TV / Radio Nogizaka Under Construction (2015/04/19 - )

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Yoda gotta post something to those people that too nosy about how they use their own money

 

Looking forward to tonight’s Fujisan episode. Hopefully all of them can make it to the top.

 

Another good episode, specially because I would buy almost all of the itens.
I'm really considering purchasing an e-bike.
The mugen knife was just so cool that it would be an impulse purchase if I was in the studio lol
Yamashita's regular massage thing I would skip it and get Yoda's massage space chair (if I had the means).

 

I just watched the latest Koujichuu - 5ki takes on Mt. Fuji~

This was a good, breezy one - really went by fast. Well, the only surprise (for me) is that this was not extended to multiple episodes.

Okamoto didn't join in the activity, from what I saw.

Split into Groups A and B, taking 2 different routes.

Group A - Nagi, Kikki, NaoNao, Terepan & Miku.
Group B - Satsuki, Iroha, Sakutan, Aya & Aruno.

Spoiler: Did they all made it?

The 10 members of 5ki made it.

Even when Sakutan is not feeling too good herself, she worries for Iroha. She's...she's such a good girl. They all generally were very supportive of each other during the whole activity. Congrats.

 

5th Gen so strong! You're not going to keep it a secret once someone posts the latest video. That thumbnail will spoil it all!

Anyhow, it sucks that they only did 1 episode for this. I can only hope eventually the BluRay release will give them a longer show cause I want more. It was a good one today.

And for the previous episode, Yoda just emptied her bank account didn't she? LOLz! She has been looking for a massage chair for quite a long time hasn't she?

 

I mean, I kind of already spoiling it by ending my post with "congrats" haha. Usually the idol TV shows never pass a chance to stretch out content into multiple episodes, hence me being surprised at this being a one-shot.

I would say, despite 5ki having some non-athletic members like Aya or Aruno - they were very united and supportive towards each other. Even athletic ones like Kikki was being comforted at times, and as I mentioned above, Sakutan seemingly got sick, but soldiered on. Nagi seemed to be the usual reliable presence for the rest of the members. Aruno did pretty well too. My Iroha was crying a bit, but got better towards the end.

Even so, I'm not saying all that to compare them with 4ki. To be fair...during the 4ki version, the weather was much more volatile, if I recall correctly. I'll never blame anyone prioritizing health and safety by retiring early before reaching the top. I'm just a fat lazy old man anyway, watching this at home while eating some instant ramen. God, that chicken-flavored ramen sucked. Thankfully, the episode was very enjoyable.

 

@Isaac H Okamoto Hina was down with the Rona so she missed out. This was filmed soon after the end of the tour at the start of this past September. She also missed the first meguri because of it.

5th Gen climbed to the highest peak, further than the other members!

 

@Generic_User you know, the moment the guide pointed out the real/higher peak, and the girls looked on in despair (one of them said so...forgot who) that could've been the...cliffhanger insert Horatio CSI meme here for the next episode. But I enjoyed what we got.

Ah, so she missed the climb due to Rona. My views on Hinadani have softened somewhat - didn't care for her much in the beginning. I read the translation of her recent blog (by @NEVBOSS ) she's very admirable in wanting to improve on her singing. At the very least I admire her more now. Hope she can gain confidence and perhaps try to sing solo in a future Nogistar episode.

 

I think it's down to them become quiet on the road. I dont blame them. Climbing a mountain were exhausting so you dont want to spend your energy on talking or doing something cringey to entertaint people. That's what separates Ikoma, Manatsu, and many OG from their kouhai.

 

^ I suppose you're right. Regardless of what I thought about it all, the episode turned out good. Win-win for all. Just me looking forward to see them doing well every week.

During the show, I saw the ad for Hinachima's farewell concert. If that's available on Stagecrowd, I might try to watch it - I had great experience with the service watching the recent Jingu summer concert and 10th year b'day live before that.

 

CMIIW but this is the first time we didn’t have anyone retire? Congrats to everyone. I personally think going down is harder because of the constant braking. Their conditions didn’t seem so bad. When I climbed Fujisan I had some serious gusts whipping volcanic ash to your face making everything miserable while gasping for oxygen. Oh yeah the next day your body is wiped out if you’re not used to mountain climbing. There’s a Japanese proverb about you’re a fool if you climb Fujisan twice. I couldn’t agree more. Anyway, I concur that this episode should be an hour long.

 

@Takoyama - yes, no one retired...it seemed close a couple of times - with Sakura and Miku for example, but the members pulled through in the end.

Fascinating to read about your experience. All these times, they almost never showed the going down part...probably because it wasn't interesting "story-wise" but at the same time I can only imagine if you're already wiped out climbing, going back down seemed very tough and challenging. The change in the air & weather as you go higher must be hard to adjust to, as well. If I try climbing now I'd probably fall and break like humpty dumpty.

 

if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Physically going down is harder. However, for me, mentally, it's kinda different because you'll feel relieved and it's helped by the fact there's more oxygen going down. Easier to breathe.

I never climb a mountain as high as mt. Fuji, but that rocky road is the worst for our feet. I'm nearly couldn't walk for like a day after climbing a 3,1K masl mountain with rocky road but then feeling fine after climbing a 3,4K masl mountain with land-road. And i believe 3,1K masl is the equivalent of just around that 8th station of mt. Fuji. So yeah, it's amazing all of them can reach the top.

 

Right there. Like most things, you don't realize you are witnessing greatness until it's gone. I love all the generations, but the personalities and drive of the first and second gens is what put Nogizaka on the map, especially during their early struggles and sleepless nights. They had to be prepared to do anything for the cameras at the drop of the hat, and their skillset was what was needed for success at the time.

 

A wonderful episode. I keep replaying it over and over. I love all 5ki. And, Aruno got many screentime. I saw her has not much problem with the climbing. Maybe, it was the result of her 130,000+ steps of weekly walking?

 

Many quotable quotes in this episode from Ikeda and Nakanishi. Love the one where her mom says something along the lines of 'underestimating the mountains will cost you your life'. Sounds like something she would write at the beginning of her blog.

Surprised 3ki have never actually climbed Fuji yet. Hope they do it someday, along with 4.5ki. They can go in three groups. And Okamoto. And maybe those too who never actually reached the summit like Kaki, Rei, etc.

 

I went back to the old Mt. Fuji episodes and discovered that they all provided timestamps to measure the ascent. This allows comparison of climbing times to the top stations, although only the Yoshida trail can be compared directly.

Spoiler

I had to look up some station elevations since they don't appear onscreen. The entry format is:
Elevation reached (Station section) Time elapsed

Fujinomiya trail (~4.3 km long)
Manatsu, Saya, Yuna, Ayame, Seira, Mio set out in the afternoon.
2490 m (6) 30 min
2780 m (7) 3 h
3030 m (7) 5 h 15 min
3250 m (8) 7 h
3460 m (9) 7 h 55 min

Subashiri trail (~7.8 km long)
Aya, Iroha, Kawasaki, Satsuki, Aruno set out at 9:30 a.m.
2420 m (6) 2 h
2700 m (6) 3 h [Kawasaki rests 2 h]
3090 m (7) 6 h
3400 m (8) 10 h

Yoshida trail (~7.5 km long)
Ikuta, Hori, Ikoma, Manatsu, Hoshino, Matsumura, Reika set out around 5:10 a.m.
Endou, Sayaka, Mayu & Kaki, Yuri, Rei set out in the afternoon. Endou’s trio climbed faster than Kaki’s trio.
Mao, Tomisato, Miku, Nagi, Teresa set out at noon.
2390 m (6) 1 h 10 min (1ki)
2740 m (7) 3 h (5ki), 3 h 10 min (1ki), 3 h 15 min (4ki) [Guide tells 1ki they're “behind schedule”]
2900 m (7) 4 h (1ki)
3000 m (7) 4 h 30 min (1ki), 4 h 40 min (4ki), 5 h 30 min (5ki)
3050 m (7) 5 h 10 min (4ki)
3100 m (8) 5 h (1ki), 5 h 25 min (Endou), 5 h 45 min (Kaki)
3150 m (8) 6 h (Kaki)
3200 m (8) 6 h (1ki), 6 h 10 min (Endou), 7 h 15 min (Kaki)
3250 m (8) 6 h 30 min (1ki)
3400 m (8) 7 h 10 min (1ki), 8 h 15 min (Kaki meets Endou), 9 h 30 min (5ki)

The 1ki continued directly to the summit (3776 m), arriving after 9 h 15 min. The 4ki and 5ki rested for several hours before the summit.

The onscreen narrative was that Kaki’s trio was slowing down, but the Yoshida 5ki actually took 1 hour 15 minutes longer than Kaki to reach the final 8th station, which suggests they edited out a lot of resting (or at least, very slow climbing). I guess the guide/staff gave 5ki more leeway to avoid so many people dropping out.

Most websites estimate 5-7 hours to climb from Station 5 to the top of Mt. Fuji (not just the 8th station), so members were unusually slow. Also, I myself have climbed the Yoshida trail with some female friends who weren’t particularly athletic, and it didn’t feel nearly as painful as these episodes make it look. I suppose the obvious reason for that would be because some members got altitude sickness and either climbed very slowly or were advised to rest. This 2016 study of 345 climbers indicates ~30% of people get altitude sickness when climbing Mt. Fuji. A lot of Nogi members may also have genuinely poor endurance, though the UK’s NHS does say: Your age, sex or physical fitness do not affect your likelihood of getting altitude sickness. Another possibility is the Nogi staff are frequently pausing to set up cameras, etc.

 

if the video does not show watch the video here
5th gen Climbing Mount Fuji long version

 

I'm very happy they released the long version. I didn't expect it to happen...or at least I thought it would be sometime in the future as extras in blu-ray set or something.

But it's a good move - also more content for their 'Nogizaka Streaming Now' Youtube Channel, where it is more accessible worldwide. I enjoyed a lot of videos there including Sakusanpo, Rei English, 4.5ki sports, etc.

I'll set a nice time aside with some cookies & coffee, when I'm off work later to watch the 5ki girls conquest of Fujisan in full.