Even though it was a sushi restaurant, the moment I walked in, I thought, “Is this really Earth?” I never would have imagined that a spaceship would be docked in a back alley in Jingumae. Hachimine—once again, I’ve been invited to join in on one of Raphael’s self-funded projects.
BENI — A sushi restaurant in Jingumae featuring private rooms modeled after spaceships
The setting for this story is “BENI,” a sushi restaurant in Jingumae. It stands out from ordinary sushi restaurants with its truly unconventional interior design, featuring private rooms modeled after spaceships.
The set amount is 25,000 yen per person. You can order as many items as you like from the à la carte menu, sushi, and desserts (drinks are billed separately), and the person whose total comes closest to 25,000 yen wins, while the person whose total is furthest off must pay the entire bill for everyone (including drinks) out of their own pocket. If someone wins the “Exact Match Prize” by hitting the target amount exactly, they’ll receive 1 million yen—a rule that, as always, shows no mercy to either your wallet or your stomach.
For Hachimine, this marks his second appearance on the show, following his previous “Gochi Battle” (High-End Chinese Cuisine) segment. This time, his appearance was confirmed just two days before the taping—a truly last-minute addition. What’s more, although the restaurant serving as the venue is located near his home, he had never actually visited it before—a true testament to the mysterious nature of fate.
The participants, and Atsushi Tsutsumishita, who joined at the last minute
The members for the day were Rafael, Atsushi Tsutsumishita, Yoko Kumada, Yuji Kawahara, Ms. Risa, President Zu, and Hachimine—seven people in all. Atsushi Tsutsumishita stood out in particular, as he had received the offer to join the show just 40 minutes before filming began. With no time to prepare, he was suddenly forced to face the terror of paying out of his own pocket—it’s impossible not to feel sympathy for him.
Rafael said he was on a diet that day, but he declared it a “cheat day” and allowed himself to eat rice for the first time in a while.
And actually, Hachimine himself was in just as precarious a state as Tsutsumi. Because the offer to appear came so suddenly, he hadn’t been able to adjust his schedule in time; he’d been drinking until the early morning the day before, and ended up competing while still drunk that day. Even before filming began, he was already far from his usual composure.
By the end of the video, Hachimine’s face had turned completely red. It seemed that the alcohol he’d been drinking since the night before, combined with the drinks he’d had during the recording, had clearly taken its toll on his face. It will be interesting to see how this level of intoxication affected the match.
First Order — A Series of Perfect Shots in the Early Stages
Right from the start of the early rounds, there was an immediate flurry of correct guesses. The “Fried White Shrimp” ordered by Yoko Kumada and Hachimine perfectly matched Yoko Kumada’s estimate of 1,500 yen. President Zuu’s “Minerō with Horse Mackerel” also hit the mark exactly at 1,600 yen, and one participant after another got off to a lucky start.
Meanwhile, Atsushi Tsutsumishita chose “Overnight-dried Ayu” “Sakura-style Simmered Octopus,” and “Today’s Simmered Dish”—dishes that seemed labor-intensive—and set a relatively high estimate (8,500 yen total). However, when the results were revealed, the “Overnight-Dried Ayu” came in at 1,800 yen (correct) compared to his estimate of 3,000 yen, and and “Today’s Simmered Dish” came in at 2,800 yen versus his estimate of 3,500 yen—he was struck by a series of miscalculations where the actual prices were consistently lower than expected. It seems that the visual impression of a dish “looking like it took a lot of effort” does not necessarily match its actual price.
This turn, Hachimine ordered “Salt-Seasoned Seared Bonito,” “Deep-Fried White Shrimp,” and “Oysters Simmered in Oil.” For the “Oysters Simmered in Oil,” his estimate of 1,700 yen was slightly off—the actual price was 2,000 yen.
Second Order — Kawahara Goes for Another High-End Bottle
Before placing the second order, Kawahara ordered another bottle of the premium red wine “Opus One.” This was typical of the man whose motto is “Results are everything”—he was as bold as ever.
When Yoko Kumada asked the head chef about the difference between the glasses, he stumbled over his words and disappeared into the back of the restaurant. In response, Hachimine quipped, “Don’t run away!”—livening up the atmosphere in the midst of the competition.
For his second order, Hachimine went on the offensive all at once with “tsubugai,” “chutoro,” “aji,” “simmered scallops,” “uni (murasaki and bafun),” and “kinmedai.”
What stood out in this episode was Risa-sensei’s reaction. After tasting the “simmered real octopus with cherry blossoms,” she was astonished, saying, “It’s so tender I don’t even need to chew.” That dish, which Tsutsumishita had rated highly early on, apparently lived up to the hype.
Also, regarding the “uni (bafun)” forecast, President Zuu presented a bullish figure of 4,800 yen, while Hachimine suggested 6,000 yen. Luxury ingredients do, after all, tend to make people feel more generous.
Last Order — Hachimine's Bold Move: 5 Scoops of Sesame Ice Cream
As the event draws to a close, everyone scrambles to balance the books.
Rafael determined that his total had already reached 25,000 yen, so he didn't order anything during the last round and called it a night. It was a prudent decision.
Hachimine, on the other hand, went so far as to order a whopping five servings of “White Sesame Tofu and Black Sesame Ice Cream.” The idea of stacking five of the same dessert on top of each other makes it seem as though he’s completely drunk and has lost his mind.
Seeing that the total wasn't enough, President Zu ordered not only “fruit wine jelly” and “black sesame ice cream,” but also “grilled nodoguro” and “simmered octopus in cherry blossom sauce.” It’s a nerve-wracking turn of events as things suddenly pick up speed toward the end.
Atsushi Tsutsumishita ordered the “Fruit Wine Jelly,” calculated an estimated price of 2,900 yen (the correct answer was 2,500 yen), and confidently declared, “The total came out to exactly 25,000 yen.” Was his guess correct?
Check out the video to see the results.
After seven contestants each used their own strategies to try to win 25,000 yen, who ended up taking home the championship? And did Hachimine’s bold move—betting on “five sesame ice creams”—turn out to be a good move or a bad one?
Let me just say that the total amount the last-place finisher had to pay out of pocket—including drinks—was a shocking figure. Be sure to check out the full video to find out the details and see who ended up on the losing end.
Summary
In a private room aboard a spaceship, seven contestants scramble to hit the 25,000-yen target while snacking on sushi. Some play it safe, others take aggressive risks, and one even stacks five sesame ice cream scoops toward the end. Between the high-end Chinese restaurant and this sushi outing, this marks Hachimine’s second time competing in the “Gochi Battle,” but it seems the day he gets used to the fear of paying out of his own pocket has yet to come. It was a night of unexpected adventure at a restaurant that, despite being right in his neighborhood, he’d never visited before.
