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Japanese Voices: YuNi no All Night Nippon i – Episode 9

Japanese Voices 日本語のままクールジャパン is a regular series designed for learners of Japanese to enjoy real Japanese language programming from Nippon Broadcasting System, one of the biggest commercial radio stations in Japan.

In our second round, we bring you YuNi no All Night Nippon i YuNiのオールナイトニッポンi, a show on the web radio platform All Night Nippon i オールナイトニッポンi.
With virtual singer YuNi as host, YuNi no All Night Nippon i is a fun and entertaining radio show, comprising a longer live portion on the Vtuber live streaming platform Colon: and a shorter archive-only segment available exclusively on the All Night Nippon i site. YuNi occasionally invites other Virtual Youtubers to join her.

Episode 9: Special Guest Kaede Higuchi

Ohamonii~
Welcome to another episode of YuNi no All Night Nippon i
Today, YuNi was joined in the studio by Kaede Higuchi, or Derōn-chan, as she likes to be called.

Part 1: Mogu-mogu time

YuNi brought two snacks into the studio for some mogu-mogu (snack munching) fun with Derōn-chan. The first snack was butter-soy sauce flavor Jagariko (a stick-shaped potato snack by Calbee). Both YuNi and Derōn-chan agreed that the snack had a one-two punch. First they tasted soy sauce but there was a strong butter finish.

The second snack was a ginger ale gummy candy. YuNi was surprised because it was harder to chew than she imagined. It also had quite a bite to it, but Derōn-chan wasn't sure if it was from the ginger extract or the soda carbonation. In any case, YuNi thought it had a fizzy finish.

Part 2: Advice Corner

On the live portion of the show, YuNi responded to listeners seeking advice, but now it was Derōn-chan’s turn. She wanted some advice on breaking the ice in conversations.

YuNi thinks she's good at introductions but not good at keeping the conversation going. That's why when she met Derōn-chan in the radio station, she kept feeding her cheese crackers. YuNi said that’s a good strategy when you don’t know what to say. It’s important to have a common topic to talk about, so eating a snack together can fit the bill.

But then, Derōn-chan reminded YuNi that they ended up using the changing room together at the same time, which was a bit embarrassing. This gave her another idea about a good strategy to break the ice in a conversation. Can you guess what it is?


This week's nihongo tip

  • Japanese: 人見知り
  • English transliteration: hitomishiri
  • Meaning: Shy at first
  • Comment: You can use it as an adjective, followed by desu or as a verb compound, followed by suru

Here's how YuNi used it on the show:

  • Original: 実は手相的には人見知りなんですよ。
  • Transliteration: Jitsu wa tesō-teki ni wa hitomishiri nan desu yo
  • Translation: Actually, as far as my palm reading goes, I'm shy at first.

And here are a few more examples:

  • 1. 人見知りなので、人前で話すのが嫌いです。
  • Hitomishiri nano de, hito-mae de hanasu no ga kirai desu
  • I'm shy at first, so I hate speaking in public.
  • 2. 彼は人見知りする。
  • Kare wa hitomishiri suru
  • He's shy at first.

If you'd like to listen to the show, please go to the official page on All Night Nippon i's website:

Episode 9: With guest Kaede Higuchi


YuNi music selection

Shallow (Japanese Ver.) Lady Gaga x Bradley Cooper

For a change of pace, here is YuNi covering the Japanese version of "Shallow" from A Star is Born. What do you think?

English subtitles are available


YuNi original songs playlist:


Today's Guest

NAME: Kaede Higuchi

Debut Date: February 8, 2018 (YouTube)
Affiliation: Nijisanji

Social Media

YouTube Channel: Kaede Higuchi Channel
Twitter: Kaede Higuchi (@HiguchiKaede)

More Information

YuNi

With permission from © Candee Inc. / © Ren Sakuragi

Ever since she made her debut on May 30th, 2018, Virtual YouTuber and singer YuNi has created a sensation, thanks to her adorable looks, designed by illustrator Ren Sakuragi, her beautiful singing voice, her remarkable range of expression and the frequency of her updates on her YouTube channel. As she states on her account, YuNi's aim is none other than becoming the world's top virtual singer. On 24 April 2019, she released her first album, clear/CoLoR, featuring selected cover songs and original songs composed and arranged by top musical talents such as YUC'e, kz, Hige Driver and la la larks.

Official Website: yunion.wave

Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc.

Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. is the one of biggest commercial radio stations in Japan and is well-known for its call sign, JOLF. In addition, it plays a central role in the radio network called NRN (National Radio Network) across the nation. Since its establishment in 1954, the company has produced a massive array of Japanese-language programs including entertainment, sports, culture and news, headlined by “All Night Nippon”, one of the most popular and longest-running radio talk shows in Japan which has been broadcast for the past 50 years.

Website: Nippon Broadcasting System.


By - Ben K.