The photo of writer Osamu Suzuki
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The “Saturday Premium: Truly Scary Stories 25th Anniversary Special” will be broadcast tonight. This article, originally distributed by AERA dot on November 9, 2023, is being reprinted (ages and titles are as they were at that time).
[Photo] Nostalgic… SMAP singing the national anthem here
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Osamu Suzuki presents a serialized column titled ‘To the Johnny’s Juniors Born in the 1970s’ for his peers living in the present. This time, it concerns events at an event venue.
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On November 3rd, I attended the “Saga International Balloon Fiesta” for work with Tokyo FM. It is a hot air balloon festival held every year in Saga Prefecture.
I had been aware of this event for a long time and had wanted to visit it someday. For the past few years, it had been held on a smaller scale due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this time, it was back to its full size.
I absolutely wanted to show it to my 8-year-old son, so I took him along.
The venue is an incredibly vast riverbed, and we arrived at 6:30 AM. It was early. When we got there, the sponsor’s balloons were starting to inflate. The burners heat the air to lift the balloons. It was an amazing sight.
As the sun rose, the competition segment began. More than 70 participants started inflating their balloons simultaneously, lifting them into the sky. If they don’t take off within 20 minutes, they are disqualified. Watching over 70 balloons inflating and rising into the sky right in front of me was breathtaking and moving. The man-made balloons harmonized beautifully with nature.
Having seen various things over the past 51 years, I truly felt that there are still wonderful things to experience in Japan that I had yet to see.
Over 30 Years of Being a SMAP Fan
By the way, that morning, over 130,000 people had visited the venue. There were more than 200 stalls open from the morning. Everyone’s spirits were high. Once the balloons were up, people started lining up at the stalls.
It was the best breakfast ever. There were popular local dishes from Saga being served as well.
As I stood in line with my son in front of a tempting takoyaki stall, a woman with a son who looked to be in high school approached us. She asked, “Are you Osamu Suzuki?” and I answered, “Yes, I am.” She continued, “I have been a fan of SMAP for over 30 years,” and it made me happy to meet someone who has been supporting SMAP all this time in such a place. I replied, “Is that so?” and she said, “I heard that you will be leaving your role as a writer next year.”
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Osamu Suzuki
Osamu Suzuki (Suzuki Osamu) / TV writer. Born in 1972. Debuted as a television writer at age 19. Active in various fields, including screenwriting for movies and dramas, writing essays and novels, radio personality, and directing and producing stage plays.
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[Photo] SMAP singing the national anthem