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Private Notes
I just moved from Tokyo to Nagoya. I was looking forward to experiencing Nagoya's unique dialect and food culture, but so far no one has spoken with an accent, and they don't actually put miso on everything they eat. I was honestly a bit disappointed... but then, on my way home from school, I heard a girl speaking with such a heavy accent that she sounded like a cat! It seems her name is Yatogame Monaka. I wonder if I'll ever see her again...
The student handbook belonging to Yatogame-san that I picked up yesterday has a packet of miso taped to the back... She can't be a normal girl if she carries that around. On the way to school, I glance inside a café... and see Yatogame-san! This is my chance not only to return her student handbook, but to talk to her again! So I head into the café...
I was having trouble deciding which club to join at school, but apparently, someone decided that I'd be joining the photography club. Frankly, I wanted something a little more exciting... As I opened the club room door, I saw a girl feverishly taking pictures of Yatogame. I was hoping she'd show me some cute pictures of Yatogame... so how did I get roped into taking pictures of tourist spots instead?
Today is my photography contest with Yatogame. We were supposed to meet at Nagoya Station, but I couldn't find her anywhere until we ran into each other near a golden clock. She said the golden clock is the only place where people meet up at Nagoya Station, but how was I supposed to know that?! So now Yatogame is dragging me off to take pictures of famous spots around Nagoya... but just where is she going to take me?
I just can't seem to make friends with Yatogame... I keep trying to find things to talk about with her, but she always brushes me aside. Why did Tadakusa-chan volunteer me for the photography club? Isn't it because I'm an outsider that I can't get Yatogame to be my friend?! But come to think of it, Tadakusa-chan and Sasatsu-san aren't from Nagoya, either... So is there some other reason?
I finally managed to exchange contact info with Yatogame! I thought that meant I'd be able to enjoy her accent from anywhere, but every reply she sends me is in standard Japanese... Sasatsu even said that Yatogame's messages to her are in the Nagoya dialect, but she won't use it when messaging me. Her replies are always so blunt, too... I wonder if I did something wrong...
The other photography club members are throwing me a welcome party. Due to our lack of club funds, each of us can only bring up to 300 yen worth of snacks. I ended up buying Baby Star, Young Donuts, and Kuppy Ramune, but now Yatogame is whispering something to Tadakusa-chan and Sasatsu...
Since I'm in the photography club, I should have my own camera! I'd love to have an awesome camera like Tadakusa-chan's, but those things are way more than a high school student can afford... So I asked Yatogame where she got hers, and she said it came from a second-hand store called Komehyo (which I thought was a rice shop at first...). The club members agreed that we'd all visit the Komehyo in Osu together the next day, but it's long past our meeting time and Tadakusa-chan and Sasatsu are nowhere to be found...
We joined up with Tadakusa-chan when she was finished fangirling like crazy at her idol concert. Apparently she loves cute things like idols and anime characters. As we were talking about that, Yatogame suddenly blurted out, "It's 2:00!" and took off somewhere. And we still haven't run into Sasatsu yet. Where the heck are those two?
I grabbed a tonkatsu lunch from the cafeteria, but it was too crowded to eat in there, so I headed for the club room. Yatogame was already inside when I got there, about to eat a lunch she brought from home that she apparently made herself... but the only things in it were cucumbers, grilled eggplant, konnyaku, and tofu, all things that came straight out of a package and took no preparation. So I commented that she had nothing to complement her rice, and she pulled out something new...
Hot... hot... it's way too hot. Summer in Nagoya is so ridiculously hot! This heavy, muggy heat feels like it's plastering itself onto my entire body, and even my eyesight's starting to fade... But the next thing I knew, I was underground, with Yatogame and Tadakusa-chan next to me. Did they carry me down here? Yatogame says I must have a death wish, walking above ground in Nagoya during the summer. Just what the heck is the deal with summers in this city?
There's no school today, so I'm hanging out with the photography club gang. We decided to meet up at 8:00 AM, which is pretty early, but they tell me there's a good reason. So I've followed them to... Rent-a-Car? Is this just a karaoke place that called itself Rent-a-Car, or did we walk into a car rental place by mistake?! There are still so many things in Nagoya that are a mystery to me...
I went through a lot after moving to Nagoya and being forced to join the photography club, but I've pretty much settled in by now. My clubmates are Yatogame-chan with the thick Nagoya accent, Tadakusa Mai from Gifu Prefecture, and the club president Sasatsu Yanna, who's from Mie Prefecture. I'm gonna have them teach me some more of the Nagoya dialect today! I really wish they'd stop saying "chin-chin" over and over, though...
It's the day of the ball sports tournament! But just what the heck is this "taspony" sport we're playing? And why is it that nobody I ask about it knows, either?! It seems like even Toshika wasn't really able to talk to Yatogame about it... According to Yatogame, taspony is sort of like tennis, except you play it with your bare hands. Just what kind of sport is this, anyway?
It's hot... So hot... But I've been through this before, haven't I? But as we were sitting in the club room melting away, someone popped out of a locker. Turns out it wasn't the product of some curse; it was just the photography club advisor, Rara-sensei. Wait, she was in the locker all that time, in this awful heat? She seems kinda spacey... I'm a little worried about her...
Ugh, I caught a cold... I sent my sister out to buy a few things, but when the door to our house opened later, the one who came in was... Yatogame? Why? What's she doing in my room? And what does "I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do" mean?! As I'm waiting anxiously to find out, Yatogame returns with a pot of miso-stewed udon and... what? Rice? I don't need rice with udon...
The term "the Nagoya skip" came into use when Nagoya was removed from the Nozomi Shinkansen's route, and it's been a real problem for the people of Nagoya. Toshika's upset because the band she likes isn't doing a concert here. Even the anime lineup is different here. Fear the Nagoya skip!
Man, what's with this "Nagoya skip" anyway? Nothing good has happened since we moved to Nagoya, Tadakusa-san! Local idols? Are any of them hot guys? Wait, no way... oh my God... I have no choice but to support this! Onii-chan, I'm about to watch some music videos, so keep out!
I suggested that our club take part in the Nagoya Symbol Photo Contest, but no one seems excited about it! If we're talking about the symbol of Nagoya, it's gotta be Nagoya Castle, right?! The golden shachihoko statues are the embodiment of Nagoya! We've gotta go take pictures there! Right? You agree, don't you, Yatogame? ...Yatogame?
I walked into the club room to find Yatogame bound to a chair... Apparently, Tadakusa-chan doesn't agree with the saying that Nagoya is one of the three ugliest populations in Japan. What's going on with Yatogame's hairstyle, anyway? Sasatsu and Tadakusa-chan are doing all kinds of things to her. And what's a "Nagoya maki"? Does it involve fried shrimp?
Summer in Nagoya is as hot as ever. I really think Tadakusa-chan should switch to her summer uniform now... We all stopped by a convenience store to buy ice pops. What did Yatogame get? A Jun Hit Chocolate Bar? What is that? Is it new? And Sasatsu got... the Azuki Bar that's famous for being super hard, huh? And what about Tadakusa-chan?
We were out walking around with Yatogame-chan when some grade school kid called out to her. Seems her name is Itemae Shiharu, and she and her friend, Koshiyasu Nanaho, are visiting Nagoya from out of town. Turns out Itemae is Yatogame's cousin, and she's... in middle school? Yatogame's acting really weird, though... And now Sasatsu and Tadakusa-chan are, too?!
It looks like Yatogame was really shocked to hear someone say that Nagoya isn't one of Japan's three major cities. I mean, there are so many other cities in Japan, like Sapporo, Kyoto, Kobe, Sendai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka... But that aside, Yatogame seems to be having some kind of nightmare...
Yatogame Monaka of Nagoya, Tadakusa Mai of Gifu, and club president Sasatsu Yanna of Mie are having fun together in the photography club room as always. As he watches them, Jin Kaito, a transfer student from Tokyo, asks an innocent question that kicks off a battle between Gifu and Mie?! And then Jandara Rin-senpai, a resident of Mikawa, reacts to the claim that Nagoya brings hatcho miso to mind...
With midterms coming up, Yatogame's grades are in trouble! So Jin agrees to help her study... and comes up with a method that makes use of her very biased knowledge! But after spending all night coming up with the idea, Jin faces trouble himself... Meanwhile, as the Chiba-born Teppei stresses over his upcoming exams, Jandara-senpai gives him a traditional Mikawa good-luck charm...
Jin, Yatogame, Tadakusa, and Sasatsu are coerced into a soccer match by the mysterious "Ms. T"! The students from Mie and Gifu are no match for Ms. T... but what about a Yatogame possessed by Grampus-kun?! Also, Itemae Shiharu of Osaka and Koshiyasu Nanaho of Kyoto discuss the peculiar traits of people from Nagoya...
Middle schoolers are visiting Yatogame's high school for orientation. The photography club prepares for the visitors, but none show up. Maybe because it's lunchtime... What are the staples of a school lunch? Keichan-yaki? Matsuzaka beef? Aluminum meal packs? They serve Milmake in school lunches, right? As they're discussing all this, an unhappy-looking middle school girl appears...
One of the middle schoolers visiting Yatogame's club is Dobe Serura, who hates Nagoya and wishes she lived in Tokyo. Yatogame runs into her by chance, and for some reason, the two of them instantly get along?! Then Jin shows up wearing a shirt that can only be bought in Shibuya... Also, Teppei (from Chiba) declares war on Jandara-senpai (from Mikawa)?
When Dobe learns that Yatogame loves Nagoya, she pities her to the point of tears. She invites her to leave Nagoya and relocate to Tokyo with her, but wait... that uniform Dobe's wearing... She attends middle school in Ichimiya, which is just outside Nagoya? Why isn't Yatogame fighting back when Dobe is trashing Nagoya so much? And Rara-sensei's green tea from Shizuoka is stolen goods?!
Jin's sister, Toshika, has come to an udon restaurant for lunch. Inside she spots Yatogame and a girl that she assumes is one of her minions. Part of their conversation that she overhears involves the words "scum" and "kill"?! Terrified, Toshika runs out of the restaurant and tries a Chinese place instead... but once again, she runs into Yatogame and her minion! are there illegal substances in the chilled Chinese noodles?! This is getting scary...
Yatogame and her clubmates have decided to participate in the "Hotter than the Summer Sun Couples Photo Contest." Sasatsu, who's acting as the director, suggests they go to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium for a "date." Yatogame and Jin attempt a "date" first, but... Gifu natives have no tolerance for sea life?! And is the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium really better than Kaiyukan?
It's finally Sasatsu's turn to take a shot at the couples photo contest. She does the best she can to act the part, but Tadakusa issues constant criticism. Then Tadakusa challenges Sasatsu to a quiz contest... and the losing duo has to address each other using nicknames. Which team will win? Either way, the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium's Night Aquarium sure is pretty...
Yatogame's home ec class is having a cooking class where they'll make dishes to potentially be served at the school's cultural festival. Yatogame is paired up with Jin's sister, Toshika, and Tadakusa suggests they make "oni manju." What does the "oni" part mean? That you suffer like a demon if you eat one? When Toshika eats one of the finished oni manju... Also, what happens when the two of them figure out who the other really is?! And Nagoya's "tamasen" are made in Mikawa?
Tadakusa and Yanna visit Sun Beach Nikkogawa, the pool known as the Waikiki Beach of Nagoya. There they find Yatogame completely at the mercy of her cousin Shiharu. For some reason, Shiharu hits it off instantly with Dobe, who just happened to be there as well... With Nanaho and even the teachers at the pool, the atmosphere is peaceful and friendly... but are they forgetting someone?
The forgotten team also joins the pool. It seems that an idol group event will be held at Sun Beach Nikko River. What is the live performance of TGC5 (Third Greatest Cities 5), a five-member group from Sapporo, Sendai, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka? Yatogame's hip-hop soul is on fire in a rap battle ...! ??
"Where is the center of Japan"? The hardcore Nagoyan, Yatogame Monaka, and her clubmates Tadakusa Mai and Sasatsu Yanna, from Gifu and Mie respectively, are once again embroiled in a heated debate on a topic of very little importance. Jin and Rara-sensei also get involved, leading to yet another lively photography club meeting, but a new character casts a dark cloud over their activities...
The principal summons Rara, leaving her with an important announcement regarding the photography club. The club's members know nothing of this as they hang out in their club room, absorbed in a heated discussion about the shapes of prefectures. Then the student council appears...
The members of the photography club visit the student council office in hopes of avoiding having their club disbanded. There they find the three good friends(?) of the student council... and just when it looks like a huge argument is breaking out, the conversation falls back on the usual topic of everyone's hometowns. In the midst of all this, a certain word uttered by the student council president sets off Yatogame, and sparks start to fly.
Is Japan's third greatest city Yokohama or Nagoya?! Both Kochikashi and Yatogame refuse to budge. The others look on, but for some reason Aonaji, Asaka, Tadakusa, and Sasatsu also get involved, defending their own prefectures in a heated dissing match. Thus begins a battle none of them can lose!
A scream is heard from the photography club room. The student council members rush to see what it was, and they find Yatogame frozen in an inexplicable pose. They have no idea what to do, but then Tadakusa tells them a hard truth about Nagoyans... What's to come of Yatogame?!
A simple step taken by Aonaji compounds Tadakusa's already-complicated love for Yatogame, sending her tumbling to the dark side. Jin, Yatogame, and Sasatsu take action to try to save her... What will become of Tadakusa?!
With the Dagane Festival coming up, Kochikashi advises the photography club members on how they can bounce back to save their club from being disbanded. By the time she finishes, evening has set in. As the gang looks out the window at August's full moon, the subject changes to the regional variations of a certain seasonal item...
The Dagane Festival, the event that will decide the fate of the photography club, begins at last. The club members work in earnest to increase their club's standing, and the student council members look relieved as they observe their efforts. But then Serura's mother shows up to observe the photography club's activities in person... What is the fate of their club?!
The photography club members have no idea that they're being subjected to the strict gaze of Serura's mother as they carry on with their conversations as usual. But the things they say shock her... What will become of the photography club?!
Each region of Japan has things they consider to be the norm, but what seems like the norm for people of one region may not be the norm to those of other regions. Jin, Yatogame, Tadakusa, and Sasatsu share some of their own "norms."
