Mari Yoshiko, who served as the first "Uta no Oneesan" (song sister) on NHK, appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko no Heya" (TV Asahi) on March 25th. She talked about her time as Uta no Oneesan.
Mari passed the NHK audition in 1961 and became a popular singing host. She and Tetsuko spent their 20s at NHK together. Although they never performed together, they would eat snacks together in the hallway of the recording studio.
Mari revealed, "During breaks, we eat the snacks that everyone brought, but we're told not to eat in the studio, so we eat in the hallway. That's when I'd go out to grab a snack."
When Tetsuko said, "It brings back memories, doesn't it?" Mari also reminisced, "It brings back memories. I was young back then. Everything was fun, and I was excited whenever something new started."
During her time as a singing sister, she received strict guidance regarding her private life. "There were times when a singing sister had to be a role model for children. When I was eating oden at an oden restaurant, I was immediately found out and scolded," she confessed.
"There was a food stall next to the station. I was happy to have my own income for the first time (on payday), and I was happy to eat with my seniors. When I ate there, the next day they said, 'Come in' (laughs). They told me, 'I don't eat oden in places like that,'" she recalled. "I think I was trained very well," she said.
