Special Stages
With the theme of the show and the events that shaped it, some special segments between the performances were shown. Here are some brief summaries
Children are the hope of the future, and that is no exception at the 62nd Kohaku! Through some cute and energetic performances, children are given the courage to keep dreaming and look forward to a new tomorrow. Young breakout stars Mana Ashida and Fuku Suzuki perform their hit song "Maru Maru Mori Mori!" with a group of young children from the Tohoku area before being joined by Arashi, Mao Inoue, Disney characters and other Kohaku artists in a two-song Disney mini-medley of "When You Wish Upon A Star" and "It's A Small World"
Red team leader Mao Inoue visited several families in Miyagi prefecture (one of the hardest-hit areas following the quake) and interacted with the very young children who were born on the day of the disaster. In an emotional performance to end the first half of the 62nd Kohaku, pop/enka artist Rimi Natsukawa from the red team and opera singer Masafumi Akikawa from the white team perform a moving duet called "Asu to Iu Hi ga" ("The Day Of Tomorrow"), as images of Mao's experiences were projected in the background
A graduation ceremony was taking place at a junior high school in Fukushima prefecture when the earthquake struck. Not only was the school destroyed, but the piano that was used in the graduation ceremony was as well. It took over 6 months to repair and restore it back to the way it was. Arashi member Sho Sakurai plays the restored instrument as the rest of the group sings an original song written for Kohaku called "Furusato" ("Home"), people from across Japan (by satellite) and artists from both teams joining in
Since the Tohoku earthquake, the outpouring of support from the rest of the world was incredible. Japanese communities in many countries held fundraisers and national governments pledged substantial funds to aid the relief effort and rebuilding. In this special segment, Chinese martial arts expert/actor Jackie Chan gives the Japanese people a message of support, and American pop superstar Lady Gaga performs two of her songs in a special taped performance from New York