Actor Junji Takada takes a leisurely stroll around various places on TV Asahi's travel program "Junsanpo" (Monday to Friday, 9:55 AM), with the theme of "One Step, One Encounter." A special episode set in Los Angeles, USA, titled "Los Angeles SP," will be broadcast for an hour and a half from 1:55 PM on October 5th.
"Jun Sanpo" is the third in the TV Asahi walking series, following the late Takeo Chii's "Chii Sanpo" (April 2006 to May 2012) and Yuzo Kayama's "Wakadaisho's Leisurely Walk" (May 2012 to September 2015). The program, which began airing on September 28, 2015, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and various events are being held throughout the year as a special 10th anniversary period.
This "Los Angeles Special" is part of that. It will be the third overseas location shoot in the show's history, and Takada will be taking an ultra-high-energy stroll in Los Angeles, a place he has long publicly stated he wants to visit.
The first stop was the seaside city of Santa Monica. Takada visited the popular shopping area, Third Street Promenade, and then went to the official store of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team Shohei Ohtani plays for. While checking out the latest Dodgers merchandise, he carefully selected luxurious gifts for viewers.
He also enjoys the local cuisine. At a barbecue restaurant that is said to be the most popular in California, he is astounded by the generous portions of American-sized meat, and engages in hilarious conversation with the owner that transcends borders.
In Downtown Los Angeles, the tour will take you along the route and landmarks where the parade took place after the Dodgers won the World Series last year, and will include a number of artistic buildings, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
In the area near Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers' home field, they went to a popular restaurant set up by an avid Dodgers fan. There, they had an unexpected encounter with Shohei Ohtani (?!). When Takada saw him from outside the restaurant, he became very excited, exclaiming, "Ah! There he is! There he is! It's Ohtani!"
For the finale of the program, he also watched a Dodgers game live from behind the backstop, which happened to be the day that Ohtani took the mound as a pitcher, and he was fortunate enough to witness this memorable achievement.
After finishing the recording, Takada commented, "This is the first time that 'Junsanpo' has landed in Los Angeles, and it's been 10 years since I've been there personally, but Los Angeles is amazing, isn't it? Everything in America is on a huge scale! With the Olympics being held in three years, new buildings are going up all the time, the city is getting nicer, and it's really wonderful. On top of that, I was able to watch Shohei Ohtani play this time, so I was really happy."
"By the way, Ohtani has really long legs. He's tall and has a small face. He really is a star! Maybe I should make my legs a little longer too! Anyway, I enjoyed my walk around Los Angeles. I hear there's talk of doing an overseas location shoot every one year from now on. For now, I think New York would be a good place to go after Los Angeles!"
