Ron Does Stuff

Okay, I truly do not understand when the episodes of this show come out, because I thought it would be a weekly thing. I’ve been checking Disney+ and for the longest time it was just showing the one episode. And then I look again today and apparently the second episode went live on August 10? So is it every other week then? Anyways, here we are, possibly two posts about this show today!

The men of Snow Man had a fancy barbecue at a fancy resort in the previous episode, and ended with Tatsuya and Hikaru agreeing that the only rule on the show will be that all the nine members have to eat at a local hot pot restaurant so they get to experience the local cuisine. Let’s see if they manage to keep that up in the coming episodes! That I hope to catch on time if Disney+ isn’t being a bitch about it!

The title card says they’re in Fukuoka Prefecture this time aorund, and waiting for them is…I’m so sorry, I haven’t memorized the names and the faces that go along with it. Thankfully, the show eventually shows the name in huge letters — it’s Koji, and he calls over Hikaru to him since he’s walked past him. Hikaru I definitely remember because the hair and the melanin is very recognizable.

They ask Tabi for recommendations in Fukuoka, and they’re directed to Meoto-iwa in Sakurai Futamigaura, a place I am definitely not familiar with, and I just typed as shown in the subtitles. Honestly, I’m not really sold on the Tabi AI gimmick, but whatever floats their boat.

It looks like this Fukuoka trip is after a stadium concert, and the guys will be coming from different parts of Japan to meet in Fukuoka, just like in the first episode. Again, not sold on this arrangement. Would have preferred it if they just went on one continuous journey, but again, whatever floats their boat.

As it turns out, Meoto-iwa is the “married couple rocks” and is known as a “power spot for marital harmony”. Is anybody getting married? Koji slaps Hikaru’s butt when Tabi says marital harmony, so maybe there’s some fanfiction out there, if you know what I mean.

After taking photos with the rocks, the two of them head to the Nishiura fishing port for lunch, and I’m starting to get the feeling that it’s just going to be the two of them? Or are the other guys just taking a real long time to get there? Or will they be meeting at a pre-determined location? Anyways, on the way to the port, they get to talking about a post-concert drinking session they had with the rest of the guys, and how Shota said that they should take off their shirts, and Koji had to decline because he didn’t have the body for that. But it’s different strokes for different folks, Koji! Someone out there is going to be into your shirtless body, trust me.

When they finally arrive at Kazura, the restaurant Tabi recommended, it looks nice, but it’s pretty empty, which is either because it’s a hidden gem or production cleared everybody out because Snow Man is one of the biggest groups in Japan, I know that much. None of the other members are there, so I’m guessing it really is just going to be the two of them this time around.

While waiting for their food, Tabi asks them a little bit about their past, like whether they joined their agency at the same time, 19 years ago. Jesus Christ. Snow Man itself is only five years old, but as I remember, Johnny’s & Associates had that whole junior thing going on, and then you graduate to higher levels. But the less said about Johnny’s, the better, I think, especially with everything that’s happened. If you know, you know.

The food arrives and I’m not there to taste it, but it looks scrumptious. You can’t screencapture on Disney+, but trust me, it looks delicious. The boys eat deliciously and then Tabi insists that they head to the beach. Tabi obviously does not know the old wives tale of letting the food settle before getting into water, otherwise you get appendicitis. Or at least I think that’s an old wive’s tale. Is there research to back that up?

At the beach, the guys have fun at its activity area, riding swings, and Koji even points out that the big heart swing is usually for couples, and all I can think about now is fanfiction involving these two. Are they a popular pairing? Snow Man fans, sound off in the comments!

Tabi really has these boys on a schedule, because now they’re being directed to go to a cafe. On the way there, there’s a bus full of schoolchildren that totally miss the opportunity to see at least two members of Snow Man up close. Poor kids.

The cafe Tabi directs them to is within the premises of a temple, and I gotta say, it really does look calm and quiet and peaceful. It’s also at the cafe that the Tabi gimmick actually works for me, because there’s a little comedic moment the guys have the store baristas because of Tabi.

The guys then walk on over to their final destination for the day, Not A Hotel Fukuoka, and judging from its YouTube uploads it looks really cool!

So we get a Koji shower scene despite him saying he doesn’t have the body for it, because all men do is lie. Okay, so he doesn’t face the camera and we only see the back and the side, but even from those views, that’s a pretty nice body! What are you talking about not having the body to go shirtless?

Koji was showering because he and Hikaru were going to use the sauna, and while inside they talk about the time they were in a sauna in Thailand and Hikaru was ~scary~ with his muscular body, and you know what? Not disagreeing with Koji!

After the sauna, a cold plunge, and an out of focus shower that I don’t understand since Hikaru’s wearing shorts anyway, the guys finally have their hot pot meal. We find out that Hikaru was unable to make it to a Snow Man Fukuoka concert stop last year, and that this was to sort of make up for that. We also learn that the group wants to tour outside of Japan, which I’m pretty sure international Snow Man fans are excited about.