I currently have three jobs: managing a restaurant, running a wine shop, and writing for a radio program. Of these, I've been in radio the longest, and it's been 27 years since I started working part-time as an assistant director when I was 19 years old. I've been involved with radio for quite some time now, but to be honest, of these three, radio is the one that I feel fits me the least. Even though I still write 10 articles a month.
This is not to be humble or anything, but I still can't write well every time. When I think I've written something, and then listen to it on air, I often think, "Ah, I should have done it this way."
To begin with, I am not good at writing at all. I was never good at Japanese, and even now I often make mistakes with grammar. I often write for the website of a wine shop, and the staff often tell me, "Mr. Iwasu, you are using that word incorrectly" (the staff are excellent). By the way, sadly, I have never felt that I have written this blog perfectly. I am a man without any literary talent.
So, why am I able to work as a radio scriptwriter? The reason is...
To be honest, I don't really know.
But I thought maybe I might find the reason if I looked back, so I'd like to take this opportunity to look back on my relationship with radio .
Oh, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, I'd appreciate it if you would just skip to the second half, "Half-Price Sale on Luxury Sparkling Wine."
Well, my first experience with radio was when I was in junior high school. I heard "Masashi Sada's Say! Young" coming from my older brother's room. It was really funny. I remember being impressed that he was a musician and yet could talk so interestingly.
Then, when I was in my third year of high school, a music-focused FM station called ZIP-FM opened in Nagoya. During that time, I was busy studying for entrance exams (and my first love), so I didn't listen to it much, but when I became a freshman in college and started driving, I started listening to ZIP-FM all the time because I like Western music.
By the way, I was interested in linguistics, so I entered the Faculty of Literature, which has a linguistics major, but when I entered, I was surprised. During breaks, all my classmates started reading at the same time. And they were talking about things like, "Have you read that novel?" I was surprised, thinking, "Seriously? They're all real literature lovers!" Until then, I had hardly read any novels, so I hurriedly bought a copy of Murakami Haruki at the co-op in order to keep up with the conversation.
Then, in his second year, he was fortunate enough to be introduced to a job as an assistant director by a senior in the broadcasting club he belonged to, and managed to sneak into a broadcasting station as a staff member.
However, I was surprised when I joined the company. On the first day, the director told me to "write the script." Yes, radio is made by a small number of people, so basically everyone is a jack of all trades. Even if you're a newbie, you're a scriptwriter from the moment you start working there.
But there's no way a pseudo-literature student who's only read a few novels could write a proper piece of writing. Feeling stumped, I brought some manuscript paper into the university lecture hall without anyone noticing, and wrote while groaning and groaning about how to do it. By the end of the class, the desk was covered in eraser shavings. I was so happy when they said, "Well, that's not bad," and used what I'd managed to write for the broadcast.
That's right, I think now that it might have been good that the first place I worked at happened to be a music-focused broadcasting station. There weren't many talk parts, so the amount of manuscripts wasn't that much. There was no need to write about difficult topics like politics or economics. So, I think I managed to get by with my poor writing, even though I was a young, improvised writer.
After graduating from university, I continued working as a radio production staff member, and at the age of 24, I joined the staff of Katsuya Kobayashi's program. Even after Katsuya's Nagoya program ended, I continued to be employed as a writer for his Tokyo program, and I'm still here today.
Hmm, after writing this much, I still don't really understand why radio is possible.
If I had to say, maybe when Katsuya Kobayashi was doing the program, he just happened to have no one else he could ask. He thought it would be easier to give instructions to Iwasu, who he had worked with in Nagoya and taught him. So, when he tried using him, well, he didn't have any unique features, but he seemed just about usable and he kept the deadline, so I guess he decided to continue with it.
If you think about it that way, perhaps to Kobayashi Katsuya, writer Iwasu is something like "a restaurant that is easy to drop into and has average food."
It's not very tasty, but it's between my workplace and my house. It's just right to satisfy my hunger. The taste is just average.
There is a reason for stores like that to exist.
The udon restaurant I often go to is located in the middle of my daily routine, and the workmanship and prices are just right. I've been going there for a long time, so I don't make any particular requests, and I can generally tell the quality of what comes out. It's not impressive, but it's worth it. It's an indispensable restaurant for me.
I see, my position is a udon restaurant in a good location. I guess I just need to keep working hard and diligently like the owner of that restaurant.
Anyway, that's my conclusion for today. Okay, let's go eat some udon after this.
Oh, I know that's not good for bok choy and bok choy wine.
The purpose of a wine bar or wine shop is to provide wine that impresses people and makes them say, "That's so delicious!"
To achieve this, I have always thought that I need to cooperate with various businesses and produce more and more attractive items, and this is the result of that. I'll suddenly start advertising! (This is where I really suck at writing.)
"Half-price sale on high-end sparkling wine"
→ [Limited quantity] Gorgeous bubbles, half price campaign
New Zealand bubbles made using the same method as champagne. Vintage 2014. Only Chardonnay grapes are used. It has a sharp taste, but you can also feel the fullness that comes from aging. Please try it on anniversaries and celebrations. Limited to one bottle per person.
This week's pairing
Bokumo's new menu item is Wagyu beef cheek stewed in red wine .
This wine was created with the aim of matching it with red wines, especially Bordeaux blends and Syrah.
This one?
▶ Black Cottage Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet 2018
This
▶ Wildsong Organic Syrah Hawke's Bay 2018
When you put them together, I think you'll feel like, "Wow, this is amazing!"
By the way, my favorite radio show as a listener these days is TBS Radio's "Monwazu-gatari no Kanda Hakusan." I've been listening to every episode since the first one. I don't think there's anyone else who can turn badmouthing others into entertainment so well.
