Kohaku Uta Gassen is an annual New Year’s Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK network.

The program divides the most popular music artists of the year into competing teams of red and white. The “red” team or akagumi is composed of all female artists (or groups with female vocals), while the “white” team or shirogumi is all male (or groups with male vocals). At the end of the show, judges and the audience vote to decide which group performed better.

Only the most successful singing acts in the Japanese entertainment industry can perform. In addition to the actual music performances, the costumes, hair-styles, makeup, dancing, and lighting are important. Even today, a performance on Kōhaku is said to be a big highlight in a singer’s career because of the show’s wide reach.

It is such a tradition for Japanese and the hall (NHK Hall at Shibuya) has only 3600 seats, so every year it is very difficult to get a ticket…

The 69th Kohaku Uta Gassen will be held on the 31st December 2018.

The chosen artists are as below.

Red Team:
aiko (13)
AIMYON (debut)
Ikimonogakari (10)
Sayuri Ishikawa (41)
AKB48 (11)
Midori Oka (2)
Keyakizaka46 (3)
Fuyumi Sakamoto (30)
Aya Shimazu (5)
Superfly (3)
DAOKO (debut)
Yoshimi Tendo (23)
TWICE (2)
Kana Nishino (9)
Nogizaka46 (4)
Perfume (11)
Seiko Matsuda (22)
Yumi Matsutoya (3)
MISIA (3)
Kaori Mizumori (16)
Little Glee Monster (2)

White Team:
Arashi (10)
Hiroshi Itsuki (48)
EXILE (12)
Kanjani8 (7)
King & Prince (debut)
Hiromi Go (31)
Suchmos (debut)
Sandaime J Soul Brothers (7)
Jyunretsu (debut)
SEKAI NO OWARI (5)
SEXY ZONE (6)
DA PUMP (6)
Kiyoshi Hikawa (19)
Masaharu Fukuyama (11)
Hey! Say! JUMP (2)
Gen Hoshino (4)
Daichi Miura (2)
Hiroshi Miyama (4)
Keisuke Yamauchi (4)
Yuzu (9)
YOSHIKI feat HYDE (debut)

*https://www.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/artist/

*The number in brackets indicates how many times they have appeared at Kohaku.

Nestled near the famous Senso-ji temple roughly 5 minutes from Asakusa Station is one of Tokyo’s hidden gems….. Hanayashiki. Established in 1853, originally as a flower park it is Japan’s oldest and original amusement park.

Surrounded by tall modern buildings and neatly fitted in its spot the small park is packed full of over 20 rides and attractions from roller coasters to ninja runs.

Most of the attractions are from back in the day and they look that way but that is part of the charm of the place. When there you feel a touch of nostalgia.

The roller coaster is the oldest steel type track coaster in Japan and it hits the dizzying speeds of 42km per hour, with no loops and crazy spins it’s still very fun and pretty scary as it looks and sounds pretty old.

The old school ghost train was also one of my favourites. Sitting in the car moving slowly along the dark track while classic ghosts and monster jump out on you and loud screeches try to jump you. Not scary by today’s standards but reminded me of being a child again.

There is also great entertainment for the younger kids too with shows and gentle rides including panda cars and merry go rounds. There is also a number of themed gift shops and a food court for when you get hungry.

Entry to the park is just Y1000 for adults and Y500 for children and then access to rides is done with a ticket system which is priced at Y100 per ticket, rides range from 2 to 5 tickets. It’s defiantly worth a visit if you have a spare few hours during your visit to Tokyo

In the Asakusa area of Tokyo on the east bank of the Sumida River is one of Japans most recognizable and photographed buildings, the Asahi Beer Hall, which stands alongside the Asahi Breweries HQ.

The reason for its popularity is what is on top of the Asahi Super Dry Hall building, The Flamme d’Or or the Golden Flame……or the ‘Golden Poo’ as its better known.

The 300 Tonne flame was designed by renowned French architect Philippe Stark during Japans boom years and was built by shipbuilders using the same techniques they use to build submarines and covered in gold leaf so it shines high up in the skyline. It is supposed to represent the freedom and grace of a good head of foam on your glass of Asahi beer but to many it just looks like something else.

The golden flame was originally supposed to stand upright as you expect a flame to stand but due to complaints of the structure blocking the sun and view from other buildings it was put in place on its side.

Next to it stands the 100 metre high Asahi HQ which represents a giant beer jug complete with its foam shaped white roof, which actually does resemble what it is supposed to. The buildings are actually built on the site where Asahi originally started brewing beer a century earlier.

Regardless it definitely adds to Tokyo’s amazing skyline and the buildings together with the SkyTree nearby make for some great photo opportunities and I defiantly recommend a visit it is a sight to behold and iIf all this looking at buildings makes you thirsty you can visit the buildings 22^nd floor and enjoy a nice cold glass of beer and some food while enjoying the views in one of the bars  and maybe taste some limited run Asahi beers that are on offer.

Japan entered their round of 16 tie against a strong Belgium side as underdogs in most people’s eyes but their performance in their 3-2 loss won them a lot of fans and great press in the western media.

After a pretty average first half, both teams produced displays in the second that created maybe one of the best halves of football in World Cup history.

Japan came out fighting and to everyone’s surprise took the lead after a swift counter led to Genki Haraguchi slotting home a beautiful through ball from Gaku Shibasaki, soon after Japan doubled their lead with a stunning 25 yard strike from stand out player Takashi Inui.

The game was end to end with Belgium missing some good chances but some inspired substitutions by Belgium swung the game with a fluke header from Jan Vertonghen and a header from sub Fellaini drew the Red Devils level.

It looked like the game was destined for extra time but with Japan continuing to search for a winner after a close Honda free kick Belgium did an amazingly quick counter attack to win the game in injury time to the heartbreak of the Japanese players and fans.

After the way Japan qualified for the last 16 with people judging their performance and tactics this game brought out the best in the team. Their performance was amazing and they should hold their heads high and proud. Every player gave their all and rather than playing for the draw or defending they pushed and pushed for the winning goal.

Well done Japan you played your part in one of the best games of an amazing World Cup.

Also the western media picked up on the amazing behaviour of the fans who cleaned up the terraces after the game even after losing. The Japanese players also completely cleaned the dressing room and left a thankyou note to their Russian hosts after the game even though they must have been tired and upset after their loss

Hats off to you Japan! Thank you for your performance on and off the pitch

The Tsurutu City Bald Men’s Club is a group of a few dozen Japanese men who gather annually at a hot springs 700km north of Tokyo to compete in an epic tug of war event that is unlike any other.

It is an event you can only enter if you have one unfortunate trait…..a bald head.

The aim of the game….stick a suction cup to your opponents and your own bald head and join the cups via a single piece of red rope. Then when the signal goes pull until one of the suction cups detaches and you have yourself a winner. It’s a great way to see who has the best bald head in the country!

They also have a number of other events and games and have drinks and food together throughout the event.

The club, which has attracted roughly 65 members from all over the country since its founding in 1989, encourages people to “view baldness in a positive manner, to have fun, and to brighten the world with our shiny heads”, according to its website.

It looks quite painful but if you are going bald it’s probably best to accept the fact and make the most of it and what better way to feel proud of your baldness!

Maybe we will see the event at Tokyo 2020 

When you visit Osaka no doubt you will find yourself in the Dotomori canal area amongst the hustle and bustle of Osaka’s premier shopping and entertainment.

And you will eventually come across the famous Osaka meeting point of Ebisu Bridge near the shinsaibashi shopping tunnel, and overlooking this if you look up you will see the huge, brightly lit sign of the Glico running man, who has owned this spot for over 80 years.

You will see many tourists taking photos on the bridge with the running man in the background, it a very famous tourist spot and photo opportunity among Japanese and foreigners alike.

So who is Glico? And why the running man?

Glico is one of Japans most popular and famous confectionary companies, with their most popular product being Pocky, the yummy coated pretzel sticks that everyone knows and loves. Some of their other brands include, Pretz, Caplico, Bisco and Karujaga.

So what has this got to do with running? Well way back in 1922, when Glico’s first product, candy caramel, was released, it was created as an energy product as it contained added glycogen from oysters. Mr Ri-ichi Ezaki, the founder said that each treat could give you enough energy to run 300 metres, so that’s how the running man was created and its been used as the companies mascot and logo ever since.

Since its erection in 1935, the sign has had many appearances and has been altered to mark special events such as the soccer world cup in Japan and to support the local Hanshin Tigers baseball team.

It’s currently in its 6^th generation state and now is made from LED lights as opposed to neon and features famous Osaka landmarks in the background such as Osaka castle and Tsutenkaku tower.

If you go to the amazing Okinawa islands you will notice pairs of Shisa everywhere, in doorways, on roofs, in shop fronts and especially in souvenir shops.

These part lion, part dog, curly maned creatures are the protectors of the island and the protectors of homes and business.

Often put in doorways, either side of an entrance, the Shisa are always in pairs. There are a few different explanations but one of the most common is that the closed mouth female keeps the good spirits in and the open mouthed male scares the evil spirits away and keeps them out.

 THE LEGEND

As with most Japanese creatures there are many tales and folklore surrounding the Shisa. One such legendary tale is that of a monstrous sea dragon terrorising the tranquillity of Madanbashi, a village at Naha Port Bay.

It all began with a necklace decorated with a shisa figure that was given to a king at Shuri Castle by a Chinese emissary. It was when this same king visited Madanbashi that the sea dragon began another infamous attack. Terrified, all the villagers ran away to hide.

It was then that the local noro (a priestess) recalled a dream she recently had. She was to inform the visiting king to stand on the beach with the Shisa figure held high towards the dragon. She gave this information to a young boy, Chiga, who delivered the message to the king. From there the king went to face the dragon and performed the actions as told by Chiga.

Once the shisa figure was held before the monster a mighty roar sounded throughout the village, a roar said to be so powerful that it shook the dragon itself. From that roar a gigantic boulder fell from the heavens and crashed the dragon’s tail. Without being able to move the dragon eventually died. In time the boulder, and the dragon’s body, became overgrown with trees and plant life, and can still be seen to this day as the Gana-mui Woods.

Like most tales, this story has many variations and differences, one involving the sea dragon arrogantly mocking the shisa’s power due to its size. This greatly angered the shisa enough to roar so loudly that it lead to aforementioned events regarding the boulder.

Overall, no matter what the variation, the core premise stays the same. The townspeople eventually built a large stone shisa in order to protect them from any other evil threats.

MODERN DAY

To this day Shisa are found everywhere around the islands and are a symbol of Okinanawa life and you can even buy a pair for your own home or workplace. There are also many places where you can make your own out of clay which is very fun. We have our Shisa that we made last year at home guarding our house.

The Shisa is unique to Okinawa but on mainland Japan they are known as Komainu and are found at many Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples and homes of nobility.

Variations are also found in China, known as Fu Dogs and many other parts of East Asia.

WHEN?

The 4 yearly tournament will run from 20 Sep 2019 – 2 Nov 2019

 WHO?

WHERE?

HOW?

The ticket ballots are now live so get in quickly through the official website or through your country’s official supporters groups

THE MASCOTS?

It wouldn’t be a proper Japanese event without official kawaii mascots so introducing Ren-G

When I think of Okinawan cuisine, one food comes to mind above all others….PORK! There is pork everywhere in all cuts and cooked in an abundance of yummy dishes. It is said that Okinawans eat every part of the pig apart from its squeal and I can say from experience this is probably true.

Pork is an essential ingredient for local Okinawans and is included in many home cooked meals due to its richness in vitamin B1 which is said to be highly effective in relieving fatigue. In order to get by in the areas hot climate, pork is an indispensable ingredient in the daily lives of Okinawans, whose dietary habits are believed to be associated with their extraordinary longevity. It’s said to be pork that helps the hardworking Okinawans always feel healthy and full of energy.

As mentioned above, just about every part of the pig is used for food in Okinawa including the face, feet, stomach and even the tongue and ears. Some of the best and local favourite dishes include….. Rafute, a slowly braised pork belly in a mixture of brown sugar, soy sauce and awamori until fork-tender, which is very tasty!  Salted pork belly locally known as suchika. Thin slices of pig’s ear called mimiga and tebichi, or simmered pig’s feet, are some of the most widely enjoyed pork dishes in Okinawa.

Others include, Mirudaru which is sliced pork marinated in black sesame paste, sugar and soy sauce, then steamed, and this is the dish that best represent Ryukyuan palace cuisine. In addition, inamudouchi, which is a type of miso soup with pork and vegetables, or belly soup with pork tripe is prepared for special occasions.

If you want to try something extra special you should go for Aguu, Okinawa’s premium pork. Aguu is a high-grade local breed of pig originally bred from a native pig of the same name that has inhabited the island since the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

These pigs provide a very succulent meat. It is rich in umami and is marbled much like the better known beef of the similar name Wagyu beef. It melts in the mouth and is probably the best thing I ate on my visit to Okinawa.

Six months ago in Tokyo’s Odaiba neighbourhood the full sized Gundam model that had been drawing travellers and fans to the area was dismantled but last Sunday a newer and bigger version was erected to re-ignite fans excitement.

Based on the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (from Gundam Unicorn, the most recent Gundam anime set within the franchise’s original Universal Century timeline), the 1:1-scale replica is 19.7 meters (64.6 feet) tall, 1.7 meters taller than its predecessor statue of the old-school RX-78-2 Gundam.

The Unicorn also feels bigger thanks to the chunkier armour plating on its arms, shoulders, and legs. As mentioned above, the RX-78-2 was designed for the very first Gundam TV series from the late 1970s, which meant it had to be animated entirely by hand and thus needed to keep its lines simple.

Gundam Unicorn, on the other hand, was a lavish production that began in 2010, and having computer graphics as a visual option lets the RX-0 have a much more complex form.

The model features illuminated panels and lights as well as transforming between fight modes at certain intervals throughout the day lighting up the surrounding area.

The Japanese certainly live by the motto ‘go big or go home’