what is Kōhaku Uta Gassen?
Kōhaku Uta Gassen (ﾂ紅窶昶?吮?ｰﾃ個坂?｡ﾂ静ｭ, Kōhaku Uta Gassen?), more commonly known as simply "Kōhaku," is an annual music show televised by NHK on New Year's Eve in Japan, ending 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 (ﾂ静披?枠, ﾂ紅窶枠, akagumi?) is composed of all female artists (or groups with female vocals), while the "white" team or shirogumi (窶昶?吮?枠, 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, hairdos, makeup, dancing, and lighting are also important.
Notable J-Pop acts on Kōhaku
Here is a list of some notable J-Pop/J-Rock acts who have performed on Kōhaku in recent years:
* Ayumi Hamasaki
* Chemistry
* Da Pump
* Dreams Come True
* Every Little Thing
* Gackt
* globe
* Ken Hirai
* L'Arc-en-Ciel
* m-flo
* Mika Nakashima
* Morning Musume
* Namie Amuro
* SMAP
* T.M. Revolution
* TOKIO
* Aya Ueto
* w-inds.
* Yuna Ito
From Wikipedia