"Sandwichman & Mana Ashida's Hakase-chan" (TV Asahi, Saturday 6:56 pm) is a show where children with knowledge and talents that rival adults give funny lessons as "Doctor-chan" (teacher). On December 28th, there will be a three-hour special, and "World Heritage-loving actress" Anne will go to Italy. Together with "World Heritage Doctor-chan" Yamamoto Richard Touma, who will be appearing for the first time in about two years, they will approach the mystery of the fall of the ancient Roman Empire, about which even experts are divided on the issue.
Two years ago, Toma took a break from TV appearances to concentrate on his entrance exams, but this spring he was accepted into the University of Tokyo. Now a university student, Toma teams up for the first time with Anne, who has visited 45 World Heritage sites.
First, to learn how prosperous the ancient Roman Empire was, we went to the ancient city of Pompeii, where the streetscape from 2000 years ago remains intact. The city was completely engulfed in volcanic ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, but the accumulation of volcanic ash prevented the city from being weathered, making it a World Heritage Site known as an "ancient time capsule."
Currently, the number of people allowed into the park where the ruins are located is limited for conservation reasons, but this time they were given special permission to film, and were able to cover areas that are not normally open to the public. Seeing the ruins that convey the lives of the local residents, the two men reminisced about those days, and at the ruins of the thermae (public baths), which were also the subject of the film, they were impressed by the greatness of Rome's extensive facilities.
Next, the pair visited Somma Vesuviana, a town on the north side of Mount Vesuvius. This year, a research team from the University of Tokyo, who are conducting excavations in the area, announced that they had discovered important remains from the Roman Empire, which became a hot topic around the world. This time, they visited the research team that announced the historic new discovery, and went inside the excavation site, where investigations are still ongoing. Sandwichman and Ashida in the studio were excited to see the rare footage of the archaeological excavation site, which is usually off-limits to the public.
The final stop will be Rome, the capital of the ancient Roman Empire. Tour ruins such as the Trajan Markets and the Aurelian Walls, which show just how advanced the civilization of the empire was.
Takeshi Tomizawa from the studio commented, "This is going to be a great episode!!" and Ashida, who watched the two on location, said, "The three hours went by in a flash! I was able to see ancient Rome from a different perspective than I saw in textbooks, and it deepened my interest." Ijuin Hikaru, who has accompanied Toma on location shoots in the past, will appear as a studio guest.
