Yurie Omi

Yurie Omi (近江 友里恵, Ōmi Yurie, born July 26, 1988[2]) is a Japanese female announcer, television reporter, television personality, and news anchor for NHK. She is the co-host of NHK's morning talk show Asaichi. She is famous for being the co-host of NHK's geological television series Bura Tamori from April 2016 until March 2018.

Yurie Omi
Born (1988-07-26) July 26, 1988
Kochi Prefecture, Japan
(raised in Tokyo, Japan)[1]
Alma materWaseda University
OccupationAnnouncer (2012–present)
Years active2012–present
EmployerNHK
Notable credit(s)
Asaichi anchor (2018–present)
Bura Tamori host (2016–2018)
NHK News Ohayō Nippon newscaster (2016–2018)
Roku-ichi Fukuoka anchor (2015–2016)

Early years

Omi was born in Kochi Prefecture, Japan and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Her father is a doctor running a clinic. Her younger brother is a doctor as well.

The beginning of Omi's media experience was early. At age 10, she joined Yomiuri Shimbun as a child journalist.[3] She was involved in researching school-related topics and writing short columns on the newspaper until she was an 11th grader. Although her team members consisted of only those ranging from elementary school children to high school students, they did most of the tasks by themselves. They faxed presentation paper to parties, made appointments to the people they needed to interview with to get the necessary information, and wrote whole stories about what they investigated. During her membership, she has ever interviewed with Japanese renowned female professional tennis player Kimiko Date and the members of Shiki Theatre Company, one of the Japanese most prominent musical troupes.

When she attended junior high school, she joined the school broadcasting club to try to improve her speech skills since she felt not being a good public speaker at that time. Her experience in this club gave her the confidence to make a speech in public. When she was a high school student, she won with teammates of the broadcasting club an award of the 52nd NHK Cup National High School Broadcasting Contest in 2005.[4]

Education

In March 2012, Omi received the bachelor's degree from Waseda University in Tokyo. Her major was political science, and her researches included sport and city planning. She studied at Public Policy Research Seminar, or PPRS, the laboratory run by Koichiro Agata.[5] Her university friends said that she was, far from a shallow wannabe anchorwoman, at the top of PPRS consisting of such students that were hoping to be big-name company employees or top-notch consultants.[6]

She traveled alone around Beijing, China for a month as she said she loved China and Chinese culture.[7]

Career

During college, Omi experienced an internship at TV-Asahi Ask Co. Ltd. She was an assistant presenter starring some TV news programs of Asahi Newstar news channel.

In April 2012, Omi was hired by NHK as Announcer. After a few months' training, she started her broadcasting career as an occasional reporter at NHK Kumamoto Branch in Kumamoto, Japan.

In 2014, Omi announced she moved to NHK Fukuoka Branch in Fukuoka, Japan. From the spring of 2015, she was an anchor of NHK Fukuoka's afternoon news show Rokuichi Fukuoka. Also, she appeared as an occasional newscaster on NHK News broadcast at noon within the Kyushu area as well as nationwide morning news show NHK News Ohayō Nippon and evening news show News Watch 9.

On January 17, 2015, Omi came to Tokyo to be an occasional anchor for that day's NHK News Ohayō Nippon. She appeared in place of its main anchor Mayuko Wakuda, who was in Kobe for reporting the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Bura Tamori

In March 2016, Omi was appointed as Assistant for NHK's geological program Bura Tamori, following Yuka Kubota, Nachiko Shudo and Maho Kuwako. The producer of this program called her to Arashiyama, Kyoto for the filming of her first episode of the program, which aired on April 30, 2016.

Omi moved to Tokyo to officially join NHK Tokyo Announcement Room in April 2016. Just before leaving Fukuoka, she met and talked with this program's host Tamori in private at his favorite bar. Because he was born in Fukuoka, he liked to talk with her to find out what was going on in the city.[6]

In the "Yokosuka" episode (aired on June 18, 2016), Omi and Tamori visited the Command Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. They went on board USS Ronald Reagan anchoring there to interview this aircraft carrier's crew members.

Before filming the "Hiraizumi" episode (aired on December 10, 2016), Omi injured her chin and got stitches on it because she accidentally fell on the street. She appeared in this episode with her chin covered with a big bandage, which surprised viewers of this episode.[8]

From April 2016 until March 2018 Omi served 65 episodes of this program, which was the most episodes of the four Assistants serving this program ever before. On this program, her girlish looks and goofy, empty-minded behavior attracted some of its viewers and contributed to its higher viewership. The highest viewership rate of all episodes is 16.0%, which was marked by the "Kyoto · Fushimi" episode aired on May 7, 2016.

Before leaving Bura Tamori in March 2018 Omi wrapped up her work in NHK Weekly Stera magazine, saying that this program had changed her a lot. "In the beginning, I wasn't interested in anything about geology, so I wasn't acquainted with terms frequently used in this program.

"For two years, I got to know a lot about kinds of rocks and stones, terrain features, and geologic stratum. Now, these are very familiar to me. I even look at a curling stone and say, 'Oh, that's made of granite, isn't it?'

"I've learned from Tamori what life is. He taught me that human's distress is a small thing compared to earth's long history. I noticed the meaninglessness of forcing myself to change myself and the importance of staying the way I am."[9]

NHK News Ohayō Nippon

In April 2016, she was appointed as a general assignment navigator for a corner on NHK News Ohayō Nippon. She served one year as a navigator for the "Machikado Jōhōshitsu (Street Information Room)" segment, where she introduced inventions that helped make people's life more convenient.

On June 20, 2016, Omi was on air at the studio of "Machikado Jōhōshitsu", having her clothes on back to front. Neither she nor any other on-air staff members noticed it at that time, but later one viewer pointed it out on Twitter and it was spread out online. NHK spokesman made a formal apology like this:

It is true that Announcer Omi got her blouse on back to front. She said she carelessly had done it. She will try to wear clothes more carefully from now on.

This caused no backlashes, but instead, this human mistake helped her attract much more viewers than before.[10]

On April 10, 2017, Omi became a weekday newscaster for NHK News Ohayō Nippon (hosted by Kozo Takase and Mayuko Wakuda). She appeared biweekly from 5 am to 7 am JST.

From September 19 through 29, 2017, and from January 29 through February 2, 2018, she hosted this program as an occasional main anchor from 6 am to 8 am in place of Wakuda, who took leave in that period.

In the midnight of January 1, 2018, Omi appeared on TV as a correspondent at Kawasaki Daishi in Yukutoshi Kurutoshi, NHK's annual New Year's Eve television special, with Takase and Wakuda.[11]

Asaichi

Leaving Bura Tamori and NHK News Ohayō Nippon in March 2018, Omi has been the co-host of Asaichi, a live infotainment morning talk show, with comedians Hanamaru-Daikichi Hakata since April 2018.[12] Because this program was hosted by Yumiko Udo, one of NHK's prominent Announcers, until Omi took over the anchor of it, this is considered as one of the important missions done by NHK Announcers. In response to NHK's official announcement addressed in February 2018, Omi made the following comment:

I'm very surprised that this time I'm going to take over a great job as the morning show personality that I've never imagined before. Since I was working in Fukuoka until two years ago, I think it's an interesting coincidence to be able to costar with Mr. Hanamaru and Daikichi Hakata. I'd like to keep time with them, without aiming too high, to create a warm-hearted program.[13]

At the beginning of September 2018, Omi, together with Mayuko Wakuda, conducted an exclusive interview with Namie Amuro, one of Japan’s leading pop singers who was planning to end her musical career on September 16, 2018. This interview aired in Asaichi on September 12, 2018.

In Asaichi aired on July 4, 2019, Omi introduced the viral video where she had visited Showa Women's University Junior High School, which she had attended in her teenage years, to interview Tadashi Sahara, a 94-year-old ex-science teacher of the school who had taught her. He talked in this interview how he had lived his tough life during World War II.[14][15]

On July 19, 2019, Omi and Hakatas conducted a live interview with Hiroshi Kume, legendary radio personality and former anchor for News Station in TV Asahi who had been critical of NHK. While Kume said in the interview, "I think NHK should turn into a private broadcasting company. It should be an independent broadcasting organization. There shouldn't be such a broadcasting station that is got by the balls by the state with its power on personnel affairs and budget. Such a thing should never happen in a developed country," Omi talked back to him on behalf of NHK, saying, "You're saying NHK is got by the balls by the state. However, I'm in an independent public broadcasting station. It's not state-run broadcasting. I'll do my best, for not playing up to anybody." The next day when Kume was talking on his radio program about the progress of Asaichi on the day before, Omi sent an email to the radio station incognito, saying:

Dear Mr. Kume,
Thank you so much for appearing on my program yesterday. I have listened to your program from the beginning. Looking back at yesterday's broadcast, I'm ashamed to be aggressive to you, just like a chihuahua barking at a bigger Doberman. My boss may scold me if I send email to a station other than NHK, but I have the day off today! So I'm sending this email privately as an off-the-job activity.

Kume praised her polite and sincere attitude in his program, saying, "She has impressed me favorably since she appeared in Bura Tamori. She is cute and is faithful to her job. I want to invite her to this program. I'm afraid she won't come here, though."[16]

In October 2019, Omi conducted an interview with Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Hirokazu Kore-eda, who starred and directed the film The Truth selected as the opening film at the 76th Venice International Film Festival. This interview was aired in Asaichi on October 21.

NHK Special

Omi temporarily hosts NHK Special. Her first appearance on this program is the panel discussion segment on March 26, 2017, with Tamio Miyake.[17]

In NHK Special aired on January 1, 2019, Omi hosted this program with Tamori in a similar way she did in Bura Tamori. In this program, she invited an architect Kengo Kuma and a novelist Yukiko Motoya as guests for looking back how the city of Tokyo has been developed, viewing what the construction of the venues for Olympic Games to be held in 2020 is going on, and discussing how people should live their lives in the future.[18] She also hosted the episodes aired on March 24[19] and August 10, 2019.[20]

From November 24, 2019 to February 23, 2020, Omi hosted a series of "Origin of Food" with Tokio.

Other programs

Omi is an occasional narrator for Sawayaka Shizen Hyakkei, the documentaries with factual content involving nature of a particular place in Japan. She is also a narrator for railroad travel series Ikuzo! Saihate! Hikyo x Tetsudo.

She appeared on special programs related to the 48th general election of members of the House of Representatives broadcast in October 2017.

Omi visited Sicily, Italy as a one-time navigator to film her six-day walk of the ancient Sicilian footpath from San Leone to Sutera for the last episode of documentary Ippon-no-Michi aired on NHK BS Premium on March 20, 2018.[21]

Omi conducted a panel discussion by people with a developmental disability as one of the main hosts of NHK's special program with Hideyuki Nakayama. It was aired on April 30, 2018.

On August 7, 2019, Omi was a temporary host for primetime health program Gatten! in place of its regular presenters Shinosuke Tatekawa and Fumie Ono. It was the first time in 17 years that she appeared in this program. She was just a junior high school student when she appeared in the program aired on November 26, 2002, as one of the examinees.

In the media

Not only does Omi star on TV programs, but she sometimes appears on websites run by NHK. On the website encouraging viewers to write down on a hearing sheet some of their characteristics that bother them in their daily lives and that they want to share with others to ask for help, she was filmed filling in the form. She said in the hearing sheet that she was not a morning person, that she did not like parties and crowded places, and that she was forgetful.[22]

In March 2020, Omi appeared on the website, having a mock job interview with her boss through a teleconferencing gear to give job-seeking college students some advice on how to succeed in online job interviews.[23]

Omi sometimes appears on tabloids and weekly magazines. The weekly Shūkan Bunshun magazine nominated Omi the 15th place out of 2017's top 20 favorite female announcers based on reader's polls. The article introduced one reader's voice, saying, "Her goofiness is cute. Tamori and she look like a grandfather and a granddaughter."[24]

In 2018, she was chosen as "the most favorite NHK female announcer (the 9th most favorite female announcer)". Its readers said in this article, "She looks sincere," and "She looks pure."[25]

Shūkan Taishū magazine described why Omi and Maho Kuwako, both of which starred Bura Tamori, were so attractive.[26]

The Weekly Asahi Geinō magazine nominated Omi as "the second hottest female announcer in her 20s" by reader's polls. One reader said in this article that he wanted to live with her because her empty-minded behavior gave him peace of mind. Another reader said that the thickness of her upper arms was exquisite and that her occasional looks with glasses on turned him on.[27]

The Weekly FLASH magazine released the picture of her without studio makeup, walking on her way to NHK for the morning commute. This article introduced her recent favorites were bread and rakugo.[28]

Speaking engagements

In the final of the 63rd NHK Cup National High School Broadcasting Contest in 2016, Omi spoke to the finalists, "When I was in high school I couldn't go into the final round. Now I am the host of Bura Tamori. I mean, even if you can't win this time, you still have a chance to be a great broadcaster in the future. Please, believe in your future."

On September 30, 2017, Omi made a presentation in Nagoya to the viewers of Bura Tamori and her programs, talking what she was about, in-depth explanation of Bura Tamori's episodes in Nagoya aired in June 2017, how these episodes were made, what were the hardships in making these episodes, and what were the lessons she had learned from Tamori and the program production team.[29]

In December 2017, Omi spoke on NHK Radio saying that one of the most important attitudes she kept in mind in her job was that she tried not to be easily convinced. She said that she dared not to use the Japanese word naruhodo (meaning "I understand." or "That explains it.") when in the filming of Bura Tamori an expert was explaining something to Tamori and her. She said that it was because if she said so, the conversation would stop immediately since he or she would have no more words to say, and it was a great loss of a chance to hear further interesting information from the expert.

She also said:

Actually, I've kept in mind the mottos "Don't be convinced soon." and "Don't use naruhodo too often." since I made a mistake when I was a rookie. In the early period of my broadcasting career, I had a chance to have an interview with the field manager of a winning baseball team in high school baseball's regional tournament. It was my first time to do it so I was nervous. When the field manager answered my questions, my response was just "Naruhodo." and I moved on to the next question. If I had swallowed the feelings to say naruhodo and had thought twice, I could've come up with more questions to ask. If I had asked him one more question, I could've heard a more in-depth story from him. This lesson I learned from my early experience taught me that I should at all times think about next questions instead of understanding soon. This is what I bear in mind in whatever situations, in the filming of Bura Tamori or in a briefing before a news show.

The full transcript of what she spoke at that time is written in the textbook published by NHK Publishing[30] which is available at bookstores.

On August 31, 2019, Omi made a presentation in Tokyo to the viewers of Asaichi. In this session, she showed every day's preparation schedule for each episode, spoke about what she had learned from this program and her past ones, shared the audience with what were impressive words by guests, reviewed what themes of this program had great responses by viewers, and expressed what she wanted to aim for through this program in the future as its host.[31]

Personal life

Omi's favorite foods include fruits, chocolates, and grilled beef. She likes strolling in the town.[1] She says that her favorites are eating gummy candies and starch syrup, playing the electric organ, Tahitian dance, and collecting iron sand with a magnet.

Also, she likes spectating pro wrestling. She said that Mitsuo Momota, Yo-Hey, and Great Muta were her most impressive wrestlers.[32][33][34]

Omi also says that one of her hobbies is traveling and that she likes reading historical novels and novels set in foreign countries because she can daydream about traveling beyond space and time.[35]

Omi is a good Japanese calligrapher with 6th dan. She says that it is her dream to teach Japanese calligraphy to children after retirement.[35]

She drives a four-wheel-drive car in her spare time.

According to Daily Shincho's report on May 20, 2020, Omi registered her marriage on May 1, 2019 with a producer of NHK who is 15 years older than she.[36]

See also

References
  1. "NHKアナウンス室　近江友里恵" (in Japanese).
  2. Omi mentioned her birthday on Asaichi aired on April 23, 2018.
  3. "アナウンサー仕事の流儀　近江友里恵" (in Japanese).
  4. "第52回NHK杯全国高校放送コンテスト" [The 52nd NHK Cup National High School Broadcasting Contest] (in Japanese). 岩手県高等学校文化連盟放送専門部資料.
  5. PPRS Members PPRS Home Page
  6. "「あさイチ」抜擢　近江友里恵アナ　タモリも愛でる天然力". Shukan Bunshun (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bungeishunjū. February 22, 2018. pp. 31–32.
  7. "我去台湾了！". Blog Roku-ichi Fukuoka. September 30, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  8. "ブラタモリの近江アナが心配！顔の絆創膏の理由は？". LoveLionLife. December 13, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  9. "〈ブラタモリ〉". NHK Weekly Stera (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: NHK Service Center. March 30, 2018. pp. 28–32.
  10. "服を前後逆に着たNHK近江アナ　ブラタモリの天然ぶりも人気" [Dressed back to front, NHK's Omi is popular with her goofiness in Bura Tamori] (in Japanese). News Post Seven. June 29, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  11. "ことしもよろしくお願いいたします". Ohayō Nippon Cast's Blog. January 5, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  12. "平成３０年度 おもな番組のキャスター資料" (PDF). Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  13. "「あさイチ」新ＭＣを正式発表　大吉「第１歩として大きな目覚ましを買いました」" [New anchors for Asaichi are officially announced; Daikichi says, "I bought a big alarm clock for the first step."]. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  14. "ＮＨＫの情報番組「あさイチ」で放送予定" [To be aired on NHK's infotainment program Asaichi] (in Japanese). Showa Women's University Junior and Senior High School. June 28, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  15. "ＯＧの近江アナ母校に、「あさイチ」７月４日放映…昭和女子" [Announcer Omi comes back to her old school. To be aired on July 4 on Asaichi.... Showa Women's University JHS] (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  16. "「あさイチ」でNHK批判久米宏に近江アナ"お叱りメール"" [Announcer Omi sends "complaint email" to Hiroshi Kume criticizing NHK on Asaichi]. Shukan Bunshun (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bungeishunjū. August 1, 2019. pp. 140–141.
  17. "NHKスペシャル 私たちのこれから/Our Future #認知症社会". March 26, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  18. "NHKスペシャル 空から見る　昭和 平成 そして未来". January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  19. "NHKスペシャル "隠れ脂肪肝"が危ない". NHK. March 24, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  20. "NHKスペシャル ＃あちこちのすずさん～教えてください あなたの戦争～". NHK. August 10, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  21. "Paradiso!". Tokyo Announcement Room Information. March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  22. "近江アナが「困りごとのトリセツ（取扱説明書）」やってみた！". NHK. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  23. "WEB面接 NHK近江アナがやってみた". NHK. March 27, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  24. "「好きなアナ」「嫌いなアナ」2017". Shukan Bunshun (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bungeishunjū. June 8, 2017.
  25. "「好きなアナ」「嫌いなアナ」2018". Shukan Bunshun (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bungeishunjū. July 5, 2018.
  26. "ブラタモリから大ブレイク！ NHK桑子真帆アナ＆近江友里恵アナの魅力". Nikkan Taishū. July 24, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  27. "世代別エロい女子アナ興奮度ランキング". Weekly Asahi Geinō (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Tokuma Shoten. March 15, 2018. pp. 43–44.
  28. "NHK「近江友里恵アナ」雨宮萌果アナから謎かけの手ほどき". Smart FLASH. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  29. 【9月単発】「ブラタモリ」が名古屋へやってきた！　9/30 講師 ＮＨＫアナウンサー 近江友里恵
  30. NHKアナウンサーとともに　ことば力アップ　2017年10月〜2018年3月号 (in Japanese), NHK Publishing (published October 1, 2017), 2017, pp. 76–79, ISBN 978-4-14-910986-2
  31. 私の「あさイチ」な日々 講師 ＮＨＫアナウンサー 近江友里恵
  32. "＃3【11.2両国振り返りSP】丸藤正道と博多大吉さんが両国大会を振り返ってまだまだ語る!! Part1｜プロレスリング・ノア". Pro-Wrestling NOAH. November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  33. "＃4【注目の丸藤VSグレート・ムタ！】丸藤正道と博多大吉さんが両国大会を振り返ってまだまだ語る!! 　11.2両国振り返りSP Part2｜プロレスリング・ノア". Pro-Wrestling NOAH. November 27, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  34. "＃5【両国大会を統括！そして拳王のアノ発言…】丸藤正道と博多大吉さんが両国大会を振り返ってまだまだ語る!! 　11.2両国振り返りSP Part3｜プロレスリング・ノア". Pro-Wrestling NOAH. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  35. "平成３０年度番組 新キャスター発表！".
  36. "「NHK近江アナ」"朝の顔"が昨年春に結婚していた！　お相手も認める" [NHK Announcer Omi's husband admits they got married last spring]. Daily Shincho. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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