Hiroki Yasumoto, "The Grandson of a Mandarin Orange Farmer," Achieves an Astounding Success Rate on a Pear Quiz! What Did He Think of the High-End Pear Valued Over ¥3,000 Each?

"Say You To Yo Asobi Monday" #19 aired on ABEMA's "Anime LIVE Channel" on Monday, September 22, 2025, starting at 10 PM. Titled "Let's Savor Yasumoto-san's Favorite Pears, Which Are Now in Season!" the one-hour program was packed with pear-related quizzes, taste tests, and hands-on activities.

Since the theme was pears, which are a favorite food of Hiroki Yasumoto, a high energy level was anticipated at the start of the program. However, Yasumoto admitted, "I had a UtaPri event yesterday, and I've been running around all day today, so I'm completely exhausted." Chiaki Kobayashi immediately corrected him, retorting, "Yasumoto-san is so tired he just said 'UtaPri!'" Comments poured in on ABEMA's comment section, including "You must be tired lol." The event he actually participated in was for The Prince of Tennis. (Tenipuri)

Yasumoto stated, "When you're this exhausted, you start craving sweets, right? I love fruit, so unusually, I'm actually motivated today." However, despite previously calling the pear his favorite fruit, he then showed his contrarian side (a "devil's advocate" or amanojaku) by adding, "I also really like mandarin oranges... Seasonality is what matters. In winter, it's mandarins and strawberries. Peaches are also going to get incredibly delicious from now on."

First, he took on a quiz about pears. For the question, "Which part of the pear is the sweetest?" he reasoned, "If the top part is sweet, it would ripen and fall from the tree, so it must be the bottom, right?" and was perfectly correct. When asked, "Sweet pears should have a surface that is _____. What word goes in the blank?" he confidently answered, "You can't underestimate the grandson of a farmer... it's smooth." When it was revealed that the correct answer was "shiny/slick," Kobayashi was amazed, exclaiming, "You're a Pear PhD!" The following question asked for the Top 3 prefectural production rankings for Japanese pears, to which he answered, "1st Chiba, 2nd Ibaraki, 3rd Hokkaido." While the actual ranking was "1st Chiba, 2nd Ibaraki, 3rd Fukushima," he just missed a perfect score, but the studio was nevertheless impressed by his overall accuracy.

■"Amazing! Just try it, it'll blow your mind. It's like sweet tap water."

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Following that, they took on quizzes like "Guess the Pear! It Must Be a Pear in the Box!" before finally moving on to the pear taste test. A lineup of eight different varieties of pears from all over Japan was presented, including a high-end fruit from Ishikawa Prefecture valued at ¥3,200 per pear. Both participants were visibly excited as they sampled the selection.

Yasumoto first evaluated the Akikan-sen pear from Tottori Prefecture, commenting, "It's delicious; the flavor is concentrated." He then raved about the Aki no Hohoemi pear from Chiba Prefecture (valued at ¥1,200 each), exclaiming, "Amazing! Just try it—it'll blow your mind. It's like sweet tap water... The water content is insane!" Regarding the premium Kaga Shizuku pear from Ishikawa Prefecture (¥3,200 each), he noted, "The aroma is incredible," adding, "I sense a viscosity; it feels more rich than refreshing." His evident enjoyment of each pear's unique personality was striking.