Today is pretty hot isn’t it!
This might end up being the hottest day of the year…?!
We’re getting closer and closer to summer
as well as getting closer to the end of our training…

Yesterday we had some makeup training
and afterwards, we had a photo shoot!
Here’s a quick pic of Ueda and me ^^
in suits…

and now here in a casual outfit!

Here’s a shot with Announcer Nakakawa
who oversaw the photo shoot as well as that day’s afternoon lecture ☆

The afternoon training was time management while reading the news
As we approach… the end of our training
there will be a lot of challenges, but first and foremost, do not panic!
also develop a good sense of time!
We were taught these two points would be very important when the real thing comes
I’ll be sure to keep these things in mind
and keep on working hard!

At yesterday’s training,
I got to observe sponsored programming!

I got to watch Announcer Kano’s recording the other day
but I didn’t a chance to take any pics…

So this time I made sure to bring my cellphone
and made sure to ask the announcer in charge, Shiroishi, for 1 picture! ^^

And of course I turned my phone off during the actual recording ^^

In addition to all the learning I get from watching my senpai’s recording
it also gives me a lot of motivation
Because I want get things down as soon as possible!
I really look forward to being able to give a reading

Shiroishi-san also gave us a ton of pointers on top of her recording
so after watching her recording… we gave it a try!

First up was Ueda…
I just happened to take a pic of her straining her back

Just watching her made me nervous too though
Even after telling myself “You won’t be nervous”
but I mean, when it’s your first time, it’s expected you’ll be nervous
so I…

Doing a recording in a studio like this and talking directly into a mic
I could hear all the fine details of my own speaking
I totally understand announcer Kojima now
who has been saying over and over “It’s simple yet hard”

Here’s the 2nd half of our race tracks training ^^

I got to check out the broadcasting van.
It’s not something you normally get to see…
so it was a really good opportunity for me.

First off, I was so surprised at it’s size

Inside, I was surprised to see so many gadgets…
I took a picture so you guys could see,
there are a ton of small monitors.
You can keep watch over a ton of different monitors
so at any point you can be like, ok switch to this screen!
It looked like it was something that required a lot of concentration.

Here is us with Kawaue-san from the photography department
We got to see him switching back and forth during a live stream.

It reminded me once again how many people are involved in a broadcast
I mean the cameramen were outside the entire time in the heat filming…

By the way, I read this in a book somewhere
So a person who reads out the news in America is called an “Anchor man”
Would a woman who does that be called an Anchor woman?
There are so many different positions out there, you can’t forget these things when reading a script.

And Shimada-san has said this countless times,
but it’s so important to never take other people for granted.

As a new member I must keep this in mind.
But even after that, that should not change.

After understanding the importance of those fundamentals
I bought my first horse racing tickets ever! ^^

My senpais are used to it and all… but I wonder if I would win?
I didn’t know how to buy the tickets, so I had to look up my notes while asking…

The top ticket is Ueda’s
The bottom 2 are mine

It was our first time, so we bought bets for place
I also got a combination bet, if I won that, the winnings would be so high!
3, 14, 10…
I wonder if I’ll get it, I wonder if I’ll get it

The results were
3, 10, 14

Ahh soo close… >< But I won in my place bet! It was my first time cashing in a prize too. I guess that's beginners luck ^^

June 4th, good weather.

We went to the race tracks for some outdoor training!
Our leader, as well as the person in charge of the horse racing updates
was announcer Shimada ^^

This was my first time going to the race tracks
I was surprised because it was pretty different from what I had imagined
First off, it’s so huge! And so refreshing!

Everything was green all over, it felt amazing.
Everything was taller, wider, and longer than I imagined.
The studio we went to for the program recording was on the 9th floor.

And also, there were tons of shops and people,
the inside was like… like a shopping mall next to a theme park.
There were also lots of fancy stuff too, I was surprised.

I watched the first race
And in the second race, I tried to cast it…

Ueda is on the left, I’m on the right.
The two of us weren’t used to looking through binoculars.

I tried to keep up with the racing horses
Prior to the race, I had looked at the chart
and memorized the rider colors and the names they matched up with
but even through the binoculars, I couldn’t make out the colors…
The horses all looked the same and I couldn’t really make anything out…
On top of that, the race progressed so quickly…
It was hard to cast!!

The people who report horse racing updates are so incredible!

And since we weren’t used to looking through binoculars,
it made us kind of dizzy…

How do you fix this I wonder.

Here is me closing my eyes and trying to restore my semicircular canals (balance system in your ears)
and then announcer Shimada was behind me and secretly took this picture ^^;

Quite a downer.
…Real time casting announcers are just so amazing! ^^

After that, we went to look around the place!
We put the racing booklet in our back pockets to look like pros ^^

Here is Ueda and Shimada looking like horse racing regulars ^^
I was wearing a skirt so I couldn’t look like a regular ><

We checked out the whole horse race track

First up, the live broadcast studio…
We were studying senpai announcer Suguro
as he was actually casting on the show live

We went inside the race grounds too
We could watch the races close up from here

On our way to the inner part of the grounds
we saw a ton of parents who brought their kids
that was another shocker for me
It wasn’t only just guys, there were girls and families as well

Inside the grounds, there were a ton of flowers blooming, it was so pretty ^^
This kind of thing is probably what makes it easier for girls to come out to the tracks

We didn’t bring our cellphones along
so Shimada-san took a picture for us with his digital camera

Shimada-san said “If you were to look at this picture alone, you couldn’t tell it was the racetracks!”
He’s right… ^^

Also there were a ton of food carts out too,
as well as a playground for little kids, it had everything
Parents can bring their kids to the race tracks and both of them can have a fun day ^^

It was a really fulfilling day, with so much going on,
in my next post, I’ll write up about the second half of this day ^^

Last weekend after our training…
I participated in a “Sheep club” meeting ^^

Now as to what the
“Sheep club” is

Well my fellow coworkers really love Genghis Khan
so basically its a club where we go out and eat delicious genghis khan!! ^^

The people who like genghis khan are
Announcers Saito, Mizuhara, and Hayashi
and two newcomers, Ueda and myself were also invited along

Now I’m from Hokkaido,
so I’m very familiar with genghis khan… and I just love it ^^

The moment you enter the shop, you can see clouds of smoke
so the proper clothes to wear are ones that can be hung out to dry
but although a little of the smell gets into your clothes, it’s all still very delicious ^^

Since everyone recommended this particular genghis khan restaurant…
the meat was of course amazing!!
Even the people who don’t really like genghis khan
don’t really complain about this place, it was so good

As you know I like to eat a lot,
but of course in front of my senpais I had to show some restraint
or so I thought…
My “normal portion” I guess is a lot bigger than most peoples
So even after holding back a little, it may have looked like… I wasn’t holding back at all

Because I mean my chopsticks kept slowly creeping up
towards the delicious genghis khan

Self control. Self control.

We were again nervous to talk to our senpais
but at this kind of place, it was easier to talk informally with them.
Saito-san, Mizuhara-san, Hayashi-san thank you very much!

I only have 1 regret, I didn’t take any pictures…
It’s been about 2 months since I started this blog
and I’m still not used to taking pictures of my every day life

The day after the “Sheep club” meeting, we had outdoor training
which was a certain place related to “horses”… and it was my first time there.

I got some pictures this time ,
so in the next few days, I’ll be writing about that.