Akiko Shimoju, a writer and former NHK announcer, appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) broadcast on April 7th. She talked about her memories of her time as an NHK announcer with Yoko Nogiwa and Kenji Suzuki.
During his first year as an announcer, he lived in a dormitory in Nagoya, next door to Yoko Nogiwa, who was then an NHK announcer. They lived in a 4.5 tatami room for a year. The two were both heavy drinkers and would go out drinking every night. They lived in the "Arata Dormitory" in the city, so they were nicknamed "Arata's Orochi."
One of the things that Kenji Suzuki, an announcer at NHK, taught me during my time there was, "You don't have to worry about accents, just think of the right words to use to express what you see, hear, and feel." Another was, "Say 'watakushi' (I am the first person to say "watashi").
Shimoju said, "People who are good at speaking say 'watakushi.'" He added, "Just adding the 'ku' gives me a little time to think. So I try my best to say 'watakushi.'"
