Bistro SMAP - Ueno Juri x Tamaki Hiroshi

December 9, 2006 | 42 Comments

Bistro SMAP is basically a cooking segment from SMAPxSMAP, a variety show produced by all 5 members of SMAP. In addition to cooking and interviewing their guests, all 5 members perform sketch comedy, competing in games, and perform song and dance routine. The cooking segment itself is usually hosted by Nakai Masahiro while the other four members form two groups and compete against each other to see who can produce the best dish for their guests. While the idea of singers working as chefs may sound absurd, SMAP members were apparently trained as professional chefs so the quality of their cooking is commendable. This particular segment is special because it features the two stars of Nodame Cantabile drama, Ueno Juri (Noda "Nodame" Megumi) and Tamaki Hiroshi (Chiaki Shinichi). The actual airdate was actually the 4th of December 2006. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to blog this until now.

The segment begins with Nakai Masahiro introducing Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi. Ueno Juri is very excited to be invited here since she's always liked the program. First thing first, the two guests must choose the kind of dish that they like to order. The orders from both actors end up being "Taste of the season eaten with Salt". While the other SMAP members are cooking, Nakai gets to interview his guests. He starts off by asking the actors' age. Tamaki Hiroshi is 26 going 27 and Ueno Juri is only 19 going to 20 years old. The next topic is the Nodame Cantabile manga. Although 16 volumes of the manga have been released, Tamaki Hiroshi has only read the first 9, which is all that is covered in the drama. Ueno Juri, on the other hand, is hardcore and has read all 16 volumes. She also reveals that she had to learn Piano for her role although this wasn't her first exposure to the instrument (she studied it until junior high school).

On the other hand, Tamaki Hiroshi had to learn Piano, Violin, and Conducting for the first time. As a result, he usually just imitate the hand movements he sees in a video. Anyway, since this is a cooking show, Nakai asks the two stars if they normally cook. Ueno Juri admits that she can't cook Japanese-style meals but she's pretty good at making Natto Omelette. X( I can't tell from Nakai and Tamaki's "Heh?" if they're impressed or disgusted. Anyway, Tamaki Hiroshi apparently used to work at restaurant for 5 years until he was 22-23 years old. Tamaki also admits that he usually only eat Chocolate for breakfast. Apparently he loves sweets and believes that eating them makes him alert in the morning. The three then go downstairs to greet the two cooking teams: Kimura Takuya/Inagaki Goro and Katori Shingo/Kusanagi Tsuyoshi. As it turns out, Inagaki Goro is a big fan of the series so he praises both stars for their portrayal of Nodame and Chiaki.

Ueno Juri apparently once starred with Kimura Takuya in a drama called Engine. The two even formed a band together during filming. Ueno Juri played Saxophone while co-stars Kimura and Izumiya Shigeru are on Guitar and vocal duty. In one of those 'too much information to share' moments, Ueno Juri reveals that during her birthday, her Engine co-star Katou Koyuki wanted to know the size of her underwear. When she heard it, she thought she's going to get a 'hands-me-down' underwear. XD As it turns out, Koyuki and Kimura Takuya simply wanted to buy a birthday present for her. If that's not amusing enough, Kimura Takuya admits that he entered the lingerie shop with Koyuki to choose the underwear. The other guys are shocked to hear this and claims that they never entered a lingerie shop. Kimura Takuya, on the other hand, admits that he has gone there on his own and doesn't understand why everyone looks horrified to hear this.

This riveting conversation (un)fortunately comes to an end when Katori Shingo/Kusanagi Tsuyoshi announce to everyone that they too have finished cooking. Because of this, the dining part of the show begins. The first team who gets to feed Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi are Kimura Takuya and Inagaki Goro. Their menu consists of a plate of salted and grilled Kinki fish and Truffle Pie, a bowl of Hisui (Jade-colour) Tsukemen noodle and Kakiage made from Ebi (Shrimp), vegetables, and mushrooms. There is also dipping broth for the Tsukemen noodle made out of a salt-boiled pork ribs with eggs and spinach. Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi first get to taste the Truffle Pie. Upon opening the pie and sniffing its content, Ueno Juri immediately assumes that it's Kuri (Japanese chestnut). Kimura Takuya is annoyed about this because the pie is actually made out of highly expensive mushroom known as Truffle, thus the name of the pie.

With the confusion cleared up, the two stars begins to devour their portion of the pie and fish. The fun part then comes when Kimura is ticked off when he sees Ueno Juri messing around with the fish flakes while trying to eat it. Anyway, Kimura explains that the fish has been stuffed with small slices of Truffles as well as the fish's liver. The salt used to spice the fish is the famous Maldon Crystal Sea Salt, which is made in England and comes in the shape of small pyramids. Upon hearing this Ueno Juri tells Kimura that she is interested to go to England so Kimura sarcatically bids goodbye at her by saying "Itterashai". The next thing that the two stars eat is the salt-based Tsukemen dipped in salt-boiled pork ribs broth. SMAP can't help themselves from laughing upon seeing the expression on Tamaki Hiroshi's face. Their dining time, however, got interrupted when Katori Shingo suddenly appears in a tux and carrying a violin.

Tamaki Hiroshi immediately understands that the guy tries to imitate Ryuutarou Mine, Eita's character in Nodame Cantabile drama. Unlike Mine, however, Katori Shingo's Violin performance is similar to the noise made by a chalk on a blackboard. After a few excruciating seconds, the performance ends and Tamaki Hiroshi returns to devouring his Tsukemen. Upon seeing Tamaki lifting the bowl up close to his face, an amused and horrified Kusanagi Tsuyoshi reminds Tamaki that the other team has yet to present their food to him. Because of this, they quickly move to the second team's foods which consists of: Crab cream croquettes, salt-grilled pork belly and cow tongue, three kinds of salt condiments (Caviar, salted spring onions salt, Guérande Salt), an Ochazuke set consisting of rice with abalone and a slice of Blanquillo (Tile fish). Instead of using tea, however, the liquid that they need to pour into the bowl is fish broth.

After noticing the expression on Tamaki's face as he tastes the croquette, Kimura Takuya makes a comment about how Tamaki looks like he's drifting off to his own world whenever he eats something. True enough, when Ueno Juri tries to engage Tamaki Hiroshi in a conversation, he just nods to whatever she says. Kimura Takuya immediately guesses that just then Tamaki didn't listen to a word that Ueno Juri said. XD The two then move on to the next dish, seasonal Branquillo-chazuke. Before they pour the broth, however, Shingo suggests that they eat half of the content of the bowl first. Halfway through the dish, the two pour the broth into the bowl. When Tamaki puts the side vegetables into the bowl, however, he wonders if there's Ume (Plum) in the mixture. He explains that he doesn't like Ume, Natto, or Citrus slice. Katori Shingo suddenly remembers this fact so he lies to Tamaki that the yellow slice is not citrus. It's Lemon. XD

This concludes the dining part of the show so SMAP asks Tamaki Hiroshi which part he likes best. Much to everyone's amusement, Tamaki claims he loves Harami (tender meat). Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi then talk in a corner to decide the winner. Ueno Juri, however, didn't get this at first so Nakai tells Tamaki how great he is for putting up with Ueno Juri. The two then announce the winner of the cooking show, which turns out to be Kimura Takuya/Inagaki Goro team. Ueno Juri explains how the fish is simple and yet there is Foei gras inside of it. Kimura Takuya immediately corrects Ueno Juri by saying that it was Kinki's liver not Foei gras. XD The two stars then stand up so that Ueno Juri can give presents to the winner: a kiss on the cheek. They also reminds everyone that the last episode of Nodame Cantabile will be aired during Christmas day. The program ends with everyone saluting Tamaki Hiroshi for being an all around nice guy.

Impression:

I think this is the one of the best Bistro SMAP segment I've had the pleasure to watch. It is also unusually funny because both Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi turn out to be approachable and unguarded in their reactions. I am surprised to know that Ueno Juri has a little bit of Nodame's ditziness on her. I can't help but laughing so hard when I saw Kimura Takuya looking irritated when she ruins his carefully prepared fish. Upon watching this, I realise how Kimura Takuya's personality seems a lot closer to Chiaki than Tamaki Hiroshi's own personality. Come to think of it, Tamaki Hiroshi looks more like a male version of Nodame or maybe Mine. It's amusing how he looks like he's in his own world while enjoying the food. Other stars normally pretend to look dignified while eating. They also only eat a little bit while both Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi eagerly devour their portions. I think it's nice to see actors with healthy appetite.

Apart from the scenes I mentioned above, some of my favorite scenes include: Kusanagi telling Tamaki Hiroshi that he has yet to taste his team's cooking, Ueno Juri's "D'oh!" moment when she mistook liver as Foei gras, and Tamaki Hiroshi saying "dame" while his mouth is still full. I also love watching all of the delicious foods presented on the show although I know that the likelihood that I'll have the chance to taste such expensive-looking foods is slim to none. Judging from Ueno Juri's admission, it appears that she's quite proficient at Piano. Unfortunately the same thing can't be said about Tamaki Hiroshi, who just mimics the hand movements. On the other hand, the revelation that he used to work at a restaurant's kitchen explains why Chiaki can cut vegetables like a pro in the drama. Anyway, I hope that the drama and the anime will be successful so that we get a sequel for the drama in the future.

Unrelated Extra: Shingo Mama no Oha Rock XD

Posted by Garten

Comments

December 9, 2006 | Valerie wrote:

It's pretty amusing that both of them were chosen for Bistro SMAP. I heard that they are dating or having a "special relationship". :D

December 9, 2006 | Garten wrote:

This is the first time I've heard about the two having relationship. I wouldn't put too much stock on the rumour though. Admittedly, there have been occasions where they're spot on. For example, in the past there was a rumour about Sorimachi Takashi and Matsushima Nanako being together (when the two starred in Great Teacher Onizuka drama). By now everyone knows that they're married. The same thing happened to Takeuchi Yuuko and Nakamura Shidou (Ryuk's VA) when they co-starred in Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu.

December 9, 2006 | miharuyuki wrote:

Tamaki Hiroshi's really funny. I can't stop laughing when he choked twice on his food, especially when Katori Shingo said "sore wa lemon desu." XD And also when Tamaki lifted the lid of the chazuke teapot, Katori said, 'there's nothing to put inside'...Tamaki's swift reaction was simply entertaining!

December 9, 2006 | animejunkie18 wrote:

Wow. This is my second Bistro SMAP that I've watched in my entire life. And I didn't think Kimura Takuya could be so funny. The only other thing I've seen him on was in that movie, 2046, which is really excellent btw.

Tamaki Hiroshi's expressions were really hilarious. It's interesting he has all that funky jewelry on with preppy clothes. I wonder if he's just dressed as Chiaki for the show's purpose or what not.

Thanks for your commentary Garten. I had trouble understanding what Kimura Takuya kept referring to when he was talking to Ueno Juri in the beginning.

December 9, 2006 | Tania wrote:

i watched it and LMAO, both were so funny, especially tamaki hiroshi, god, i would choke if i eat like him!

December 9, 2006 | thtl wrote:

I wasn't expecting a review on this show/episode so this was a very pleasant surprise.

In Ms. Ueno's agency profile one of her interests was cuisine - I guess that meant she enjoyed eating it, not cooking. I tried natto once and a natto omelet is not my idea of cordon bleu cooking.

I've seen Tamaki Hiroshi in several movies/dramas starting with "Waterboys". Never realized he was so funny in person.

December 10, 2006 | linhkawaii wrote:

LOL I agree that this is the best SMAPxSMAP Bistro I've ever seen so far xD And I'm quite surprised at how Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi eat. You're right, most guests in this show just touch a small portion of the food and that's it, which makes me complain all the time because it's just a waste of food, and I'm always hungry when I watch this show lol. The two are just so cute and make me love them more xD

I'm waiting for a sequel too~

December 10, 2006 | sakura wrote:

ahhhh~ that was one of the best SMAP-SMAP Bistro I've seen too! thanks so much for writing about this, Tamaki's just too adorable, and i thought he couldn't get any more wonderful XD they're just 2 very cool actors, banzai for Nodame!!

December 10, 2006 | Ruka wrote:

Thank you for this summary. I was looking for the Waratte Iitomo last night, then watched this without knowing what it was. Your summary helped cleared up the bits I didn't understand.

I was amazed too by how much they ate, because it looked good, but I was also thinking "are they going to be able to try the other team's dishes?!"

December 10, 2006 | Shosuke wrote:

I think Tamaki and Juri make a very good pair. Their personalities match each other very well so there was no awkward moment between them during the show. They were both so unpretentious in their ways of eating and I find that incredibly adorable.

December 10, 2006 | Hiro wrote:

I think Kuroyanagi would have some great reactions to the food XD !

December 10, 2006 | Franciele wrote:

Thank you!! I was surprised to see this review, I was hoping you would do it lol. Thank you, thank you! I still can't believe how funny Tamaki is! I haven't seen any of his dramas before Nodame Cantabile so this show was kind of a shock for me. He really does resembles Nodame more then Chiaki. That goes to say about his acting skills lol. And man can he eat! Thank you again Garten!

December 10, 2006 | studious.bookworm wrote:

Thanks for sharing ;p
by the way Garten (completely out of context) where do you come from?
just been wondering XD

December 10, 2006 | Garten wrote:

I think Tamaki and Juri make a very good pair. Their personalities match each other very well so there was no awkward moment between them during the show.

I forgot to mention this in the original post since I was in a hurry and Nakai's comment seems flippant on a glance. Having said that, in the last segment, there was a point where Nakai was teasing Ueno and Tamaki about the possibility of the two going out together after filming ends. Maybe he mentioned this because of the rumour that's been going around.

by the way Garten (completely out of context) where do you come from?

I'm from the smallest continent on Earth. :)

December 10, 2006 | muhi_kira wrote:

wow bistro SMAP (like this variety show)
because of funny ^_^
after watch in the youTUBE
that tamaki hiroshi was so funny i think everytime he eat the food "he kind of kuroyan" especially when he eat noddle
same with kimutaku and shingo (when i see shingo do the violin i laugh non-stop) "always make funny this man"

too bad the drama will be the end very soon "sigh"

December 10, 2006 | Ice Queen wrote:

Thank you very much for sharing, actually i watched this on youtube 2-3 times but can't understand what they're talking about.

December 12, 2006 | kezialea wrote:

thanks for the review Garten. I'm not really good in Japanese but by reading this, I can ensure myself that my understanding of the show is somehow true :p
Now the subtitle has been uploaded by s-projects.org and I hope everyone can enjoy it too.

December 12, 2006 | Jess wrote:

I am more amused by Katori Shingo's violin performance......

December 13, 2006 | Ame wrote:

Lol...I loved the show, I usually don't like cooking shows because I thought it would be boring since I don't get all the food terms. Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi are so funny, I like Tamaki Hiroshi's smile...seems very genuine. One thing I don't get though...when the host was teasing them about a possible relationship outside of the drama, Tamaki just kind of smiled and laugh and Juri turned to him and said something like "Yea" or something...how come he kind of jumped a little and said "You don't like me?"..that part confuses me..where did the "You don't like me" part come from?..I want to see the both of them on more game shows together, but just the two of them..not the entire cast^^

December 13, 2006 | studious.bookworm wrote:

So a puzzle huh' XD Nice

April 17, 2007 | kay wrote:

Many thanks for your translation..........
After i watched Nodame,I am falling in love with Chiaki......that why i tried to download this clip....After i found it,I was not understand what they say..........Lucky me,i found your page,make me understand more............

Absolutely agree with you...Tamaki 's personality as same as Kimura.....

Thanks again

July 15, 2007 | pass wrote:

In fact, Ueno Juri was 20 going to 21. ;)

August 4, 2007 | juskizza wrote:

oh i didnt know they went on this show!now i wanna watch this..can anybody tell me where i watch it/download it?garten's entry makes me wanna watch this soo bad.. :)

August 21, 2007 | Lady_Choi wrote:

oh thank you so much for this....

im really curious if they really dated... or at least liked each other.....

September 12, 2007 | gyelle wrote:

hi, was wondering if someone knows a direct link for the raw of this video. the links at smap for u have already expired :(

thanks!

September 14, 2007 | yuko_chan wrote:

I falling in love with this dorama...
Chiaki senpai and Nodame chan is the best couple I ever know....V(^O^)

October 28, 2007 | HD wrote:

If someone hasn't mentioned it already, I would suggest watching Engine. It's a great drama and Juri is awesome in it. She is not like Nodame in that role and I find that even more enjoyable. I like to see actors change and not play the same characters. She's a great young actor. I loved Nodame Cantabilie. Thank you for your blog

October 29, 2007 | samadaza wrote:

where do you download this?...

November 7, 2007 | sansan wrote:

Hey, where can i get the video? In youtube? please send me the link to my email lee_mizu77@yahoo.com
thanks

January 6, 2008 | sandi wrote:

Tamaki hiroshi. un,kawakute, omoshiokute,atama ga ii desho...
atashi, Nodame no iega kara hounto ni tanoshikatta. Itsu ka wakaranai, Tamaki Hiroshi ga Jakarta-Indonesia ni kimasu ka. Omoshiroi yo.....

January 11, 2008 | lyra wrote:

You can download the full episode on Veoh. Here's the link:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1156144rHMrP8H9?searchId=1823599851467542998&rank=0

January 27, 2008 | meoinkie2 wrote:

thank you for this review!! i enjoyed reading it!!
about the show, i actually didn't know that such a show from Smap exists, i only came to know about it because of nodame cantabile..hihi..well anyweiz, it was really surprising for me that all the smap members were very talented in cooking and whoa!! i was really drooling on the foods they prepared, no wonder Juri and Tamaki were pretty much enjoying the feast, both are sooo cute especially Tamaki, he's indeed hungry!! lol
and my favs during the show were of course Takuya, especially on the parts where he becomes somewhat annoyed on Juri, about being able to enter a lingerie shop so freely when in fact i think it's not really customary for males in japan to do that..and when he mimicked tamaki's so called "floating" expression..lol..another is Shingo's violin performance!! i was really laughing hard on those parts..and somehow really got giddy when Juri and Tamaki were being teased..i also noticed when Nakai asked the two about their age difference..ehh?? how come he asked about the age difference, he shud have just asked about the age, is he hinting on something?? hihi..anyweiz, just my point of view on things..lol..and also im kinda confused on the part where nakai and takuya said that Tamaki is an extremely good person..what do they mean by that?? is it some sort of compliment or maybe teasing him to juri?? waaa!! aiyooo, on the brighter side, i cud really see that Juri has a liking for Tamaki, notice her expression while she was saying that Tamaki doesn't get angry..weeee!! i sooo love this two!!
may i just ask, does anyone know the title of the song being played on the very last part?? i really like the song!!

January 27, 2008 | meoinkie2 wrote:

February 7, 2008 | kyonkichi wrote:

yup, juri-chan n tamaki-kun looked gd 2geder but tamaki-kun has a gf, right? i tink her name is kato rosa or sumtin?!! n she looked abit like juri-chan..??!!

March 1, 2008 | ayoki wrote:

did he really had a gf? i dont think so, why are they teasing him to juri? and they seem to look awkward about the age gap? most actors really falls for each other during and after the show you cant blame them it was like their acting is coming for real.. :D i like NODAME CANTABILE everything is good!

March 1, 2008 | narita wrote:

kato rosa is not his Girlfriend, it was just a rumor.. they denied it so hes SINGLE... lets celebrate..

April 5, 2008 | XYZ wrote:

saw a video from youtube recently that he admitted he got a gf now...

April 18, 2008 | MJ wrote:

:d I love NC! Tx 4 this review

May 2, 2008 | Sherry Ma wrote:

I'm going to search for this on youtube... veoh... crunchyroll... anywhere I can watch this. I'm glad they chose Ueno to be Nodame. She certainly fits. C:

May 7, 2008 | Gauri wrote:

eaahhh!!!! god...i really luv these 2 2gether...
it'll b grat f they do go out...but i dunno if thts possible...i heard hiroshi does havea gf now...they r wid the same record company, apparently...
'newayz...where can i get this episode wid subs??? i can't understand japanese......

June 25, 2008 | Payu wrote:

oudja! I heard that Juri-chan has a boyfriend too..