Interest
New Year's 67th Kōhaku Song Contest Gets Team Representatives
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
There are many New Year's traditions in Japan, like staying up to watch the sunrise, making a pilgrimage to a local temple, and tuning into the Kōhaku Uta Gassen singing contest. The program feature a Red team and a White team, each with a respective representative. For the program's 67th year, NHK announced actress Kasumi Arimura (When Marnie Was There, Strobe Edge, ERASED, March comes in like a lion live-action films) will helm the Red Team and male idol Masaki Aiba will helm the White Team.
This year's contest's theme is "Yume o Utaou" (Let's sing a dream).
Last year's contest was the lowest-rated on record. It included the special "Anime Kōhaku." In "Anime Kōhaku," the singers performed anime theme songs. Like the rest of the Kōhaku Uta Gassen, "Anime Kōhaku" had a red team (female performers) and white team (male performers). Maruko, the title character in the popular long-running anime Chibi Maruko-chan, represented the red team and Whisper from Yo-kai Watch represented the white team. Performances included Love Live!'s μ's, BUMP OF CHICKEN, and Superfly, as well as 34-year-old singer Gen Hoshino, 19-year-old Sakurako Ōhara, Rebecca, and the four-person band Gesu no Kiwami Otome.
Source: Music Natalie
