[Sunday Culture] Korean Idols Join in Large Numbers... Japan Year-End Music Festival 'Kohaku Uta Gassen'

Year-End Japanese Music Stage Starting from 1951
This Year Featuring Seventeen, LE SSERAFIM, and Stray Kids

It is already the last day of the year. How do you all welcome December 31st and January 1st?

I usually spend the last day of the year with friends, reflecting on the most enjoyable and the most challenging moments of the year, and then watch various year-end music programs broadcast by different networks.

Just like Korea’s year-end music broadcasts, Japan also holds its biggest year-end music show called "Kohaku Uta Gassen" every December 31st. It is quite a familiar name to us as well. Nowadays, Korean idol groups also participate and brighten up the stage together.

So when did this Kohaku Uta Gassen start, and why are the performers divided into the Red Team and White Team? Today, I will share the story of Japan’s grand year-end music festival, Kohaku Uta Gassen.

Korean idol group SEVENTEEN participating in this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen. (Photo by NHK)

Kohaku Uta Gassen is a long-standing year-end music festival that has been held by NHK since 1951. It originated from a radio broadcast called "Kohaku Ongaku Kyogi" aired on December 31, 1945. The TV version of Kohaku Uta Gassen was broadcast as a New Year’s program for the first three editions, and from the 4th edition in 1953, it was fixed as a year-end broadcast on December 31st as we know it today.

Kohaku Uta Gassen features a format where singers are divided into the Red Team and White Team and perform in a competitive style. There are several theories about why the teams are called "Red and White." Originally, when two teams competed, Korea used Blue and White, but Japan has traditionally used Red and White.

This tradition traces back to the Genpei War, a civil war that took place at the end of the Heian period. The Heishi forces controlling the imperial court and the Genji forces from the provinces fought each other, and since it was a civil war, each side carried red or white flags to distinguish friend from foe. Because of this, the Red and White teams are often seen in sports like kendo and soccer.

Additionally, red symbolizes birth, and white represents death or farewell, so Red and White are considered auspicious colors symbolizing life. In Japan, a large cloth called "Kohaku Maku," alternating red and white, is hung at graduation ceremonies, entrance ceremonies, and groundbreaking ceremonies. It is used to celebrate joyous occasions or to wish for good fortune.

2023 Red and White Song Battle promotional poster. (Photo by NHK)

Traditionally, in Kohaku Uta Gassen, women have been assigned to the Red Team and men to the White Team. For mixed-gender groups, the team was determined based on whether the vocalist was female or male. However, this gender-based competition trend is gradually changing. At the 69th Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2018, a special stage transcending the Red and White teams was held, and at the 73rd Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2022, the band Sekai no Owari, led by a male vocalist, appeared on the Red Team. The festival is evolving into an event where everyone, regardless of gender or age, can come together.

As a prestigious year-end stage, there is great interest every year in who will appear on Kohaku Uta Gassen in Japan. With the increase of Korean idol activities in Japan, many of them have taken the stage. According to the lineup released by NHK on the 26th, famous Korean idol groups such as SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM, and Stray Kids were included. This year, we can again see Korea and Japan united through music.

Who sings the first song is also important. Usually, the first song is the most talked-about song of the year. This year, the first song was selected as "Otona Blue" by the female group "Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders," who gained attention with their bold high school girl concept stage.

The Japanese female group "Atarashii Gakko!" singing the first song of this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen. (Photo by NHK)

Since it is a music stage watched by everyone, not only idols but also singers from various generations who have dominated their eras participate. The last song this year will be performed by MISIA, a representative Japanese singer-songwriter who is now 45 years old. There will also be a 50th-anniversary stage performance by "Candies," known as Japan’s original idol group. Additionally, a special stage celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary is planned.

Among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), a new custom has emerged where the first song heard right after January 1st determines the fortune for the year. It might be nice to pick a song while watching the music stage to decide your luck for next year.

May all the sad moments of this year be washed away by songs, and may your year be filled with joy and happiness.

I have truly enjoyed meeting you through my Japan-related series this year. I will bring you many more useful and interesting stories next year as well. Happy New Year!

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.