Life in Japan slows down considerably during the new year period ¡ª ¨³¾¾±²õ´Ç°ì²¹, on Dec. 31, and ´Ç²õ³ó¨²µ²¹³Ù²õ³Ü, specifically Jan. 1, 2 and 3. So how do you fill this string of holidays? Why not stay in and watch some TV ... it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve had too much of that over the past two years.
What sets this weekend apart from the rest of the year, though, is that you don¡¯t need to binge a stream of videos on YouTube or catch up on all those Netflix shows you¡¯ve been putting off for some quality entertainment. Japanese broadcast television¡¯s slate of new year programming features star-studded blowouts that offer the perfect drip, drip, drip of moderately entertaining content to pass the time until 2022.
The most celebrated New Year¡¯s Eve option remains NHK¡¯s ¡°Kohaku Uta Gassen¡± (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.), a music extravaganza that provides a snapshot of the year in music via a string of live performances. While not the ratings powerhouse it was in the past (many a Japanese grandmother will have the show on in the background during dinner), it¡¯s still an incredibly popular way to count down the clock to midnight.
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