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New Year's Eve Music
The New Years holiday is big in Japan. And while viewership has declined due to online streaming, the 紅白歌合戦 is still the biggest TV music event of the year. The performers represent the best of the best for that year.
What Is It?
The 紅白歌合戦, literally translating to "Red and White Song Battle," is a highly popular and iconic annual music show in Japan. Broadcast on New Year's Eve by NHK, the country's public broadcasting organization, the program marks the end of the year with a festive and competitive spirit. The show features a range of performances by popular musicians, idol groups, and ensembles, who are divided into two teams based on gender: the red team (紅組) representing women, and the white team (白組) representing men.
Each team performs various songs, ranging from traditional and enka to modern J-pop, rock, and beyond, showcasing the year's hits and sometimes special collaborations. The performances are interlaced with skits and entertainment segments. At the end of the show, a panel of judges along with audience votes determine the winning team. However, the competition aspect is often seen as secondary to the celebration and performances themselves. Kouhaku Uta Gassen is more than just a music show; it's a cultural institution, reflecting Japan's musical trends and the nation's mood as it transitions into the new year. It holds a sentimental place in many Japanese people's hearts as they watch it with family and friends, making it an integral part of New Year's Eve celebrations in Japan.
As a student of Japanese, getting to know Japanese popular culture will not only make learning Japanese more fun, it will also give you more interesting topics to discuss with your Japanese friends. If you are new to Japanese music, I would suggest spending a few minutes to listen to a short clip of each of the songs. Then pick one or two artists to get to know better.
Here are the playlists for the songs that will be played on the 74th annual 紅白歌合戦 New Year's Eve on Apple Music and Spotify.
Now, here are links to YouTube videos of the songs each artist will perform and (when available) a link to more information on the artist in our Makoto+ Names Course. (More content coming soon!)
紅組
First, let's look at the red team (the girls). The first column is the artist, the second is the song title, and the third has the links. The YouTube links will take you to the song (if available). The links on the names are to our Names Course detail pages (free for Shogun and Lifetime members).
あいみょん | 愛の花 | |
新しい学校のリーダーズ | オトナブルー | |
Ado | 唱 | |
ano | ちゅ、多様性。 | |
石川さゆり | 津軽海峡・冬景色 | |
伊藤蘭 | キャンディーズ50周年 紅白SPメドレー | |
坂本冬美 | 夜桜お七 | |
櫻坂46 | Start over! | |
椎名林檎 | ㋚〜さすがに諸行無常篇〜 | |
JUJU | 時の流れに身をまかせ | |
Superfly | タマシイレボリューション | |
天童よしみ | 道頓堀人情 | |
NiziU | Make you happy | |
乃木坂46 | おひとりさま天国 | |
Perfume | FAKE IT | |
MISIA | 紅白スペシャル2023 | |
MISAMO | Do not touch | |
水森かおり | 日向岬〜紅白ドミノチャレンジSP〜 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_gAIzPDsE4&list=PLX7kJJM9goinGTqzv9JtGbW47mJXD_6gY |
milet × MAN WITH A MISSION | コイコガレ | |
YOASOBI | アイドル | |
緑黄色社会 | キャラクター | |
LE SSERAFIM | UNFORGIVEN （feat. Nile Rodgers） -Japanese ver.- | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMddOrUGwDw&list=PLUnnlhhDy3ebuRkR7N-3ye1kS03kBaWNq |
Looking to immerse yourself fully in Japanese culture and entertainment while building close friendships? Gaining a thorough understanding of Japanese names will greatly enhance your experience. If you're a Shogun or Lifetime member, this benefit is available to you at no extra cost! Samurai members are eligible for a substantial discount, or you have the option to purchase it outright.
白組
Now, let's look at the white team (the boys). The YouTube links will take you to the song (if available). The links on the names are to our Names Course detail pages (free for Shogun and Lifetime members).
エレファントカシマシ | 俺たちの明日 | |
大泉洋 | あの空に立つ塔のように | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ORIp95U1Q&list=RDq9ORIp95U1Q&start_radio=1 |
Official髭男dism | Chessboard | |
キタニタツヤ | 青のすみか | |
郷ひろみ | 2億4千万の瞳〜ブレイキンSP〜 | |
さだまさし | 秋桜 | |
JO1 | NEWSmile | |
純烈 | だってめぐり逢えたんだ〜NHKプラスver.〜 | |
鈴木雅之 | め組のひと | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQojR1OsAo&list=PLSjWpcJaiPBSWPkoyAdTtgLjiIzDOTZss |
すとぷり | スキスキ星人 | |
Stray Kids | CASE 143 -Japanese ver.- | |
SEVENTEEN | 舞い落ちる花びら (Fallin' Flower) | |
10-FEET | 第ゼロ感 | |
BE:FIRST | Boom Boom Back | |
福山雅治 | 「HELLO～想望」 紅白スペシャルメドレー | |
藤井フミヤ | TRUE LOVE | |
星野源 | 生命体 | |
MAN WITH A MISSION × milet | 絆ノ奇跡 | |
Mrs. GREEN APPLE | ダンスホール | |
三山ひろし | どんこ坂～第7回 けん玉世界記録への道～ | |
山内惠介 | 恋する街角 | |
ゆず | ビューティフル |
If you are not yet a Makoto+ member, why not become one and get tons of content to help you learn Japanese. Click here for a free trial or save big with our limited time lifetime offer.
This sounds really fun! And such a big number of artists and songs, I guess the show fills the whole evening then. Do you know if it possible to watch the show from outside Japan? I see there are some related videos on the NHK website: https://www.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/movie74/.
Thank you for sharing the YouTube links to all the music videos! That is probably the main content of the show anyway. 🙂
TV Japan has it: https://tvjapan.net/en/ But since you have to bundle it with a satellite subscription, it’s very expensive and only available in the US and Canada.
Another option is to use a VPN (Nord VPN is probably best since they have tons of Japanese servers) and sign up for NHK On Demand: https://www.nhk-ondemand.jp/
Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way, but if you don’t mind using a VPN, NHK Ondemand has a lot of content and is cheap. It won’t have English subtitles, but most content has Japanese subtitles.
Wow, thank you, that looks awesome! I see NHK On Demand also has lots of other cool looking series, such as historical dramas and nature documentaries. I’m familiar with VPNs, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The Japanese is still a little bit intimidating though, but some exposure to native material doesn’t hurt. 🙂
Also, I saw that NHK released some short videos with highlights of the show on https://www.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/movie74/, so I watched those. I was surprised to see how big of a show they make, with so many people on stage. Really fun to watch!
This year’s show had the lowest viewership in history–however, it was really, really well done. Even the bands/singers I didn’t care too much for did an amazing job.
If you use a VPN with a Japanese server (ExpressVPN and Nord (especially Nord) have servers in Japan), you can also watch tver.jp which is totally free and you don’t even have to sign up for it. Tver is a collaboration among several TV stations. They show this week’s episodes of dramas, comedies, and variety programs. It doesn’t have NHK content, but I think the Youtube playlist you found is good enough to enjoy kouhaku for free.
The other thing is, if you have Netflix, use a browser plug in like Language Reactor. There is a lot of Japanese language content even with the US Netflix, but if you use a VPN, you can also access the Japanese Netflix. It might be easier to find a show you are familiar with that will help you at your level.