BS Asahi’s Ienomi Hanadai Welcomes Its First Guest, Kendo Kobayashi, in a Two-Week Crossover with Kenkoba’s Tipsy Business Hotel Stay

BS Asahi will air a special two-week crossover between two Thursday 10 p.m. programs on May 21 and May 28. Ienomi Hanadai, hosted by Hakata Hanamaru and Daikichi, will welcome its first-ever guest, Kendo Kobayashi, who is close to the duo both professionally and privately. In return, Hakata Hanamaru will make his first guest appearance on Kenkoba’s Tipsy Business Hotel Stay: National Edition. Ienomi Hanadai began regular broadcasts in April 2024, and this 101st episode marks the program’s first guest appearance. Hanamaru and Daikichi had previously said they wanted Kobayashi to be their first guest, making this a long-awaited collaboration. Kobayashi commented that being with Hanamaru and Daikichi feels so natural that the crossover felt no different from their usual private drinking sessions. In the May 21 episode of Ienomi Hanadai, the three enjoy drinks and food while talking with the intimacy of a private gathering. Topics range from sauce preferences for croquettes and memories of fashionable canned chu-hi they could not drink as students to Kobayashi’s family life and parenting after his marriage and the birth of his first son. The episode features relaxed expressions and candid moments possible only among entertainers who genuinely trust one another. A deluxe lineup of snacks is also prepared, including five recommendations selected by Kobayashi from his nationwide business hotel travels. In the May 28 episode of Kenkoba’s Tipsy Business Hotel Stay: National Edition, Kobayashi and Hanamaru stay at a business hotel in Funabashi, Chiba. The two are surprised by the large entrance gate, which Kobayashi compares to an American motel, and by the impressive path to the hotel, which Hanamaru says feels like a shrine approach. The building itself has the atmosphere of a traditional inn rather than a typical business hotel. Later, they visit a local bar Kobayashi had discovered on the show two years earlier and had hoped to bring Hanamaru to, enjoying dishes such as jingisukan and grilled pork. As Hanamaru praises the food, the two continue a lively and candid tipsy conversation. Hakata Hanamaru said he has shared countless private drinks with Kobayashi, and that although this was a television project, it felt natural and simply enjoyable. He also praised the realism of Kenkoba’s Tipsy Business Hotel Stay and called the shoot a fulfilling night. Hakata Daikichi said it was remarkable that the show’s first guest came only on its 101st episode, and that Kobayashi was the obvious choice. He added that viewers will be able to see Hanamaru and Kobayashi drinking just as they normally do. Kobayashi said the collaboration felt like an ordinary drinking session with Hanamaru and Daikichi, and that the three entertainers’ different food preferences became part of the appeal. He also expressed hopes of visiting a business hotel in Suidobashi with Daikichi in the future, or traveling around the Tohoku region with both Hanamaru and Daikichi. The special episode of Ienomi Hanadai airs on Thursday, May 21, from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., featuring Hakata Hanamaru and Daikichi with guest Kendo Kobayashi. The special episode of Kenkoba’s Tipsy Business Hotel Stay: National Edition airs on Thursday, May 28, from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., featuring Kendo Kobayashi with guest Hakata Hanamaru. Both programs air on BS Asahi.