On October 12th, the four-hour special "Thanks to the Tunnels!" aired on Sapporo's community FM station, Radio Karos Sapporo. This program, which was broadcast as a special program on a local station, resulted in an unprecedented event in which Tunnels' member Takaaki Ishibashi himself responded during the broadcast, causing it to spread across online news sites across the country. We spoke to actor Yukihiro Eda, who served as the program's personality, about the behind-the-scenes planning of the program and his own thoughts on "Tunnels."

-First of all, please tell us what inspired you to plan this special program.

Yukihiro Eda, an actor active mainly in Hokkaido

I've often covered Tunnels on my internet radio show, "Eda no Fan Club." Tunnels are a really special presence for our generation. I shared my thoughts on their Budokan concert, "Tunnels THE LIVE," on the show last year, and the response from listeners was amazing. But internet radio is limited to your own fanbase. I thought it would be fun to share everyone's love for Tunnels on a wider platform, so I took the plunge and asked Radio Caros if I could do a special program. Initially, it was planned to be 2-3 hours long, but station manager Kobayashi suggested, "Since we're here, let's make it 4 hours long" (laughs). From there, preparations began in earnest.

My co-MC, Gyukaku Fujiko (Gokaku-chan), is a famous Wanfu (Wanfu = Tunnels fan) for those who listen to Tunnels' All Night Nippon. We met by chance 3 or 4 years ago, and although she currently lives in Tokyo, we decided to do a special program together when she came to Sapporo!

--Eda-san yourself is from the Tunnels generation, isn't he?

Radio Karos Sapporo "Thanks to Tunnels!" live broadcast

That's right. I'll be 52 this year, and my middle and high school years were the "heyday of Tunnels." It was the period from "Yuyake Nyan Nyan" to "Tunnels no Minasan no Okage Desu." At first, I didn't really get it because it seemed a little adult, but once I became a middle school student, I got more and more into it.

And "Tunnels All Night Nippon" left a lasting impression on me. On the show, they talked a lot about the so-called "behind the scenes of the industry," such as behind-the-scenes stories about the production of songs and episodes that happened before the show aired, and it was fun.

- Do you think that has had an influence on your current activities?

That's definitely true. I had always dreamed of becoming a performer after listening to Beat Takeshi's All Night Nippon, but after Tunnels' radio show started, I started to think concretely, "I want to appear on TV too" and "I want to perform in front of people." At the time, it was normal for comedians to apprentice to someone or attend comedy school, but Tunnels were complete amateurs who won auditions on TV shows and seized the opportunity with momentum. Seeing them gave me hope that maybe I could do it too.

In his current internet radio show, he talks about behind-the-scenes stories from his stage and film appearances. This is clearly the influence of "Tunnels All Night Nippon."

--For a four-hour special program, it must have required a lot of preparation?

The volume of requests and messages was beyond my imagination. When I put out a call for submissions, I received over 100, all of which were chock-full of emotion. Some were about regretting not being able to see a live performance in high school, while others were happy to have been able to go... Each and every message had a story to tell, and they were truly passionate. It was a lot of work to read them all, select the songs, and think about the overall flow of the program. But more than anything, I was happy to realize that "so many people still cherish Tunnels."

We also put a lot of thought into the song selection. Although they have spin-off units such as Nozaru and Yajima Beauty Salon, we decided to go with "100% pure Tunnels" this time. We divided Tunnels' active period into four periods and selected four songs from each period to play in full chorus. Based on the requests and messages, we narrowed it down to a final choice of songs, with a feeling of "I want to read this story, so let's choose these songs."

--And then, on the day of the broadcast, a miracle happened: Takaaki Ishibashi from the comedy duo Tunnels responded.

Gokaku-chan bursts into tears after receiving a response from Taka-san

I really couldn't believe it. In the middle of the broadcast, the station manager said to me, "It sounds like you're listening," and at first I thought he was joking. But then someone actually posted something on X. My co-MC, Gokaku-chan, was crying, and it was hard for me to keep my composure either (laughs). You had just announced that you were battling cancer. That's why I was so touched that your first post in nine months was a reaction to our show.

Radio Karos Sapporo! I enjoy listening to it on YouTube! Thank you for all the messages! It makes me feel better! Gokaku spirit!!!

— Takaaki Ishibashi (@ishibashi_desho) October 12, 2025

I received messages from many fans saying, "Thanks to the special program, I was happy to get a glimpse of Taka-san as he is now." It quickly became online news, and the next day there was another article about it...it was an incredible response. I truly felt that it was a good thing that I did it.

-Once again, please tell us what you felt after finishing this special program.

Eda is shaken by Taka's reaction

Throughout the four-hour broadcast, I realized just how many people still love Tunnels. Being able to share the same feelings as Wanfu was the greatest sense of accomplishment. I think there's a passion that can only be conveyed through radio.

I would like to tell Taka-san, "We at Wanfu can wait forever! Please do your best to recover." I would be happy if this special program helps Taka-san understand this sentiment.

The archived broadcast can be viewed here