The lineup for Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi, Monday to Friday, 1pm), which will air from October 13th to 17th, has been announced. On the 13th, actress Hama Yutaka will appear, on the 14th singer Sen Masao will appear, on the 15th composer Yoshiyuki Kozu, husband of Meiko Nakamura, who passed away two years ago, and singer and actor Kumiko Mori, on the 16th Motoyasu Tamada of the male chorus group Bonny Jacks, and on the 17th entertainer Mayo Kawasaki will appear.
Hama will soon be 90 years old. Two years ago, her ex-husband, Ichikawa En'on, passed away at the age of 83. She heard that a large number of photos of Hama were left behind among his belongings. She talks with a smile about her feelings for her family and her 90 years of life.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Sen's debut. He will share the story behind the creation of "Tsugaru Heiya" and "Ore-ra Tokyo Sa Ikuguda," written by singer Yoshi Ikuzo, who he looked after from the time he was still young. His beloved parakeets will also make an appearance, as per usual.
Kozu lost his wife, Meiko, on New Year's Eve two years ago. He says he regains his composure by talking with her in front of "Meiko's Room," which serves as a Buddhist altar. Kozu was a friend of Mori's second daughter, Hazuki, and was one of the first to recognize her talent.
Tamada's band, Bonnie Jacks, suffered successive deaths, and his agency went bankrupt when he was 88, but he made his solo debut at the age of 90. He began working at a nursing home at the age of 85, and still works there four days a week.
Kawasaki remarried last year to a cooking expert 21 years his junior, and their wedding took place in March of this year. Both grew up in single-parent households, so their mothers were apparently happy about the addition to their families. He says he sometimes feels a generation gap between him and his wife.