Watching the 2023 Year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen program has got me all nostalgic to watch some older ones, and I thought I'd jot down notes while rewatching the VERY FIRST Red and White I ever saw...way back in 1995!
I had just gotten into J-pop and J-dramas earlier that year, and my head was FILLED with tunes from both mixes friends made, music programs and, like many people, from J-dramas! I had a smattering of knowledge of the artists who created the songs I was jiving to (through shows like HEY HEY HEY and POPJAM), but what every J-Pop aficionado was waiting for was the year end shows NIHON RECORD TAISHO and the KOUHAKU UTA GASSEN to really put me "in touch" with the musicians themselves! And BOY HOWDY, did it ROCK my WORLD!
This Year's hosts were Emiko Kaminuma (Red Team) and Ichiro Furutachi (White Team) and, as the first hosts I ever saw, are the "quintessential" Red and White Hosts that I've ALWAYS compared others to ever since! I'd even find that, (when I got a copy of the previous Year's 1994 Kohaku), the two were the hosts of THAT one, too! Seems even NHK knew how special they were!
Opening up the festivities were the flamboyant Tsunku and SHARAN Q, doing their song "Zurrionna" Such a zany, wacky character, who knew he'd go on to create a dynasty of girl groups a few years later!
As I mentioned, a huge part of my musical exposure came from Japan shows, and Noriko Sakai's medical soap opera of a deaf mute nurse (co-starring Takao Osawa and Yutaka Takenouchi in early roles) HOSHI NO KINKA was all the rave, including the title song "Aoi Usagi", which Noriko performed doing the signature Sign language moves.
East End x Yuri , "DA YO NE"... these guys were a 'rap" act who garnered a lot of attention at the time (including with my friend Dan who actually bought one of their Video Collections on Laserdisc) but looking at them now, they seem about as urban as school teachers, hahaha!
The mighty Tetsuya Komuro crafted group trf (all lower case until Komuro split from them years later) with their song "Overnight Sensation". I'd much preferred they did one of their other hits from that year like "Masquerade" or the groovy "Crazy Gonna Crazy", but since Overnight won the Taisho that very month, guess they chose wisely.
Ex-ALICE singer Takao Horiuchi singing "Tokyo Hatsu"...this was the first time I got to hear his signature "ZANKYUUUU!" mid-song.
During the mid-90's, there was this buzz about a new wave of "Bijin" young singers reinvigorating the (mostly older) Enka Music scene, and Kaminuma even talked about it during a segment, bringing out five artists generally thought to be the faces of the 'movement", Getting introduced to them and then hearing their music right after, it made quite an impression on a newbie Enka fan like myself!
The Five artists showcased here included:
Yoko Nagayama (singing "Sutararete")
Kaori Kozai (singing "Gomutaina")
Natsuko Godai "Kita no Funa Uta"
and Fuyumi Sakamoto "Abare Taiko"
Can I say that right from the beginning, this gal exuded such COOLNESS?? She always had an air of "Local-ness" to her - as a viewer in Hawaii, she was like the cool chick in class to me!
Noteworthy, Fuyumi is the sole artist out of the five who is still regularly appearing on the Kohaku, though she's been mostly only doing her one one signature song "Yozakura Oshichi" now. Too bad, as she has so many great tunes!
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I have to say going in, the ONE performance I wanted to see above ALL ELSE was Namie Amuro and Super Monkeys doing "Chase The Chance". As the theme song for practically the FIRST EVER J-drama I watched "The Chef", the song was a HUGE fave of mine, and though I'd seen Namie and the girls on other shows, I had yet to see her do this one.
It didn't disappoint, and the performance was one which I watched over and over and OVER again, to the point where Kaminuma's introduction going "SAA! Amuro Namie-san: Chase The Chance!!!" became part of the song!
Simply on FIRE, and I remember showing the performance to a (non-Jpop) friend who noted how passionate Namie was singing- "That girl is GREAT!" he enthused, and he wasn't wrong!
My first ever exposure to Johnny's act TOKIO, where I laughed more at their name than paying any attention to the song "Kaze Ni Natte", though I would eventually really love it. A very young Tomoya Nagase before he made it big in acting! Actually, both him and drummer Masahiro Matsuoka (now famous as the crossdressing housekeeper Mitazono) have done quite well in dramas. Less said about Yamaguchi, I guess. Go Hiromi "Aitakute Shikatanai"...
It would be a few months before I explored the early 70's J-pop classics, so at this time I did not know too much about Go Hiromi, a fact i'd rectify soon!
Known mostly for her duties as host of the awesome "POPJAM" music show and the "Yume Ga Mori-Mori" Variety Program, I always had a soft spot for pretty Hiroko Moriguchi and was thrilled to learn what an incredible singer she was as well, here belting out "Anata Toita Kisetsu"... 
Fumiya Fujii, the guy a co-worker on mine once called "The Japanese Bryan Adams", doing "GET UP BOY". Was crossing fingers he'd do "Time Machine", but it was from the past year.
Strangely I just realized he's only one of about 4 artists here who appeared on the latest 2023 broadcast!
The performance I was most curious about was next, the awesome "Futari Wa Koibito" by sparkling chanteuse Chisato Moritaka! The group of friends I worked with (who introduced me to most of the the new J-pop I was getting into), well, they IDOLIZED Chisato, and, after being introduced to Futari wa Koibito, couldn't wait to see her for myself!
Well, she KNOCKED ME OUT, both in voice and LOOKS, and I HAD to grab as much of her catalog as I could! Through CDs, Singles and Concerts, I'd go on to become a HUGE Chisato Moritaka fan, and even today consider her one of my all-time FAVORITES! And it ALL started with this performance!
Though hard to fathom today, Johnny's act SMAP were really disliked by quite a few people (including my friend Dan who'd curtly state "I DON'T LIKE SMAP" whenever they'd be on, LOL)I, however dug a few of their songs, especially "Oretachi Ni Asu Wa Aru" which I was thrilled to see them perform here (along with a few others in medley form), and I even had to go out and grab it afterwards!
If not for their music (of which they had many which are now considered J-pop Classics), they would still have made their mark by the sheer talent that came from the group as actors, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki, Shingo Katori...who hasn't loved at least ONE show from them?
Not to mention the MC prowess of leader Masahiro Nakai who would go on to eventually even hosting future Kohaku Uta Gassen broadcasts himself! And hey, look, there's Mori Katsuyuki the guy who would soon bail from the band, leaving the group a quintet!
Another favorite show for me was the Misako Tanaka/Hidekazu Akai family drama "Second Chance", and its wonderful theme song "TOMORROW", here performed by its author, the amazing Mayo Okamoto.
Kenji Ozawa "Lovely". Whyyyy didn't Kenji do "Tsuyoi Kimochi"????? I was so looking forward to that! Oh well, LIFE IS A SHOWTIME!
Satoko Ishimine "Hana" Lovely, velvety voice, Satoko was another artist my friend Dan really loved (and tried incessantly to get me into!) eventually I came aboard!
Masashi Sada "Shoro Nagashi" Another one of the few artists who appeared on this year's (2023) Kohaku, but now when I look at him all I can think of is him as Kasumi Arimura's dad in Ishiko to Haneo!
The might of Tetsuya Komuro was so strong in the 90's that he could make anyone a Number One artist, even DOWNTOWN's Masatoshi Hamada (as H Jungle with T) with "Wow War Tonight", a song I admit I never go into, and to this day still wonder why it was such a hit! The jury's still out on that one.
Dreams Come True, "Love Love Love". My vote for greatest J-pop song of all time, or at LEAST 1995, a take that many (including a few polls) disagree, but whatever. The theme for the wildly popular "Aishiterutte to Ittekure" (Say You Love Me), the song eventually became an anthem on its own, and the group would go on to perform this at venues like Live8 and future Kohaku moments down the line. A timeless classic which still carries the spirit and power of J-pop at its best!!
Kome Kome Club "Hit Medley". One of my favorite acts to sing at karaoke, it seems I got into them too late as by 1996, both they and Princess Princess would announce their retirement and disbandment!
Of course, as we all know, BOTH groups would eventually have reunion shows in the 20-some years since...ya just can't keep them down! JUSTTTT MY FRIIIENNNNDDD
Another artist who would would become one of my ALL-TIME favorites, the lovely Ms. Seiko Matsuda, here singing a medley of her past hits and ending with her new single "Sutekini ONCE AGAIN".
MY GOSH was she stunning! This was the FIRST time I'd seen the legendary idol performing, and though I'd go on to see many, many more, there's something about this one that really hits me in the feels!
I remember my friend's Mom watching this and going "Why is that grown woman jumping around with a teddy bear and pretending she's a kid???" Fair enough, but I gotta say: I WAS ENTRANCED!!!
Couldn't WAIT to start picking up some of her stuff, and though most people gravitate towards her early 80's hits, I find my heart is really sentimentally attached to her 90's output: Time To Love, Diamond Expression, Glorious Revolution, It's Style, Vanity Fair, etc...these are the ones I associate with this first impression of Seiko. And I wouldn't want it any other way!Yoshi Ikuzo, "Joen". Though I mostly favored the girl singers, Ikuzo was one I really liked! (And happened to be dining behind me at a local Japanese restaurant not so long ago!)
OMG, the BOMBASTIC Naomi Tamura, belting out her thrilling song "Yuzurenai Negai"!
With a Hard-Rockin' voice befitting her place as the lead of group PEARL, this was one gal I woulda loved to have seen with a real backing band!
ANOTHER "All-time Fave" song!
and Jiro Kanmuri doing "Magokoro"
BTW, When they went to interview the Judges for the program, I was STUNNED to see a young and vibrant YUKI AMAMI among them! Ya know, in a recent drama, she dressed up in kitschy "90's" style, but she didn't look ANYTHING like this! Very smart and commanding look!
OK, it's the half-time show! Time for FESTIVITIES! And what better way than by getting out good ol' Mitsuko Nakamura, singing "Kawatachi Otoko Bushi" and "Workin' Man" Toba Ichiro doing "Kyodai-Sen"!!Oh how I loved Nakamura's stage shows- As a person of mostly Okinawan descent, these "Matsuri" type segments really take me back to my Grandparent's music, bright, bouncy and FUN!
Miyako Otsuki "Yoru no Yuki"
Hideki Saijo "YOUNG MAN"...Yep, it's his send up of Y.M.C.A.! Fun nd catchy, but you haven't experienced anything til you've been at Karaoke with a drunk guy yelling this song at the top of his lungs!
Toshimi Tagawa "Miren Kaikyo"
Ryo Kamon, "Otoko no Bojo"
Kazuko Mifune "Danna Sama"
Now HERE'S something that we'll never see again that was once a yearly tradition: The Kenichi Mikawa/Sachiko Kobayashi EXTRAVAGANCE WAR, with the two seasoned singers' performances elevated to PURE SPECTACLE, an always DAZZLING sight to see!
Seems a shame to show pictures of only their heads, as their performances frequently involved the ENTIRE stage, getting bigger and BIGGER with each year!
Kiyoshi "Cool Five" Maekawa "Soshite, Kobe"
Saori Yuki & Shoko Yasuda
HAHAHA, every time the program finally got to duo opera vocalists, you KNEW the show had FORMALLY entered into its "Adult" portion of the show, and was the time most of us younger fans went to the bathroom!
True, they didn't hold much interest for me, but even I could see that when they eventually phased out acts like this, something grand about the show had been lost. Now that I'm watching this nostalgically, you can actually feel how classy and well-rounded the Kohaku Uta Gassen once was!
Asahi Kobayashi, "Uden ni Niji Dake"
Chiyoko Shimakura "Ano koro Ni Todoke"
Minami Kosetsu "Ue Wo Muite Aruko"
Hiroshi Itsuki
The incredible Sayuri Ishikawa doing "Kita No Nyobo".
Another artist who still regularly appears on the show, wish they had her as ceremony co-closer more often...think she only did once (paired with Yuzu)?
The Chairman of the Board, Saburo Kitajima, "Tani" ...unusual to see him not closing during this "era" where he seemed the "go to" show closer....
Miyako Harumi "Kusamakura"... Really love her voice and charisma onstage!
Shinichi Mori, "Kanashimi no Utuswa"
CEREMONY CLOSERS! Akiko Wada, "Moichido Futari de Utaitai", one of the two songs she frequently does...
LET'S SING A SONGGGGGG
Takashi Hosokawa accompanied by what seemed 100 Shimasens doing his Majestic "Bokyo Jonkara" - WOW this one really blew me away watching it for the first time- this was a real SHOW CLOSER if there ever was one!
After the dust (and fake snowflakes) settled, it's time for a settling of another kind- the checks and balances of the judge and viewers' VOTE! Red for Females, White for Males. Pick your side. I've said many times about how unimportant this part seems to me, but the teams themselves still have a certain pride winning it...and back in the day, it was SUCH a crowning achievement!
Back in the days before the internet where you could download or stream any program you want, if you wanted to see a show, you had to plop your butt down and sit there for the entire 5+ hours it was on. (Maybe that's why families simply had it on the background while serving dinner!) By the time the songfest had ended, it was now 10:30 at night and you felt like you'd actually BEEN THERE in audience, and when you'd see this final shot of the stage from afar, confetti in the air, and the NHK logo popping into the bottom of the screen, you felt a sense of finality and sadness!
Maybe that's why no matter what, I always try to end my Kohaku posts with that image.
Nowadays, the Kohaku Uta Gassen doesn't have nearly the sway it once did, and every year there are talks of closing the tradition. While I can see their points (the younger crowd have way, way more venues and platforms to watch artists they like, kids don't want to sit through the Enka stuff anyway, etc, etc), there will always be something quite magical about the show, especially in my fond memories of seeing it in those early days!
