TBS withdrew from the morning wide-show sweepstakes in 1996 after it was revealed that a wide-show producer had secretly shown members of Aum Shinrikyo a tape of an interview with anti-Aum lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto in 1989 as a means of gaining favor with the cult. Sakamoto was subsequently murdered by Aum followers. Since the wide show's cancellation was a form of penance, media watchers assumed that it would eventually return.
But the show that replaced it, "Hanamaru Market" (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.), became, unexpectedly, a hit. Mixing household tips, consumer advice and casual interviews, the program's main attraction is its two lively hosts, former idol Hirohide Yakumaru and actress Kumiko Okae.
On Monday, "Hanamaru" begins its sixth season, and Thursday night at 1:20 a.m., a spinoff, "Uramaru Cafe," will be resurrected. The weekly program borrows the interview portion from "Hanamaru" and reconfigures it for late-night viewing. Yakumaru is the host, and as on the morning "Hanamaru Cafe" segment, guests are asked to bring recent photographs to provide topics for discussion. On the morning show, guests and hosts partake of an omeza (eye-opener) dish, while on the evening show Yakumaru and his guest eat an onemu (midnight snack).