Shingo Katori has never tried fruit au lait!? Revealed in the special program "The Answer is Local"

■ “I’ve always wanted to do a show like this” (Katori Shingo)

The special program “The Answer is on the Spot,” in which Katori Shingo, Yashiki Hiromasa (New York), and Aoyama Thelma teamed up for the first time, was broadcast locally in the Kansai region on August 31st.

The contestants, who know nothing about the place, are suddenly given a quiz. However, the correct answer to the question is… something they can only find out by going to the location. In this day and age, you can find out almost anything on the internet in just a few seconds. That’s why there is no substitute for finding the correct answer on foot. The quiz exploration takes place in places ranging from the “most remote areas of Japan” to “hidden areas overseas.” The contestants, full of individuality, will actually go to the locations to find the correct answers to a total of four quiz questions.

After the broadcast ended, there were many positive comments on social media, such as “I hope this becomes a regular program” and “It’s a shame that this is just a local special.”

■ Review of the quiz
The first contestant was Zabunguru Kato.
“Q. What color is the flower that blooms at the highest point in Japan?” Kato was confused by the sudden question. He hesitated, saying, “You can find it if you look it up online,” but he couldn’t find the answer online, so he went to Mount Fuji. What was the answer he found when he actually climbed to the top?

The second contestant was Sugichan.
“Q: There is a village in China where all the villagers are kung fu masters. What is the strongest technique of the strongest person in the village?” After 64 hours of air and land travel, Sugi-chan arrives at a house in the local kung fu village. Will he be able to find the right answer?

The third group of contestants were the two members of Joyman.
“Q. What is the celebrity autograph displayed at the southernmost point of Japan?” The correct answer is the autograph that is located at the southernmost store. The two head straight for Hateruma Island. After many twists and turns, they manage to find the correct answer, but… an unexpected incident occurs!?

The last contestant was The Mummy Sakai.
“Q: What did Hikomaro say in his food report when he tried the ‘worst-tasting hot spring in Japan’ in Niigata Prefecture?” This was a tricky quiz in which Hikomaro himself was summoned to the location, under the guise of a local station’s location shoot, to find out the correct answer. Tsukioka Onsen is said to contain 75 times the average amount of sulfur, and has a strong smell and flavor reminiscent of rotten eggs. What was the food report comment he made when he tried the water from this hot spring, which can only be drunk locally?

Katori Shingo, who watched all of this from the studio, enthusiastically commented, “I’ve always wanted to do a show like this.”

The “food report comments” were also mentioned in the studio as one of the topics related to the quiz. Katori commented, “I try not to say ‘sweet.’ I don’t treat ‘sweet’ as if it’s above ‘delicious.'” A comment that comes naturally from someone with a lot of experience who has been on location many times.

The show is delivered in a relaxed atmosphere, with viewers munching on snacks and drinking juice while watching the VTR. The conversation turns to the “juice” that the staff had prepared for the three of them. It turns out that Katori has never tried “fruit au lait” before! Towards the end of the recording, when he tried fruit au lait for the first time in his life, he inadvertently said “sweet,” to which Yashiki and Aoyama replied with a big “You mean ‘sweet’?”, causing the studio to erupt in laughter.

“The Answer is Local” is available for free on TVer. If you’re interested, be sure to check it out.