As a kid, most of my New Year’s Eve memories involved having dinner (hot pot) at my grandparents home with the extended family and close friends. After dinner, the adults would drink tea (or sake) and sit around the table while talking. In the background, the TV would be blaring TV from NHK Japan: Kōhaku Uta Gassen or the Red White Song Battle (or Song Contest or Song Festival).
My family is from Taiwan, but due to the history of Japanese colonization there, my grandparents and parents learned to speak (and read/write) Japanese. So my personal New Year’s memories are a mix of Taiwanese and Japanese… with the Japanese coming from Kōhaku.
According to Wikipedia:
Kōhaku Uta Gassen, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on the New Year’s Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK’s networks and some overseas (mainly cable) broadcasters which bought the program. The show ends shortly before midnight (when NHK switches to a frenzy of “Happy New Year” greetings from around the nation).
Literally “Red and White Song Battle,” 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). The honor of performing on Kōhaku is strictly by invitation, so only the most successful J-Pop artists and enka singers can perform. In addition to the actual music performances, the costumes, hair-styles, makeup, dancing, and lighting are also important. Even today, a performance on Kōhaku is said to be a big highlight in a singer’s career because of the show’s large reach.
While I don’t keep up with J-pop or really anything Japanese for most of the year, I always like to turn on the TV and have some Red White Song battling on to make it feel like New Year’s Eve with my family. And on the final night of 2007, I am happy to be staying in J-Town in SF with Kōhaku on the TV while waiting to meet some good friends from 8Asians for dinner.
May you ring in the New Year happily and safely!
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John wrote:
Hey, why wasn’t I invited to the dinner?!
Have a Happy New Year!
Posted on 31-Dec-07 at 7:45 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
John, I thought you were still in Tahoe! Sorry!
It turned out that Ernie didn’t make it to dinner as his calendar was already booked.
Posted on 31-Dec-07 at 11:37 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Yay! It was so good to see you, Joz! Too bad Ernie couldn’t join us….
Posted on 01-Jan-08 at 12:17 am | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
Sorry I wasn’t able to make it, Joz.
I suck and owe you endless amounts of chicken and waffles.
Posted on 01-Jan-08 at 4:29 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
Chicken and waffles, Ernie? Where do you get that here in the Bay? I went to the one in Jack London Square in Oakland and was less than impressed…grrr…
Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 10:50 am | Permalink
Gary wrote:
I grew up with Kohaku as a kid growing up in Hawaii in a mixed Japanese/Filipino family in the 60’s. The Kohaku was part of New Years or shogatsu across many ethnic groups in Hawaii. I find it fascinating how the show has evolved to continue to cover traditional Japanese enka singing and Jpop. All over Hawaii, at New Years open-house all afternoon and evening meals/gatherings, the TV is still tuned to the Kohaku, where the oldest generation watches every minute, the middle generation like me watches part and also watches the youngest generations(yes plural) playing wii, ocassionally trying my hand at guitar hero on ”easy”. The Kohaku is incredibly entertaining and brings me back to my childhood and similar multigenerational gatherings on New Years watching the Red and White Song Contest.
Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 6:40 pm | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
Efren - there used to be a Rosco’s in Jack London Square. Now I go to the one in SoCal whenever I need my chicken and waffle fix. Mmm, soul food!
Posted on 03-Jan-08 at 9:25 pm | Permalink
Anita wrote:
Dammit… I just posted a comment but it disappeared. I also grew up watching this every New Year’s Eve with my grandparents. We are also Taiwanese. I loved it. My grandparents always taped it but I was the only one who would actually go back and watch them.
Posted on 04-Jan-08 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
Jason wrote:
I love how you have a blog set up here with anonymous postings.
Posted on 16-Jul-08 at 7:03 am | Permalink