The Kohaku Uta Gassen, broadcast on NHK every December 31, is the most famous music event in Japan.
What is the Kohaku Uta Gassen?
The Kohaku Uta Gassen is an event in which the most popular singers of the year are selected and divided into red and white groups to compete in songs and performances.
The singers are selected by NHK executives and judged by a panel of judges (who are not music experts), spectators (who are chosen by lottery and are free of charge), and TV viewers (who vote online).
The main venue is NHK Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, from which the event is broadcast live.
In the days not so long ago, it was a phenomenal program watched by most of the Japanese people.
Recently, however, it has lost its old popularity due to obsolescence, multi-channeling, and competition from the Internet.
Also, the fact that the red group is limited to women and the white group is limited to men has been called into question as being prehistoric in today’s genderless society, but it seems that traditions are hard to change.
Nevertheless, at the end of each year, the announcement of the performers for this year’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen” and the names of the songs to be performed are widely reported and become the topic of conversation.
There is a way to watch the Kohaku Uta Gassen overseas.
How to watch the Kohaku Uta Gassen overseas
The Kohaku Uta Gassen is streamed online on “NHK Plus,” but access is blocked due to regional restrictions, making it impossible to watch from overseas.
However, there is a solution.
You can use a “VPN” to view the broadcasts.
VPN is a function that allows access to a virtual private line. It is possible to access sites and use services from overseas using a Japanese IP, etc. For more information about VPNs, please see our separate post on the subject.
In other words, by using a VPN, it is possible to connect to a pseudo Japanese IP address from overseas and make it look like you are connecting from Japan.
- Register with a VPN service
- Accessing videos that cannot be viewed by connecting to Japan from a VPN service
Then you can access “NHK Plus” and watch Kohaku Uta Gassen via the Internet (on your PC or smartphone).
There are various VPN services available, but we recommend ‘NordVPN‘.
👉official website【NordVPN】
NordVPN is one of the most well-known and reliable VPN services.
There is almost nothing you can’t see with NordVPN.
NordVPN is easy to use and intuitive, so even beginners can use this VPN service with confidence.
The service is supported by a money-back guarantee and can be used virtually free for one month, so give it a try.
A VPN is required to use Japanese websites, TV, and video viewing services overseas. NordVPN is easy to use and cost-effective! 30 days money back guarantee.
^^ Access Japanese content safely and reliably! ^^
The registration procedure is generally as follows.
- Click the “Sign Up” button.
- Select “Plan
- Enter your name and e-mail address, and select a payment method.
- You will receive a registration completion email from the VPN service.
- Download and install the program file.
This completes the steps from registration to downloading.
(I think the procedure is the same for any VPN service)
Then, when you want to watch Japanese videos, start the VPN and select the overseas server “Japan” to connect.
With the connection established, open “NHK Plus” and if you see the content on the site, you are good to go.
If you are still unable to view the site by following the above instructions, please try “changing the server” or “refreshing the page”.
The Kohaku Uta Gassen will start at around 19:20 Japan time on December 31.
If you access the “NHK Plus” site on that day, you will be able to watch the Kohaku Uta Gassen immediately.
You can find it under #NHK Kohaku (hashtag NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen).
On December 31 this year, please use the VPN service and watch the “Kohaku Uta Gassen” on “NHK Plus”.
And let us know what you think of Kohaku Uta Gassen, the most famous music program in Japan.
