[Rumour] Arashi is candidated as Host of Kouhaku Uta Gassen this year

Arashi might be picked up to be NHK’s New Year’s Eve music special hosts for the third time, reports Tokyo Sports on September 7.

It has been reported NHK producers are beginning to look for potential hosts for Kohaku Uta Gassen’s red (akagumi) female artist team, and white (shirogumi) male artist team.

“A production team for the show has been finalised, and now they’ve begun discussions about what to do this year.  At this rate, Arashi will probably be asked to be the shirogumi hosts for the third straight year,” said one source from NHK.

Although no one can definitely say this will happen, there is no denying the fact the group attracted TV ratings of over 40% in their past two Kohaku shows.

It has been reported the most likely candidate for the women’s akagumi host this year will be actress Maki Horikita, who has been playing the main character in NHK’s popular drama 梅ちゃん先生 (Ume-chan Sensei).

Arashi New Show @NHK

Arashi get show on NHK

Arashi fans will see their favourite stars meeting people and finding new things in different areas around Japan in their special show on NHK, reports Oricon and Chunichi Sports.

“嵐の明日に架ける旅 (Arashi no Ashita ni Kakeru Tabi)” will be shown on November 23 at 19:30 local time in Japan, and will feature all of the Arashi members going around Japan to find inspiring stories to cheer on the Japanese people getting over from the March 11 disaster.

It has been reported Satoshi Ohno had visited Miyagi prefecture, and met a group of people putting on superhero shows for children in the earthquake disaster zone. Kazunari Ninomiya had visited Wakayama prefecture, and went to a family-run soy sauce factory determined to keep using an almost 200-year-old recipe. Jun Matsumoto had visited a small factory in Saitama prefecture, which creates accessories that have become a must-have for celebrities around the globe. Sho Sakurai had visited Toyama prefecture where he met at woman who made the decision to go home and help her parents on their farm. Masaki Aiba had met a goggle-eyed goby fisherman with a unique way of fishing, and tries it himself.

“Through this show, I learnt about Japanese people, their skills, traditions, and how close they are to one another. I hope everyone can get a sense of how amazing it was,” Ninomiya said.

  

source || official site


Arashi travels around Japan for NHK’s special program

 

Arashi have donned their traveling gear once again for a special NHK program called “Arashi no Asu ni Kakeru Tabi“. It’s a special documentary that seeks to rediscover the will and strength of the Japanese people. Consequently, the members travel all over the nation, interviewing outstanding individuals who possess great potential in shepherding Japan’s future.

Ninomiya Kazunari visits a soy sauce brewery in Yuasa-cho, Wakayama, which has more than 170 years of history. He commented, “We were able to learn about the numerous people, skills, traditions, and ties in Japan. We would like everyone to feel how wonderful it was.”

Leader Ohno Satoshi introduces “Eager”, the local hero of Onagawa town in Miyagi prefecture. He also meets the people from Onagawa’s Commerce and Industry section, who continues to hold hero shows for local kids even after the Tohoku earthquake.

Matsumoto Jun visits a small factory in Kawaguchi-city, Saitama, which makes bags and small articles that are loved by stars all over the world. He investigates the background behind these beloved items.

As for Sakurai Sho, he flies to Toyama-city, Toyama, where he meets a 25-year-old lady who chose to work for her parents’ farm. It’s an unusual decision for modern times, and so he seeks to discover her reason to farm.

Finally, Aiba Masaki visits Kashima-city, Saga, where he partakes in “Mutsukake fishing”, which is a unique way to fish the mudskippers in the Ariake Sea. He tackles the challenge of tideland fishing, and encounters a young man who’s apparently the first successor in 30 years for this old fishing tradition.

“Arashi no Asu ni Kakeru Tabi” will air on November 23rd at 7:30 PM JST.

source || official site

Arashi & Inoue Mao become the hosts for NHK’s ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen’ 2011

It’s been announced that Inoue Mao and Arashi have been chosen to become the hosts for NHK’s annual New Year’s Eve music show, “The 62nd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen“!

This is the second consecutive year for Arashi to participate in Kohaku as the host for ‘Shirogumi‘ (the team with male artists or group with male vocals). Last year, Shirogumi won the Kohaku, and its leader, Ohno Satoshi, proudly collected the championship flag. Ohno mused, “I would like to grab the flag again.”

On the other hand, this is the first time for Inoue Mao to be chosen as a Kohaku host. She will be doing so on behalf of ‘Akagumi‘ (the team with female artists or group with female vocals).  Inoue expressed her eagerness to grab the flag by saying, “Akagumi has had six consecutive  defeats, so I want to win this year.”

The theme of Kohaku for this year is “Ashita wo Utaou” (“Let’s sing for tomorrow”), which aims to conclude the year of 2011 brightly through the power of song. Many anxieties rocked Japan this year due to the Tohoku earthquake and devastating typhoon, and so the event hopes to start 2012 with good cheer. 

Sakurai Sho said, “When we first participated in Kohaku as a performer, which was in 2009, the theme of the year was ‘Uta no Chikara∞Mugendai (“The power of songs ∞ infinity”).’  This year, I would like to help the artists’ ‘power of songs’ as the host.”

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