Ron Does Stuff

I know absolutely nothing about Snow Man other than the fact that Ren Meguro is a member and that I loved My Love Mix-Up! That is literally all the knowledge I bring as I start this series. Let’s go!

We start in Naha, Okinawa, and the first person I am introduced to is Hikaru Iwamoto. He’s quickly followed by Daisuke Sakuma and Ryohei Abe, and Daisuke says the last time he visited Okinawa was two years ago, with Date, who I am assuming is another member. Next to arrive is Shota Watanabe — his name sounds familiar so I might have seen him in something else — and Tatsuya Fukazawa. Shota says the last time he was in Okinawa was in middle school, and since he’s already 32 according to Google that’s been a long time ago. Also, he does not look his age.

Ryota Miyadate is next, and I’m assuming this is the Date that Daisuke went to Okinawa with two years ago. Up next is Raul, and I’m so sorry to say this but the first thing that popped into my mind is that scene from Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.

It’s Raul’s first timr in Okinawa! Koji Mukai comes in after this declaration and now that we’ve got eight people I will apologize in advance to any Snow Man fans if I mix the names up later on. Yes, I can memorize them but not this quickly! The last person to arrive is Ren Meguro, who I know from My Love Mix-Up!

Hikaru starts things off by congratulating everyone for celebrating their fifth anniversary. I thought they would be an older group, they seem to have been around for longer than five years! Since Hikaru is leading the conversation and the one saying he thought they should try new experiences, I am guessing he’s the leader? He says they’re going to be traveling all over Japan and Raul jokes that will the final episode be in Wakkanai? Which I guess is the opposite of Okinawa. They also have a…thing called Tabi who they can ask questions about the places they’ll go, I guess.

The first order of business is to prepare for the barbecue later in the day, with the eight members and Tabi going shopping while Hikaru goes off on a motorcycle to do…something else. We don’t immediately find out what it is, but we do here from the insert(?) interviews that Hikaru hopes the trip becomes one where the members experience new things and helps them appreciate the Japan they live in more.

Meanwhile, the car Date is in has been advised by Tabi to go to Yunta Market to buy ingredients for their BBQ, since it has a lot of Okinawan foods. In the other car where the rest of the members are, I think it’s Shota who says that it’s rare to have all nine of them for a shoot. He says that this feels like a special anniversary thing. Ryohei says that their seniors have done travel shows for their anniversaries as well, and that he thought it was cool, so this should be a fun show for him.

Once they arrive at the market, Date, who looks like he’s going to be the Tabi handler at least for this episode, asks Tabi for recommendations and he’s given the recommendation of yakisoba with Okinawa soba. Which…I mean, I’m not a gourmand or whatever but you can’t barbecue yakisoba, right? But Date likes the idea and since he’s an actual Japanese person, I defer to his judgment.

As the rest of the guys head back, they wonder where Hikaru went and I am wondering too! All we’ve seen of him is footage of him on a motorcycle. Tabi tells the group that they should head to Hoshinoya Okinawa, an oceanfront resort that looks really fancy. Hikaru’s already there, so I’m guessing the barbecue is going to be held here.

But before all that, they go to the beachfront, and Raul, Ryohei(?), and Daisuke get into the water. Or at least, wade in it, because they’re not in swim clothes, and I’m sure what they’re wearing is expensive designer stuff.

From that scene, we head into the hotel, where the guys are served bukubuku cha. Just like most things Japanese — or at least what I’ve been led to believe about most things Japanese — there’s a nice little ritual to drinking it and they guys all give appropriate reactions.

Fukka — I am guessing this is Tatsuya? — and Date go and prepare the barbecue together with Hikaru, while the rest of the group are off to enjoy the hotel. Why Hikaru picked those two to help him out is never explained, but maybe the reason is evident to longtime Snow Man fans.

The barbecue venue is so fancy, so I am guessing Snow Man must be bringing in tons of money for their company because this has got to be expensive. The other members who aren’t cooking also get to see their accommodations, and again, so fancy. If I could afford it, I’d go this place as well. But alas, I am a poor. Ren says he could stay here forever, and I agree! The two of us could stay there together.

The food is finally ready, and the guys start eating and just like with Are You Sure?, I start getting hungry because the guys do eat deliciously. After they finish eating, Hikaru finally reveals where he went off to — a temple, where he said a prayer for Snow Man and got nine charms for safe travel, since this show is going to be until December, if the press releases are any indication.

While the rest of the team leaves — I’m not clear if they’re just leaving the barbecue place or the hotel entirely — Tatsuya and Hikaru enjoy the pool, wearing rash guards and depriving me of shirtless men. I kid. But Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook put on a shirtless how for Are You Sure? I’m just saying.

Tatsuya and Hikaru, however, want more Okinawan food, so they get a taxi after their time in the pool to a restaurant Tabi recommended. I wonder if Tabi truly is AI or just prerecorded scripted stuff? But I’ll have to think about that some other day because the guys are eating again and it does look delicious. While eating what looks like delicious Okinawan hotpot, Tatsuya comes up with the only rule for the trip — all the nine members have to eat at a local hot pot restaurant so they get to experience the local cuisine.