Kazushige Nagashima mentioned “Nishinomiya Stadium” on the May 30 broadcast of TBS’s “Sakurai Ariyoshi THE Yakai SP.”
目次
What is Sakurai Ariyoshi THE Yakai?
“Sakurai Ariyoshi THE Yakai” is a variety show broadcast on TBS affiliates every Thursday at 10 p.m. It is hosted by Sho Sakurai of Arashi and Hiroiki Ariyoshi.
Summary of Kazushige Nagashima’s “Nishinomiya Stadium” Comment
The conversation happened when guest Mana Ashida, who is from Nishinomiya, was introduced as someone who was born in 2004 and lived in Nishinomiya until she was 9.
Nagashima: Are you actually a Kansai dialect speaker? Since you’re from Nishinomiya.
Ashida: Yes, that’s right.
Nagashima: Do you remember Nishinomiya Stadium?
Ashida: Nishinomi… Koshien Stadium?
Nagashima: No, no, no, no. There was a stadium called Nishinomiya Stadium in Nishinomiya. It was the home of the Hankyu Braves.
Ariyoshi: Please stop! Talking about Hankyu is a tough one!
Of course someone born in 2004 wouldn’t know Nishinomiya Stadium.
Even coming from Kazushige Nagashima, I assume it was a joke, but there’s a chance he may have been serious.
Nishinomiya Stadium Started Being Demolished on September 1, 2004
Mana Ashida, who is currently 14, was born on June 23, 2004.
According to Wikipedia, demolition work on Nishinomiya Stadium began on September 1 of that same year.
In other words, Nishinomiya Stadium still existed when Mana Ashida was just a little over two months old. There’s no way she’d remember it.
Since Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens was built on the former Nishinomiya Stadium site on November 26, 2008, it’s probably fair to say that today’s junior high and high school students and younger are the Gardens generation.
Finally
When you think again about the fact that Nishinomiya had two professional baseball stadiums and home grounds, it really is amazing. There are 47 prefectures in Japan, after all.
