness having a factor of fear to it. At home she also keeps it silent when she sleeps for 6-8 hours, but when she sleeps for shorter than that, she plays music. RINA guesses that it's more comfortable to do that when sleeping lightly, which MAMI agrees with and says that she knows she'll definitely wake up in that case.

•TOMO says that when she's overseas, she can sleep better at a hotel than she can at home. Specifically, she says the hotel beds in Thailand are nice (RINA: "Those are the best!") and that she wanted to bring back pillows with her. The others agree and say that the hotels there are great. They all praise the pillows, saying they're large, soft, support your neck. TOMO wonders if they sell those in Japan. MAMI talks about when they were in Germany for a tour and had fries and sausages the night before they had to go back home. She says that they only got to sleep for 2-3 hours before they had to go to airport, but she found that the beds at the hotel were amazing. HARU says that she doesn't remember that at all. RINA asks if they were beds made of wood. TOMO asks if the beds were hard. MAMI says that the comforter was godlike. They laugh and RINA says she guesses there are godlike hotels overseas. MAMI says that it was nice because it was winter and really cold. TOMO says one time when it was really cold overseas, hot water wouldn't come out of the tap in her room. The others laugh and say that they remember her mentioning that. RINA mentions how while in Europe she wanted to take a bath but the door was ripped off. They laugh and TOMO says that in contrast hotels in Japan are very clean/neat. TOMO also brings up a story from when HARU and RINA were rooming together, and at the same time they said that there was something weird was up with their room and couldn't stay there, so they asked to change rooms. They laugh and say that that happened in the US. RINA says that the atmosphere was weird, and when they opened the window curtain, there were gravestones right outside of the room (HARU: "That was scary"). RINA says that they surprisingly have a ton of stories about hotels. TOMO then tells a story of when they were in France and a rabbit hopped into her room when she opened the window. MAMI says that she saw rabbits outside as they were eating and thought they were cute, but they were actually ones that were to be used as food. RINA says that that happened when they were still technically children [likely happened in early 2008 when RINA would have been 16] and only really knew Japanese food + didn't know about food in other parts of the world, so it really shocked them at the time.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

What things did SCANDAL's joint-band tourmates say to them that made them happy?

Episode ＃87 blog

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HARUNA: We'll be reading lots of messages this week...
But the [temperature outside] has suddenly gotten colder, hasn't it?

TOMOMI: It's really cold.

HARUNA: Meiji's sweets also now winter-themed.

TOMOMI: This is my first time seeing the "White Veil" variation of Meiji's Almond Chocolate.

MAMI: And it's now the season for Meltykiss...

HARUNA: We'll be chatting as we eat.


-Insert messages from joint-band tour attendees about their experiences, saying that they had a lot of fun-


RINA: Both of them wrote great messages...

TOMOMI: I'm so happy...

HARUNA: There were a total of four performances on this joint-band tour: Tokyo, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka... We invited other artists to perform, and the vibe was a bit different than our past joint-band tours.

RINA: That's right.

HARUNA: Although these were artists that we haven't really had much involvement with, we really like them and listen to them regularly, so we wanted our fans to know about them as well and experience the music that we're inspired by.

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: There were quite a few attendees who were watching our tourmates for the first time.

RINA: SCANDAL doesn't really play joint-band shows that much, and because there are many people who listen to our music enthusiastically, I hope this was an opportunity that expanded your music horizons.

HARUNA: All of our tourmates praised our fans' sense of unity...

RINA: They all did! That made us happy.

HARUNA: Since live performances are made by all people in attendance, we wanted other artists to see our fans' sense of unity achieved because we've continued to play solo concerts, so we were really happy!

MAMI: It was a great tour.

TOMOMI: It seemed like they were some surprising pairings at first, but all of them were such awesome joint-band concerts.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 87

•The episode starts with this. HARU also says that it seems like a message from an "alien" was sent in (TOMO: "Yay!" - RINA: "So one was sent in after all...").

•HARU then wonders if a lot of messages from "aliens" were sent in. RINA reads a message from a listener who says they too have wondered since they were a kid if there are such things as aliens and also thinks the same way about them as the band does. They say that while listening to episode 85, they were reminded of their own alien story. They were sleeping in their pitch-black room with the shutters drawn when all of a sudden they saw a flash of light coming from outside their windows (HARU: "That's the same thing that happened to me!" - TOMO: "Did that happen on the same day, I wonder?"). They say they remember going out onto their balcony, but they don't remember what happened after that (All: "Ehh??"). They were able to wake up normally that day, though, so they thought it was just a dream--however, after hearing HARU's story, it made them go, "Oh, what's this??" and send in this message. HARU goes, "They have no memory of it?? Wow!" TOMO thinks it must have been erased--they might have seen something they're not supposed to see. RINA says that there's a possibility they were taken into a UFO, which makes HARU laugh loudly. They then talk about how this likely happened before HARU's experience, and that possibly the aliens were testing things with the listener to see how much they should reveal. So, when the time frame came for when they went to HARU's place, they decided that only letting humans see that bright light was okay. HARU says that the difference between her and the listener's stories is that HARU did not go out on her balcony. The band says that if she did go out on the balcony, her memory might have been erased. HARU says that she took a video rather than go out on the balcony.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who also mentions HARU's story and says that their mom told them she's also seen aliens: she says that she remembers seemingly being taken away by aliens several times (HARU: "She has memories of that?!" - RINA: "This is the uncut version!"). They also say they apparently have a mysterious physique. A long time ago they got stabbed by the thorns of a rose and a bump formed on their finger. They had that bump for over 20 years, but suddenly when they were sleeping one night, they were struck by a mysterious sensation. When they woke up, the bump was gone. Not only that, but after that, the same kind of bump appeared on their abdomen and was there for a while. Their mother said that the bump must have been first taken away for experimental research and then returned later. The listener also says they're cheering for them to go to space. TOMO says that it's not possible for a thorn to leave a bump like that for 20 years. They also discuss whether or not the listener went to the doctor during those 20 years to check out that bump. They think that maybe they went to the doctor but nothing came of it--perhaps they told them they can't really do anything about it and to just leave it alone. A staffer mentions something inaudible in the background that makes TOMO say that the bump could have been the aliens keeping a watch on things. She says that maybe the rose was a trap set by aliens and whomever pricked their finger on it would be observed. MAMI says that they could have put something like GPS in it. TOMO continues that the listener might have tried finding out what it was, which made the thing break down/stop functioning, like it was being updated.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who says that when they were a kid, a light blue-colored foreigner-looking man wearing a black suit and who had two horns suddenly opened their living room window. The band is really surprised by this and goes, "Eh??" The listener says that they were kindergarten-aged at the time, but they remember that the person was trying to kidnap their little brother who is a year younger, and that their mom and dad were going, "Give him back!" They don't remember what happened after that. After they grew up and mentioned that story to their family, all three family members went, "What are you talking about? Was that a dream you had?" and have no memory of that at all. But the listener says that they do remember that it was something that happened in reality, not in a dream. They ask the band what they think. RINA says she believes in it 120%. TOMO says that it sounds like it was a robbery gone wrong. MAMI brings up the horns the listener says this being had. RINA says that she doesn't know if that was an alien but she believes it was definitely real, and brings up the topic she's talked about before, that she's seen a tengu before after all. HARU laughs and TOMO says that she has mentioned that before. RINA says that she saw it in Osaka in the Konohana Ward. HARU mentions that all of these listeners have said that they have no memories of what happened after the first event. TOMO wonders if there's anyone who actually has memories of what transpired after. RINA talks about the listener again and says that maybe that happening did actually occur and the parents do remember what happened, but they decided to pretend like nothing happened. MAMI says that maybe aliens choose which people to spread the word about them and then take them to their UFO, like they're the chosen ones. They talk about the 'alien's' appearance and mention the suit. TOMO says that they probably came on a business trip to Earth. The others laugh and HARU goes, "They were all proper about it."

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says they are a 26-year-old alien. They all go, "An alien has appeared!" The listener says that they're currently working as a cellist in a rock band, and that because they're an alien, they have a special ability. They ask the band if they've heard of synesthesia. They say that some humans seem to have it as well. An example for them is that music chords are each colored differently, such as a C-chord is yellow and a D-chord is ultramarine. They say that when they first started playing music they would copy things based on colors. They ask the band if they have any special abilities or know someone who does. They also say that they will be returning to space next year and ask if there are any good souvenirs from Earth they could give to aliens. And as a PS, they say that penguins are in fact aliens (All: "So that's true!").

•MAMI says that an acquaintance has the same condition but can turn it on and off (TOMO: "So convenient"). It's a sensory overload when they go on the train, however, as there are so many different sounds coming from the commuters, the train, etc. She also mentions that her friend is a designer and that the condition helps in with her work (RINA: "She's making good use of it"). TOMO says that a friend of hers randomly called her one day and said that they can now see peoples' auras. They told her that they can see them remotely as well and told her that her aura was yellow in color then, but it's now more of a green and signifies that she's more tired. HARU says that sometimes she sees colors pop up in her sight for a second (TOMO: "Ah, you've mentioned that before"). She thought it was strange and wondered if something was wrong with her eyes, so she went to the ophthalmologist to have them check them out. They didn't find anything wrong with them, though. TOMO mentions that when they went to see a play, HARU did tell her that she was seeing colors while watching it. HARU says that it's more likely to happen when she's watching something like a play. It also happens when she's about to go to bed. She says no one she knows experiences the same thing and wants to know if there are others like her out there. She also says that she feels that what she's seeing has to do with the energy that things give off. TOMO goes, "Are you perhaps an alien? Maybe your memory of being an alien was erased?" HARU laughs and says she's not sure. MAMI says that apparently some people can see auras after training/practicing. A staffer asks her what colors she sees. She says that she sees all sorts of colors and that she can't control when it happens, so as for the colors that suddenly pop up in her sight, she'll be like, "Oh, that's orange," or "Oh, that's blue." She also says that there are times when she'll go for a while without it happening at all, but she doesn't know in general when it'll happen. It's always been a mystery to her. She also isn't sure exactly when this started happening. TOMO says that she really might be seeing auras, and also wonders if there are any listeners who experience the same thing. The others think that perhaps this thing started when the band started, and that she emits the energy that she receives when she stands on stage.

•Before they close out the episode, RINA reads the last message from a listener who references episode 84 and says that her name "Maya" is also written in hiragana rather than kanji just like MAMI and TOMO's names, which makes her happy. When she was in elementary school and her class had to say what the meanings of their names were, she was told things like, "Does that mean your name has no meaning to it?" But now, she finds that she really likes it--it's easy to write, it's cute, and it doesn't get misread. She says that her mom's name is also written in hiragana. She also says that she's currently unsure whether to give any of her future kids names in hiragana or kanji. The band says that this was a cute message. They kind of talk a little bit more about names written in hiragana/kanji/etc., and TOMO says that her mom sometimes uses her name in hiragana and sometimes in kanji. The others ask what that means, and if she uses them for different purposes. TOMO says she isn't sure, but apparently both versions of her name are considered official. HARU mentions that they too have had 'separate' names for a while: they have their legal names that are written in hiragana or kanji, and they also have their stage names that are written in romaji--they have a lot of ways their names are set.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

What slightly dangerous thing happened to the band when they were 16 on their first tour in the US...?

Episode ＃88 blog

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HARUNA: Starting from this year, November 11th will apparently be "Yan Yan Day"... It seems that it was officially certified as such.

RINA: An official day, huh?

MAMI: Congrats!

TOMOMI: It's also "Bass Day."

RINA: Oh, yeah, it is.

MAMI: That's right.

HARUNA: TOMOMI's all about Yan Yan.

TOMOMI: I've loved them since I was a kid. If I see one, I'll buy it. I love these the most.

RINA: They certainly are delicious.

HARUNA: Though we get a lot of sweets from Meiji, the other day when TOMOMI came to my place, she was like, "Oh yeah, do you have any Yan Yan?" I thought we were going to share, but she seriously ate it all up in seconds.

TOMOMI: Yeah, I ate it all by myself.

MAMI: When it comes to sweets, TOMO-chan eats them as if she's inhaling them.

RINA: She eats them really fast.

HARUNA: They're gone before you know it.

TOMOMI: I really, really love Yan Yan. It'd make me happy if I keep getting a bunch of them...Meiji.

RINA: And this episode is ＃88 - It's Yan Yan [*The number 8 in Japanese can be read as "ya"].

MAMI: Yeah, Yan Yan.

TOMOMI: It really is!

HARUNA: It's surprising.

And so, we have a new project.

The number of projects keeps growing, but this one is called...
"Hotel SCAlifonia"!!

TOMOMI: Nice.

RINA: The Eagles, huh.

HARUNA: We have constantly been traveling these past 15 years.
The four of us have visited various lands,
Not only Japan, but also various parts of the world across the sea.
We will be talking about these journeys of SCANDAL's...
That is what "Hotel SCAlifornia" is.

RINA: Niceー

HARUNA: Memorable journeys of SCANDAL's. This includes stories about happenings at hotels, while on the move, etc. Do you guys have any?

RINA: What hotel left the biggest impression on you?

TOMOMI: It was when we toured in the US for the very first time. We grew up in Japan and so didn't feel that it's dangerous to go abroad. Because we had no sense of danger, we carried all of our luggage and slept in the hotel lobby...

RINA: Ah, that's right...

HARUNA: Ah...!

RINA: We said we'd hold a post-concert meeting in the lobby, but the four of us were super tired due to the time difference and fell asleep right there.

TOMOMI: We were around 16 at the time.

HARUNA: Oh yeah, that did happen.

RINA: Was that in New York?

HARUNA: Yeah, New York.

TOMOMI: 16-year-olds shouldn't be sleeping in the lobby of hotels in New York...

HARUNA: They definitely shouldn't.

RINA: We were all wearing matching outfits... I fell asleep holding my notebook and the staff of our record label at the time tapped my cheek. I had been in a deep sleep, and while in a hazy state, I was like, "What's wrong? I thought we were having a meetingー"... Thinking back on that now, that isn't something that one should be doing.

HARUNA: That did happen...

RINA: That did...

TOMOMI: It totally did.

MAMI: It did.

HARUNA: I mean, that was our first time in the US.

RINA: Our first time in the US was our first time touring overseas. I was so excited that I took note the entire time, like thoughts I had during our performances.

HARUNA: RINA jotted things down in her notebook the whole time.

RINA: I was like, "Let's talk about this more," but I fell asleep...

HARUNA: You were exhausted, after all.

RINA: Yeah, I was. That's so nostalgic.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 88

•The episode starts with this. A staffer asks them if they fell asleep on a sofa, which they say yes, it was a large sofa by a round table. HARU asks if all four of them fell asleep; RINA says yes. TOMO says she's really glad nothing happened, which the others agree with. The staffer asks if the band was sleeping there by themselves. RINA says yes. MAMI goes, "Oh yeah, there weren't any adults with us!" TOMO wonders why that was. RINA wonders why the meeting didn't take place in a room rather than the lobby. MAMI says that maybe they were told to wait a bit, which is when they all fell asleep. They talk a little about the tour they were on and that they basically ate nothing but pizza.

•MAMI then starts talking about right before their major debut when HARU had moved to Tokyo, MAMI and TOMO were still commuting from their hometowns, and RINA hadn't yet transferred to a high school in Tokyo. The three of them (MAMI, TOMO, RINA) would stay in this hotel every week--it was basically like their home. MAMI says that they would all be excited to eat breakfast there. RINA says that it was buffet-style, and because none of them had much money then, they would stuff themselves full there. MAMI says that they were the only high schoolers there eating breakfast mixed among the salarymen there.

•RINA talks about their 2016 Europe tour where they toured around in a bus the whole time. After a performance, the band members and their female staffers would rent a hotel room close by and take turns bathing, while the male staffers would take showers at the venues. After, they would meet up again at the bus--RINA says that was how they spent the month [the tour actually only spanned 15 days, though lol]. She then talks about how in one of the countries, their hotel was smack dab in the middle of a bunch of adult shops. After showering, all of them had to go back to the bus together (rather than one by one). They did wonder what kind of shops they were and what kinds of themes they had. TOMO says that this city was cool, though.

•MAMI then asks which country "Ubaga ubaga" happened in. HARU goes, "What the heck's that??" and then goes, "Ah! Ah!" as if she was starting to remember it. TOMO thinks it's Turkey but HARU says that's not it. MAMI says that they went to a hotel's restaurant to eat lunch and "Ubaga ubaga" was playing over the loudspeakers the entire time. They were all like, "What is this??" HARU says that maybe it was warning people of danger. They laugh and MAMI says that maybe they were telling people to make a run for it. She also says that their European staff also had no idea what that meant. They looked it up and couldn't find anything about it. TOMO says that no one around them was reacting to it. MAMI says that because it sounded like an alarm that they thought that maybe it was to signal some kind of training, and that they ate very watery ramen hearing that the entire time. The staff asks them where it was, but none of them can remember. RINA says that the hotel itself was nice, though. TOMO wonders if it was in Poland. HARU says that that might be it. The staffer seems to ask them if they were sure that what they heard was "Ubaga ubaga." They're pretty confident in that, and RINA says that it would be "ウバガ" in katakana. TOMO says that it could have even been in hiragana: "うばが." RINA wonders what it means. Another staffer asks them if that word played the entire time. They say that it went, "Ubaga ubaga, something-something, something-something, ubaga ubaga." RINA goes, "Why didn't the local staff know about it??" She also says that a small platoon did come while they were eating, so maybe it really does have something to do with training. TOMO seems to get a hit on Google and says that "ubaga" means "attention" in Polish. They all go "Ah!" HARU asks if it really is "ubaga." TOMO says that it's spelled "uwaga" but pronounced as "ubaga." She says that the writer of the blog she found writing about it says that that "uwaga" is the only Polish word they've memorized, which makes everyone laugh and go, "They're the same as us!"

•MAMI says that when they're overseas and it's the morning of the day they'll be returning back to Japan, they all go to the breakfast buffet at the same time and eat as if they're dying. HARU goes, "We love buffets, after all!" RINA says that the band members and staff who drink are kind of hungover yet can eat a ton. TOMO says that if there's a pool, they always have to go in it. HARU and RINA say that when they're in Japan they don't do those things--RINA goes, "We play around as if our personalities have changed!" MAMI says that the hotels on Sentosa Island in Singapore are really adorable and fairy tale-like, and that there are bunk beds in the hotels there. RINA says that maybe things are designed like that there because there are a lot of attractions that are kid-oriented, like Universal Studios. HARU says that she watched their staff at the pool running around. RINA asks if this happened when the band was first starting out. HARU and TOMO says it wasn't, which makes RINA go, "They've really gotten used to going overseas!" TOMO talks about when they were in Mexico and she was at the pool of the hotel where she took a picture with someone who was clearly a Mexican celebrity. RINA says that the band and their staff are pretty serious people, but they will bring a swimsuit with them when traveling just in case.

•They wonder if there are any other stories they can talk about. HARU says that she can only remember scary happenings. She talks about something that happened in Germany: before sleeping she brushed her teeth and left the toothbrush on a towel. When she got up and was going to brush her teeth, the towel flew away and fell down. She says that she originally wasn't planning on telling the others about it at the time, but the others said that they experienced sleep paralysis which made her think that that place was bad news. MAMI asks when this was. HARU says it wasn't that long ago [but the only times they went there were in 2015, 2016, 2017 lol]. RINA says that it happened when they weren't in the country for that long. She mentions that the beds were very narrow and the comforters were paper-thin. MAMI says that the "comforters" may as well have been sheets, and it was super-cold then too. They say that this did happen while on a tour and they only stayed in the hotel for four hours or so. RINA says that everyone experience sleep paralysis (HARU: "That's weird..."). MAMI says that the shower room was only as big as a telephone booth and that her shower wasn't really working, which kind of made her panic.

•TOMO then talks about a hotel where the housekeeping staff came in while she was changing. She says that if that happens in Japan, the staff would apologize and then leave to come back later. However, the staff didn't leave and was there the whole time she was changing. At first she was kind of confused, but she was like, "Well, this is overseas after all," though the entire time she wasn't sure if the staff would suddenly pop up. They all laugh and HARU asks if they talked. TOMO says that they did, and that they got pretty well acquainted. MAMI says that it happened a lot that staff has come in while she was sleeping and just started cleaning rather than letting her sleep some more. RINA says that it is kind of rude to clean while you're still sleeping. HARU says that a cleaning person complemeted her shoes once. RINA says that comments like that do make anyone happy. She then talks about tips you leave the cleaning staff and how at first they didn't know how much they should leave--she and MAMI say that they left a lot. RINA says that cultures where you leave tips like that under the pillow are cool. MAMI says that they left quite a lot in tips they went to France for the first time. RINA says that they probably wondered why kids were leaving such large tip amounts. They say that you learn a lot while experiencing it all. They also talk about how their fans also travel to see them and wonder if they also have stories like theirs. HARU says that they must, given how many things they themselves have experienced. They say they're waiting for stories like that to be sent in.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Time to finally present "ONE MORE TIME STUDY," where each member has studied a given topic!

Episode ＃89 blog

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HARUNA: Today's the day to present "ONE MORE TIME…STUDY!" All of us are a bit excited.

TOMOMI: I've already fallen in love with what I studied. I might be nervous about conveying their charm.

HARUNA: I see. For this project, the four of us are turning in homework. It's a very, very, very late-summer independent research project, that it's basically a winter independent research project now. The four of us each studied a given topic. Let's present our findings and go over the topics:

My (HARUNA) topic is manholes. TOMOMI's is kokeshi dolls. MAMI's is punch perms. RINA's is ladybugs. We'll decide on the order by jan-ken-pon.

All: (*Doing jan-ken*)

HARUNA: So we'll be starting from MAMI!

RINA: If you would.

HARUNA: Present it however you'd like.

MAMI: Now then, guitarist MAMI will be presenting her research on punch perms.

HARUNA: I'm really interested in this topic...

MAMI: Really? That makes me happy to hear!

TOMOMI: We're interested, so please continue.

MAMI: Okay.

As you may know, punch perms originated in the 1970s in Japan and became popular in the 80s. At the time, models were given punch perms at haircut shows--it was a fashionable style. However, in the Heisei Era, due to its "scary" and "tough-guy" image, and is now a hairstyle that you hardly see these days.

All: I see.

MAMI: A punch perm is a permed hairstyle with small curls. In contrast to perms for women that give loose curls, this tight-curled perm is aimed towards men with short hair. It's similar to an afro perm but different in length. It was once popular with athletes such as pro baseball players, boxers, and golfers because sweat doesn't affect it and it's convenient to wash.

All: Ohー

MAMI: The punch perm is said to have been invented by a barber in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka in the 1970s. A hair iron heated to 160°C/320°F is applied to the hair and permed by turning one's wrists. If a person has a lot of hair, it can be wrapped about 600 times... Apparently, because there isn't anything else that goes higher than that + press it, it was named "champion press" at first.

All: Ahー

MAMI: After that, it was named after the magazine "Heibon Punch" that was popular at the time, and it came to be known as a "punch perm" among barbers in the Kansai area.

All: Is that soー?

"ONE MORE TIME…STUDY!"
They were all pretty serious about their presentations...

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 89

•The episode starts with this.

•MAMI continues with her presentation [she's actually reading the Wikipedia entry about it word for word lol]. One fact she reads is that since hairdressers' sales in the 1970s were sluggish due to the trend of people having long hair, the group "Zenkoku Riyou Seikatsu Kankyou Eisei Dougyou Kumiai Rengou-kai" (全国理容生活環境衛生同業組合連合会; it's basically a union consisting of barbers and the like - HARU goes, "That's so long!"), AKA "Zenriren," formed an emergency project team and set out to develop highly fashionable short hairstyles--the punch perm was one of those. MAMI then talks about how punch perms have evolved and in Gifu Prefecture, barbers are now doing it so that the sides are shaved and only the hair at the top of the head is permed [like this]. This new style is called "New Punch." TOMO asks if that's what's in fashion now for these perms. MAMI says that it's one type of punch perm.

•MAMI also says that there are also different types of punch perms known as "Nure Pan (濡れパン; "nure" = wet)" and "Yuru Pan (緩パン; "yuru" = loose)" [link]. "Nure Pan" is a perm that makes it look like your hair is wet. After perming it, the hair is combed through with a comb with dipped in gel or grease. "Yuru Pan" is a perm that gives you much more natural curls than the "Nure Pan" and also gives your hair volume. TOMO says it basically isn't a punch perm anymore. MAMI agrees and says that she's seen pictures of it and that it's so different looking from a typical punch perm that you wouldn't know it was associated with them. She also says that punch perms are a barber technique rather than a hairdresser's one. But since the numbers of barbers are decreasing every year, it's getting harder to find ones who still know how to do the original one/keep the techniques going. She concludes it by saying she's looking forward to how punch perms will evolve in the future.

•RINA says that punch perms have quite the history to them. MAMI says that there are many techniques like this that many people are sure to want to try and pass down/keep alive. RINA says that there are a lot of fields like that. TOMO says that for a time she really liked watching videos related to punch perms. They talk about how doing stuff like that takes a lot of skill. MAMI says that a detailed hairstyle like this is unique to Japan, and that it's a hairstyle that can be done because delicate work is done carefully. She says that if they were to go out on the streets, they'd probably guys walking around with these newer perm styles and might not know the name or them, or where they originated from. The others agree that these styles do not resemble OG punch perms at all. MAMI says that listeners should look up pictures of punch perms afterwards. The band and staff clap for her. MAMI goes, "Was that okay??" HARU says that was plenty. RINA says that the research done traced back the topic's history quite a bit. TOMO and HARU say it was interesting.

•Next up is HARU's topic: manhole covers. The others say this topic sounds like it'll be interesting. HARU first explains what a manhole is and its function (a vertical hole made in the ground so that workers can enter and exit from the ground for the purpose of management of underground sewers/culverts, buried electricity/communication cables, etc.), and that recently they've been referred to more in Japan as "maintenance holes." She also says that it doesn't matter if a manhole has a cover on it or not. MAMI goes "Eh??" TOMO asks if there are ones that are left open as is. HARU continues that it doesn't matter if there's a cover on it or not, but they usually will have a cover on it so that people don't fall down it. She says that many of them are made with iron so that they're not blown away by the wind and can withstand heavy objects like vehicles, and that its circular shape is to prevent it from falling into the hole. She then talks about how the first thing you usually notice about a manhole cover is its design, which the others agree with. There's also apparently a thing called "Manhole Cards" (trading cards that have manhole cover designs on them) that you can get by going to specific places. She says that those who are into them will go around the country to collect these cards. Some manholes feature anime characters on them--an example she gives is that Chiyoda City in Tokyo has Astro Boy characters on them. In Shinagawa, there are ones with Cinnamoroll on them, who is Shinagawa Tourism Ambassador. The others are surprised by the tourism ambassador thing. MAMI says she's surprised they've never seen them, given how much they go to Shingawa Station (which is a main transportation hub for the shinkansen and such). HARU also says that there are ones with Ultraman on them in Setagaya since Tsuburaya Productions, the studio responsible for creating Ultraman, was founded there. Additionally, there are Pokemon covers that can be found all around the country. Those are known as "Poke Futa," or "Poke Lids."

•HARU then mentions the movie Roman Holiday and that what seemed to formerly be a manhole cover was featured in it. RINA goes, "That one's huge!" TOMO asks if that means it was used on the streets where people would walk over them. HARU says no, and that it seemed to have been hole for draining water from inside of a building rather than from its basement. She then talks about how there's a "completion festival" involving manhole covers that takes place in Tokyo. TOMO asks if it's like a stamp rally (visit different places to get stamps). HARU says that it's more of an event. There are 14 million manhole covers in Japan with about 3 million of them aging out due to not being managed well. With this event, the general public is asked to take photos of 400,000 manholes in the 23 wards of Tokyo and post them to a specific app. Those who take photos of a lot of covers will receive prize money. HARU says that this project is one encourages people to take care of the city infrastructure together. RINA says that the people who thought of this idea are really smart, and that it must feel like a game to the general public. TOMO says that she might try participating in this. HARU says that the top goal is to take photos of 8,000 covers, and that everyone who participates in this gets free entry into an onsen (hot springs). Those who post a lot of photos will get special prizes like specialty crabs. The others are surprised by this (MAMI: "I want to eat that" - TOMO: "That's awesome"). HARU says that it'll likely spread out to other cities and to keep an eye out for when it'll happen in listeners' cities.

•HARU says that the covers are usually pretty cute and colored, which surprises the others--they don't seem to know that fact about the covers. They and their staff seemingly look at photos of colorful covers. RINA isn't sure if she's ever seen colored covers in person. HARU says that manhole covers aren't usually something that you would regularly notice in the first place. RINA says they're basically art. HARU says that that's why there are a lot of people who are crazy about them. MAMI wonders how much a manhole cover costs. HARU says that you can get ones that go in house driveways for about 1,500 yen ($15 USD), and that you can also get ones made of iron on Amazon. A staffer is surprised and goes, "Amazon?" HARU says that Amazon does offer them for sale. MAMI looks it up and says that it is true. HARU seems to look up the manhole festival thing again and says that the top monetary prize is 200,000 yen ($2,000 USD), which surprises the others. MAMI says that manhole covers are appealing and mentions the shirt she had made that featured a manhole cover on it. HARU says that they should go see the character-themed covers together. They all clap for her and say that it was interesting + it made them think about things they've never really considered until now.

•They then close out the episode. HARU says that they had planned to do one episode that featured all of their presentations but they talked a bit too much. RINA says that it's interesting to learn about stuff they've never looked into before. HARU says that it's nice to have this program to learn about stuff they wouldn't normally know/learn about. They all agree that this is a good project.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Week 2 of "ONE MORE TIME STUDY"! TOMOMI's completely obsessed with kokeshi dolls!?

Episode ＃90 blog

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HARUNA: Continuing from last week... "ONE MORE TIME…STUDY!"
RINA and TOMO will be presenting. Who will start it off?

RINA: Let's decide with jan-ken (rock, paper, scissors)!
(*They do jan-ken)

TOMOMI: I won, so we'll start from me... Is that okay?

HARUNA: What was your topic, again?

TOMOMI: Kokeshi dolls!

MAMI: Can't waitー

RINA: That's a world I don't know at all...

TOMOMI: I also had no idea at all, but I ended up really liking them as I started to research them... I might buy some...

All: Ehー!?

TOMOMI: I'm a little worried whether or not I can convey their appeal, but I'll do my best!

HARUNA: If you would.

TOMOMI: Now then, once more... Do you know what kokeshi dolls are?

RINA: Yeah, we do.

TOMOMI: They're dolls made of wood. Kokeshi dolls can be divided into roughly 2-3 types. Today, I will be talking about two types.

MAMI: Okay.

TOMOMI: The first is the "traditional kokeshi" that have been passed down in the Tohoku region. The second is the "creative kokeshi" that are made in various parts of Japan, done with unconventional thinking.

HARUNA: Okay.

TOMOMI: I will first talk about "traditional kokeshi." This was born in Tohoku in the latter half of the Edo period, and it seems that it started when a craftsman who made wooden bowls and trays made dolls from surplus wood for children.

All: Wowー!

TOMOMI: 90% of people at the time were farmers in the latter half of the Edo period, and it was customary to go to hot springs in the winter when farming season ended in the Tohoku region. It seems that the dolls were made as souvenirs for children in the hot springs areas. Therefore, hot springs and kokeshi dolls are very closely related.

All: Is that soー?

TOMOMI: Many other toys began to appear after that and the popularity of kokeshi has died down, but they have become popular after garnering attention as works of art.

All: I seeー

TOMOMI: Presently, to celebrate a birth, a kokeshi doll is made that's the same height and width of the baby when it's born... Aren't those ones red?

HARUNA: Were they red?

TOMOMI: Many of them are made red.

RINA: There are all sorts of designs.

TOMOMI: Yes, there are different designs, but many of them are made red. Red is said to be auspicious. These dolls were once considered talismans that would protect children.

All: Got itー

TOMOMI: And "traditional kokeshi" can be divided into 11 types.

HARUNA: There are that many!?

TOMOMI: Eh, don't you mean there are only 11 types? The patterns, shapes, and faces differ depending on the production area and craftsman. I found it easy to understand. I will explain all 11 types one by one.

All: ...if you would.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 90

•The episode starts with this.

•TOMO says that there are four types of kokeshi that originated in Miyagi Prefecture. The first type she talks about is Naruko. She says this is probably the most popular type of traditional kokeshi and that you can move its neck around and it makes a sound when you do so. One of their distinguishing features is that they often have chrysanthemum patterns on them. The second type of kokeshi she talks about is Togatta. Children would wrap cloth around it as a dress-up doll. What's characteristic about these are that they are very thin and can be easily knocked over. The third type she talks about is Yajiro. They look fashionable, with a pattern on their head that looks like a beret and kimono patterns on their body. She says that this is the one that many people choose as their first kokeshi doll, which surprises the others. Their popularity is due to them being stylish and nice-looking. The fourth type she talks about is Sakunami. The others say they've never heard of this type before. TOMO says that kids used to play with them, which is why they're thin in shape and easy to hold.

•Next, TOMO talks about the fifth type, Tsuchiyu, which is from Fukushima Prefecture. They often come in a striped pattern and have double eyelids. TOMO says that unlike other typical kokeshi where most dolls are girls/women, these can be "takobouzu" (men with bald/shaven heads). The sixth type she talks about is Hijiori from Yamagata Prefecture. These have heads like Naruko but bodies like Togatta. The heads are hollow and so beans can be put in it to make it sound like maracas. The seventh type she talks about is Zao Takayu from Yamagata. These have huge heads (MAMI: "They're cute!"). She then talks about the eighth type, Yamagata, which is essentially the same as the Sakunami one. She explains the origin of the name [which can be found by clicking on that previous link]. The ninth type she talks about is Kijiyama from Akita Prefecture. MAMI says that this type doesn't look like the usual kokeshi dolls. TOMO says that these usually wear kimono and have lonely-looking expressions on their faces. Right before she talks about the 10th one, Nambu, the others seem to look at photos of them and go, "Oh!", which makes TOMO laugh. HARU says that they look like the kendama toy. TOMO says that they started off as 'teething' dolls, and that they are usually plain with no patterns on them. The final and 11th type she talks about is Tsugaru from Aomori Prefecture. These often have Daruma doll patterns on them. MAMI says they have very kind-looking expressions.

•TOMO then talks about "sosaku [creative] kokeshi" and that they started to be made in Gunma Prefecture and Kyoto after WWII. They became very popular in Europe in the early 2000s with an upwards of 10,000 exported there per month, which surprises the others. She says the most popular maker of sosaku kokeshi is Usaburo Kokeshi, and that they now produce kokeshi of popular characters from series like Star Wars. TOMO shows the others the different character dolls. They all go, "Eh??! They're so adorable!" and look through the lineup for a bit. TOMO explains how detailed they are and MAMI says she's not surprised they're so popular overseas.

•TOMO says that something called "kokesu" sprung forth from kokeshi and asks them what they think it is. She says that it originated from high school students in Aomori Prefecture. MAMI asks for a hint. TOMO says it's a game. MAMI guesses that it's a game that uses kokeshi as pieces. TOMO says that's close, and that it's chess [it's likely a pun: chess = チェス "chesu" in Japanese, so "kokesu] where every piece is a kokeshi doll, which surprises the others. TOMO says that these were made as a disaster-relief item, and that when the king piece falls over, an LED light will shine from it. She says that in researching kokeshi, she fell quite a bit in love with it all, and that the Hijiori ones with the hollow heads appealed to her the most because you can turn them into maracas. She ends it with saying that the more you look into it, the more you'll discover how charming they are, so she implores everyone to research kokeshi for themselves. The others clap for her and say it was interesting. HARU says it was a wonderful presentation.

•Lastly, RINA presents her topic: ladybugs. She first asks the others how many types of ladybugs exist in Japan. MAMI guesses 50, TOMO guesses 7, and HARU guesses around 50 as well. RINA says that there are about 180 types in Japan alone, which highly surprises the others (MAMI: "That's too many!"). There are differences in colors, sizes, patterns, etc., but they're typically divided into three types based on what they eat: bugs, moss, or plants. She then talks about the meaning behind the Japanese word for ladybug, which is "tentoumushi" (てんとう虫) and has to do with how they climb upwards towards the sun/heavens, and then talks about the English name for them and that "lady" comes from the Virgin Mary. She mentions that they're said to bring happiness and luck, especially in love--if you see one, it could mean that you're likely soon to get married.

•RINA says could basically only find good things that were said about ladybugs and wished that there were more interesting/stimulating things that are said about them, which the others laugh at. She says that she did find a few things and that she'll talk about the scariest one she found that was an actual incident that was reported in August 2012. A British woman named Danielle Eccles, who had previously always been in good health, suddenly started having problems with her right ear starting from three years prior (2009). She went to different hospitals and doctors who kept telling her that nothing was wrong. She went to the doctor's about six times in total and was prescribed painkillers, though they didn't help with her condition at all. Her ears started to hurt so much that she couldn't bear it--she couldn't even go to work. When she was transported to a different hospital and they put in about three times the usual amount of eardrops, a ladybug's head fell out of her ear. HARU and TOMO say that as they listened to the story they thought that would be the case but kept wishing that it wasn't. MAMI wonders why no one noticed the ladybug. RINA says that the woman said that when the ladybug's head fell out, it was then that she remembered that she thought something had crawled into her ear wayback when. They all laugh and go, "Well, of course!" RINA says that the rest of the ladybug's body was removed within five minutes and the woman's hearing was restored. The others say they're glad to hear that.

•With that, RINA's presentation concludes and they all clap for her. HARU wonders how many types of ladybugs there are in the world. They say they come in all kinds of colors and not just red--there are also ones that are, for example, yellow. RINA brings up that "lucky/happy" aspect to them again and says that that superstition must be pretty old since getting married was apparently the ＃1 most happy thing that people thought could happen to someone. HARU says that the only thing she can think of when she thinks of ladybugs is the mascot of Philippine fast food chain Jollibee. The others say that that's not a ladybug but a bee. HARU is surprised and goes, "That's a bee??" RINA say that she does kind of get what she means because it does resemble a ladybug more than it does a bee. HARU goes, "Isn't it a ladybug??" RINA laughs and MAMI goes, "Eh?? It's a bee!" RINA says that it does look like if a bee and a ladybug got married to each other, and that if you had to say which insect its face more closely resembles, it would have to be a ladybug. They say that the food is really good. MAMI says that when they were in Philippines and she mentioned they ate Jollibee, it was like 500,000 people were cheering for that. RINA says that talking about Jollibee made the crowd more excited than any song they performed. HARU says that it isn't a ladybug after all.

•They then close out the episode. They say that there was a lot of content among all of the presentations and that everything was super interesting. HARU says it's nice to learn about things that never really knew about before. A staffer says that they've already received messages regarding their topics from pros such as barbers, which surprises the band. They say they'll read those messages starting from next week's episode and that they're grateful all these pros sent in messages. They also say that this was fun and that they'd love to do this kind of project again.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

TOMOMI is shocked by the reality of manholes: "We had such high hopes..." ＊A year-end project has also been announced!

Episode ＃91 blog

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HARUNA: We finally can announce that we're releasing a new album!

All: (*Big applause)

HARUNA: Our album titled MIRROR will be out on January 26th!
...in the summer we said during a concert MC that we had about 3 songs left to write. We somehow made it in time and plan to finish recording by the end of the year.

TOMOMI: So glad! We haven't recorded them yet as of this episode's taping, though... We haven't shot the promo photos, either.

HARUNA: We'll do our best so that we're able to get them out to everyone on 1/26.
Now then, we'll reading a bunch of messages this week...
There are quite a few reactions to "ONE MORE TIME...STUDY!" There's one about manholes.

MAMI: Oh!

HARUNA: I'll read one.

Reーkun

Good evening, SCANDAL. I'm sending this message because you're covering the topic of manholes on "ONE MORE TIME...STUDY!"

My previous job was related to sewerage and I would go inside manholes to inspect and clean them.

Basically, when you open a manhole cover, there is only a hole with the same size as the manhole, and there are a number of handles (steps) to descend the wall. Sewage flows at the bottom like a waterslide.

It's often depicted in anime where someone goes down a manhole to escape, but there's almost no space that wide that people can run through lol

Also, since manhole covers typically have locks on them, you won't even be able to open it unless you have a special key that'll unlock it lol

Furthermore, the inside of a manhole may have small amounts of oxygen or is filled with toxic gas from the sewage, so you might die instantly if you try to run away lol

Of course, you typically first measure the oxygen and gas concentration inside before entering!

RINA: It's awesome when a pro explains stuff. You really understand it.

TOMOMI: I thought that there was something grand that was sprawling under the manholes...

RINA: It's like that in movies and anime.

TOMOMI: I thought the [sewers] spread out all over the city.

MAMI: I had the impression that they were subway-like tunnels that people could just walk through.

TOMOMI: ...then, where do you find things like that?

RINA: They're movie sets.

TOMOMI: Sets??

RINA: Yeah, sets.

MAMI: You're rather sure about that.

RINA: Those [kinds of places] are staged and not real.

TOMOMI: We had such high hopes...

HARUNA: Even though your dreams were broadening, inside of manholes...
Aren't they like that overseas?

RINA: That seems likely, and that aliens seem likely to come out of them.

TOMOMI: It does.

RINA: Are they there, I wonder...

HARUNA: The cover's locked in the first place, so it won't open.

RINA: That's true.

"ONE MORE TIME…STUDY!"
We're still waiting for any additional info on manholes, punch perms, kokeshi dolls, and ladybugs!


Also! We'd like to announce that we're looking for all sorts of messages to be sent in!


①「A debriefing session on what happened this year」

A lot of things happened in 2021.
Let's report what was good this year, and what was a little disappointing!
Friday, December 10th is the entry deadline.

⇨An assortment of sweets will be given out, so please apply!


②「SCANDAL Catch up Power Word Awards」!

Phrases that the band mentioned that stuck with you,
Things that stuck with you, things that made you laugh, things that were interesting, things that were touching,
Quotes, rare remarks, comments, reactions... Please tell us about those kinds of "power words"!
Replay the older episodes and select your applicable words!
Those who send messages in may get a program sticker or Apollo pick, perhaps?

We'll be waiting for your messages!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 91

•The episode starts with this.

•HARU suddenly goes, "Oh, Manhole Cards!" - it's likely that the band is given these cards to look at. MAMI says that these aren't what she was expecting them to be like. HARU says they really are like trading cards. She mentions that one of them has Godzilla on it, which is from the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. TOMO says that seeing these makes her want to collect them. The others agree. They read the numbers on the front of the cards that seem to act as the card's HP (HARU: "It really is like Pokemon"). They say that these cards are really interesting.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is a barber and had previously asked them to say "Hey! Barber." The listener says he will tell them what he knows about punch perms. He lists a lot of the things that MAMI had already covered and also says that he himself has never given a punch perm to a customer before, but it is a very valuable technique that seems to be dying due to not many barbers knowing how to do it these days, so he encourages the band to try out punch perms for themselves. RINA says that this message was sent before the band did their presentations, which is why there is overlap in the info said, but obviously what MAMI presented was all true. MAMI says that she would like to try it out one day, though it seems like it would be a painful experience. RINA says that it does seem like it would damage your hair to an extent.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who basically praises their 15th anniversary concert. The band thanks them and mentions that it's now out on Blu-ray/DVD. RINA reads the next message from a listener who talks about how her little sister's message was read in episode 86, and how they both love SCANDAL. She also talks about how she discovered them. TOMO says that both sisters' messages have now been read on the program.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says that they live in the countryside, and when they listened to the "MAMImume, uninhabited islands" episode, it made them go, "Oh, that's right; my family owns a mountain." The band is surprised by this, of course. The listener says that it's not being used right now for anything, though. They had also asked their dad how much he thinks it would sell for; he replied that he thinks it could go for 6 million yen ($53,000 USD). They say that mountains for sale in the countryside are probably easier to find than uninhabited islands. They also ask TOMO, who loves to go camping, if she'd be interested in this privately-owned mountain that could be used for camping. TOMO goes, "That sounds lovely, but what prefecture is it located in?" The others also wonder. MAMI mentions that they said something about "Biwa," which could refer to Biwa Lake in Shiga Prefecture (500 km/300 mi away from Tokyo). TOMO says that that would be hard to get to for her and declines the offer.

•They then close out the episode. They talk about the year-end project (details here).

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

The sixth "I see - The Catch up"! Why did so many people from India move to the Nishikasai area of Tokyo!?

Episode ＃92 blog

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HARUNA: This week we'll be bringing you the first "I see - The Catch up" in half a year!

TOMOMI: I love this segment.

HARUNA: It's the sixth one.

TOMOMI: We've done that many?

HARUNA: Delivering world news and national news in the form of a quiz! It's a segment that's fitting for SCANDAL, who has fans around the world. Based on messages from overseas fans, staff members come up with quizzes related to the country of the people who send them, and then give questions to the members.
So far...
We have delivered quizzes based on messages from Estonia, Malaysia, Argentina, Italy, Russia, USA, Australia, Philippines, and Taiwan.

MAMI: We've done that many?

HARUNA: We have.
Now then, which countries will these come from?
Let's get to the messages.

Ankur

I am an Indian living in Mumbai. My Japanese is self-taught, so I apologize if there are any mistakes.

I've been listening to SCANDAL songs for over 11 years. The first one I listened to was "Shunkan Sentimental." Also, I listened to "Pride" and understood how awesome the band is. I then listened to all of your albums and watched a bunch of videos on YouTube, becoming a big fan.

The lines, the melody, and MAMI's strong vocals in "Koe" brought warmth to my heart. Thank you so much for making such a wonderful song.

I haven't been able to see SCANDAL live yet, but I will when the pandemic is over.

Oh, I also have a silly story. Since my name is Ankur, I was really surprised when I heard HARUNA say "Thanks for the encore [ankooru]" during a concert. I thought, "Huh? Is she saying my name?" From here on out too, I'll pretend that's what's being said lol

"Catch up" is a very fun program. I love hearing about all sorts of topics. I'm grateful to both the staff and the band members. Please be careful and do your best. I'll always support you guys.

P.S.: My favorite bands before SCANDAL were Linkin Park and L'Arc-en-ciel.

RINA: That makes me happy to hear.

TOMOMI: I'm happy that our music reaches all the way to India.

HARUNA: That's awesome.

TOMOMI: I'd love to go.

MAMI: Same.

HARUNA: Self-studying Japanese? That's awesome.

MAMI: That was very good.

HARUNA: It's also awesome that we understood it.

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: Now here's a question about India!

Many Indians live around Nishikasai Station in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, so much so that it's called Little India. It seems that that number has increased sharply since 2000. What happened in 2000?

TOMOMI: What??

RINA: Did something happen in 2000...?

MAMI: Many Indians came to Japan...

RINA: ...a curry craze?

(*bzzt)

What is the correct answer?
Think about it together with us!

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:
Pretty sure this message is from yet another SH user!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 92

•The episode starts with this.

•After RINA's guess, TOMO guesses that they came to see the huge fireworks show in Japan since it was the year 2000 (*bzzt). RINA wonders if it has something to do with the Year 2000 problem. She guesses that since the world was said to end when the year 2000 ended and so they escaped to Japan (*bzzt). HARU asks if the correct answer is close to the Y2K problem, and the staff says it does have something to do with it. MAMI guesses that since it was the year 2000, India wanted to spread their culture around (*bzzt). They all laugh at this and then ask for a hint. The staff says that they came here in need of help. TOMO starts guessing that it was because of heavy rains, which makes the staff laugh. She then goes, "So that it wouldn't rain..." The others laugh and ask what the heck she's trying to say (*bzzt). TOMO says that they're religious people so maybe they came to Japan to pray for it not to rain in India (*bzzt). MAMI then goes, "Oh, the Buddha!" HARU asks if she's trying to guess that they came to Japan to pray to the Buddha for help, which the others laugh at too (*bzzt). TOMO goes, "Midnight nembutsu (chant the name of Buddha)!" and they all laugh again (*bzzt). MAMI says, "To fix curry in Japan!" (*bzzt). HARU guesses that they brought a lot of curry over (*bzzt). The staff reminds them again of the "came here in need of help" hint. MAMI goes, "Technology! Um...what kind of technology...??" She's unsure and keeps going, "Um...umm...!" RINA suddenly says, "Oh, I know it. Calculations?", which is the correct answer. HARU reads the explanation, which is basically just a reiteration of the Y2K problem and that Indians engineers came to help out with any problems and the like.

•HARU then reads a few messages from listeners in Indonesia that basically only say that they're fans. And so the next quiz question relates to Indonesia:

Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country with thousands of volcanic islands. What does "Indonesia's messiah [?]" mean?

After a pause, both HARU and MAMI say "Islands" at the same time, which is the right answer. They laugh and MAMI goes, "That had to be the case!" (RINA: "We got it in one try"). HARU reads facts about it: It is composed of more than 13,000 islands, large and small, and boasts the world's fourth largest population of more than 270 million people. The staff says that the number of messages coming in from Indonesia to the program have increased recently and wonders if something happened recently in Indonesia [Note: Well, a volcano did erupt there on Dec. 4th lol but this episode was recorded well before that]. TOMO says that there are a lot of passionate fans in Indonesia--it's enough to make her wonder if they've turned into Justin Bieber.

•HARU reads the next message from a Japanese listener who had lived in Singapore, India, and Thailand for work in the past. When they were in India, they basically lived in a dormitory. The dorm manager, who was Indian, worked hard to cook Japanese food for the listener every day--however, it was really bad. They put it up with it for a few months before they told the manager that they wanted to eat Indian food, which surprised the manager. After that, they had a good time eating delicious Indian food after that. However, the spices were so powerful that they had to go to the bathroom after eating.

•RINA says that the band's the type to eat local foods whenever they're traveling overseas. But during the latter half of the tour/the final night of a tour is when they'll start eating Japanese food again. A staffer asks if that happens often. They say that it does. Another staffer seems to ask them what foreign foods they've liked the best. MAMI says that Turkish food was good and that they loved it so much that they ate it again when they came back to Japan. TOMO says that that food has an easy-to-get-used-to flavor for Japanese people. She also says that the sausages in Germany are awesome, and that the ones they had were basically as big/thick as an arm. RINA says that she likes the food in Mexico, which the others agree with. A staffer asks them what they ate. RINA says tacos, and that tacos were basically what they ate the entire time but surprisingly didn't get tired of eating them. They had a bunch of different kinds of tacos such as dessert tacos. MAMI says that they ate cactus. RINA says that was good and was like aloe. TOMO mentions that they ate ant eggs as well. HARU says that they've eaten a lot of weird foods. She also says that they don't really like this, but there was this green noodle dessert in Thailand that they had eaten before. They say they've forgotten what it's called. RINA says that she's sure it'll pop up right away if you search for it. MAMI does and finds it: Lod chong.

•She also says that there was this jelly-like dessert in Taiwan that they liked but isn't sure what it's called. HARU says that it's like shaved ice [probably this]. RINA says that when they were there and no other stores were open since it was late, they furiously searched on Google, found a shaved ice place, and they all ate it together on the bus. HARU says that they wanted an after-dinner dessert. MAMI says that in Asia especially there must be many odd/unusual desserts that exist. A staffer says something inaudible but RINA says that they just kind of go with it when ordering stuff when there are no photos and they can't read the language, so they're basically unsure of what they're actually eating--but it's always delicious. TOMO says that when they were in Hong Kong they got something that was peach-shaped and so thought it was a dessert, but the filling inside was hard egg yolks. She says that it would probably be good with soy sauce poured over it, but to have that as a dessert was surprising to them. HARU says that bak kut teh in Singapore was good. They all agree. TOMO says that it tasted like black pepper, and that it'll definitely make you swell up (due to how salty it is? lol). RINA says that satay in Indonesia is delicious.

•They then close out the episode. TOMO says that she hopes they are able to go overseas this year. The others correct her and say that it's next year. HARU says that they're releasing their tour schedule little by little and hope they're able to go to all these places safely.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

 TOMO says that when they were in Hong Kong they got something that was peach-shaped and so thought it was a dessert, but the filling inside was hard egg yolks. She says that it would probably be good with soy sauce poured over it, but to have that as a dessert was surprising to them.

Talking about their new album MIRROR that's straight from the oven! Its keywords are "strength" and "fragility"?

Episode ＃93 blog

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HARUNA: This week we'll be talking about our new album MIRROR out on Jan. 26th.
It's titled... "Mirror mirror on the wall, tell us about MIRROR!!"

RINA: I see - so that's what it is this time.

TOMOMI: It's pretty normal.

HARUNA: I read it just as it says on the script.
Now then, we're releasing info about the album little by little,
And we'll be talking about what we're able to as of Dec. 13th...

RINA: Well...can't we talk about whatever?

HARUNA: We can.

TOMOMI: What's important to note is that we haven't yet completed it... After we record this episode, we'll start mastering it. It might be done tonight [it was done that very night!].

RINA: We do hope we finish it today.

HARUNA: It'll finally be done...

RINA: Yeahー

HARUNA: I'm glad we finished itー

RINA: I'm happyー We worked so hardー

HARUNA: The title "MIRROR" was also decided on at the last minute.

RINA: That's true.

HARUNA: Maybe around autumn.

RINA: Yeah.

TOMOMI: Autumn, huh...

HARUNA: Our concert at Osaka-Jo Hall was done, and we had meetings [for the album] some time after that.

TOMOMI: We couldn't decide on it after three meetings.

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: It felt like we were even more undecided.

TOMOMI: I think it was like we weren't able to decide after several meetings, so we felt like we should carry it over to the next one.

RINA: The four of us shared the same image of it in our heads, though.

TOMOMI: We had shared keywords like "light."

RINA: We wanted to go with a one-word title that was delicate and catchy... We were always picturing something delicate and fragile like glass. But when we thought back, we realized that we were in production for this album for the past year and a half while facing the changing times and facing ourselves. We went with "MIRROR" because all of the songs were made during that period. Some songs express exactly who we are, and some are like a counterpunch to the current era.

HARUNA: We weren't sure if it was okay for it to have both strength and fragility--or rather, it's been a few months since we finally learned how to face up to our strength. After playing at Osaka-Ho Hall, that is.

RINA: That's true. "eternal" and "Ivory" show off a softer, gentler side to us, but the title song "MIRROR" has, in a bit of a good way, a obstinate feel to it. It was given an exquisite title.

HARUNA: I'm glad that the album-title song turned out to be a song that symbolizes who we are right now.

RINA: I'm glad we made it after deciding on the title.

HARUNA: We were able to find the final piece of the puzzle.