The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 875 Kimono, Fireworks, Masami Nagasawa
Tokyo Dome, nicknamed for its egg-shaped roof, is officially named Bunkyo Ward Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. It is a large stadium with 55000 seats.

As the home stadium of the Yomiuri Giants in Japanese professional baseball, it also hosts basketball and American football games, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, K-1 events, and music performances outside of games, making it one of the most famous concert venues in Japan.

In the Japanese pop music industry, there is a long-standing tradition of a superstar evaluation called the "Five Dome Tours"—

Tokyo Dome, Fukuoka Dome, Osaka Dome, Nagoya Dome, Sapporo Dome.

Whether it's a foreign singer or a Japanese singer, if you want to know if their popularity in Japan far surpasses that of top-tier superstars, just see if they can hold concerts at these five Tokyo Domes.

Yes, that's undeniable.

For example, Jay Chou's two "Unparalleled" concerts in Tokyo next year, despite Sony's enthusiastic promotion, are essentially just exploiting an information gap.

Because his concert venue in Japan next year is the Tokyo International Forum, which can only accommodate a minimum of 1500 seats and a maximum of 3000 seats.

The Nippon Budokan concert, touted by celebrity fans led by Faye Wong, actually only had a little over 14,000 seats available, a far cry from the capacity of Japan's five major domes.

Among the five domes, even the smallest one, Nagoya Dome, can accommodate up to 40500 people for concerts.

Among the current fan base of top Japanese singers, Utada Hikaru, who is at the peak of her career, has been repeatedly criticized and ridiculed by fans of Namie Amuro, Ayumi Hamasaki, and others simply because she has never held a concert at any dome.

Namie Amuro's record of performing at the Tokyo Dome at the age of 19 remains unbroken to this day.

Therefore, the most common ways Utada Hikaru's fans try to save face in fan wars are either that their idol isn't a stage performer and that her records are more appealing than her tours; or that she prefers a low-key, homebody lifestyle...

"What do you mean by a low-key homebody? It's more accurate to say that her heart is in America. She's just an American whose singing skills aren't good enough to support a concert at the Taipei Arena."

Masami Nagasawa was dismissive of this.

Hikaru Utada is considered to have reached her peak immediately upon debut in Japan.

After setting miraculous record sales records, the final peak was reserved for the Hikari Battle.

After the "Light Step Battle," her actions such as her whirlwind marriage and spending her money in Japan on the US caused her to lose fans and drew criticism from many people in the industry.

The pressure of performing at the Tokyo Dome is immense, especially for a singer like Utada Hikaru whose live singing ability is inconsistent; it's like a truth serum. Therefore, as long as she doesn't perform at the Tokyo Dome, she'll never have a disastrous performance.

Ayumi Hamasaki doesn't like such a large venue either, but at least she knows to hold an event to give fans the confidence to go out and argue.

"Let me tell you, the reason she didn't achieve the same success in the US as you, besides the quality of the songs themselves, is mainly because she made too many mistakes when performing live, and couldn't establish herself in live houses and make a name for herself."

While drinking sake, Masami Nagasawa revealed gossip circulating in the industry to the man in front of her.

This year, thanks to her roles in films and television dramas such as "Godzilla: Final Wars," "Dragon Zakura," and "Touch," she became a household name and officially donned the crown of "Toho Princess"—no longer a little princess, but a sweet and healing goddess coveted by countless men across Japan.

The phrase "North of the equator, Masami Nagasawa" originated in Japan.

Her 168cm height creates the illusion of long legs, and her naturally beautiful face, though flawed, has a sweet and healing smile that drives Japanese fans crazy.

This year, Masami Nagasawa has officially entered her long-term popularity period in Japan. Yui Aragaki, who will surpass her in popularity in Japan in the future, is currently playing a supporting role to her in "Dragon Zakura".

Of course, thanks to the I Ching, these two young people who met beforehand and went to China together to work and shoot music videos still have a very good relationship.

"You don't like her?"

Zhou Yi, who wasn't particularly fond of sake and treated it as just a beverage, was eating what was called yakitori when he listened to the woman in front of him, who had returned to Tokyo from Osaka after participating in a promotional event, chatter on and on. Curious, he asked her something.

"It's alright, I just don't have a strong cold."

Masami Nagasawa put down her small jade cup, her fingers interlaced and resting on her chin. Her legs swayed slightly under the table, and her small feet, encased in white socks, occasionally poked the man's calves. She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone: "After all, she was once your rival in Japan, wasn't she?"

"I'm really touched."

"All you do is talk the talk, you never give me a guest spot at your concert." The woman grumbled and kicked her legs, clearly dissatisfied.

"You can't sing, so how can I give you a guest spot?" Zhou Yi teased her, fiddling with the bamboo sticks.

"Who says I can't sing? I just focus on film and television dramas, okay? I still have to sing at Toho's events."

Masami Nagasawa panicked, feeling that this man might be looking down on her: "You know about the Kohaku Uta Gassen in Japan, right? I'm going to be attending as a judge at the end of this year."

"real or fake?"

Zhou Yi glanced sideways; he really didn't know that.

The NHK Red and White Song Battle is nicknamed the Japanese version of the Spring Festival Gala.

But his knowledge of this thing is limited to some anecdotes and gossip. Masami Nagasawa was able to get a seat on the judging panel this year.

I'd be more suited to be an emcee.

"...very likely."

Faced with the man's surprise, Masami Nagasawa's previously confident voice suddenly became weak.

Admittedly, Toho is a leading company in the Japanese entertainment industry and can be considered the hegemon of the Japanese film industry. However, whether it will ultimately succeed depends on the outcome of her management team's negotiations with NHK, since Toho is not the kind of company that would bet everything on her.

"So this is just a way to get on stage at your concert and boost my own fame?"

Masami Nagasawa is also quite straightforward, openly admitting that she's just here to ride the coattails of the trend.

Although the Kohaku Uta Gassen still holds a significant position in Japan, its viewership has been declining for seven consecutive years, with last year's 55th Kohaku Uta Gassen setting a record low in viewership.

Therefore, in an effort to salvage its viewership ratings, NHK has tried every possible method this year.

This includes, but is not limited to, conducting a questionnaire survey among viewers on the topic of "Songs You Want to Hear at the Kouhaku Uta Gassen";

The plan is to invite Bunta Mino, the top host in the private television station industry, to host the entire event.

The restrictions will be lifted, and a large number of actors and idols who are very popular in the film and television industry will be invited, such as Yukie Nakama, who became very popular because of the "Gokusen" series, to serve as the second host, and so on.

"Actually, I would prefer to be a host, but my agent said that the chances are slim, and I can only try to be a judge."

At this point, Masami Nagasawa pouted, her lips unconsciously turning down: "Compared to other music programs, even artists without hosting experience may be selected as hosts for the Kohaku Uta Gassen."

"Because the live broadcast process in the script of the Red and White Song Battle is very detailed, the host does not need to improvise too much. Relatively speaking, the host of the Red and White Song Battle is more like a performer."

"Most importantly, the host can perform as an opening singer."

She desperately wanted to take Yukie Nakama's place.

This woman's popularity is her biggest rival in her current career.

Born in 1979 and officially debuted in 1995, he is considered her senior, although he works in the Japanese drama industry.

In 2002, the drama "Gokusen" starring her was broadcast, making Yukie Nakama a household name. This year, a sequel was broadcast, further boosting her popularity. As a result, rumors that NHK wanted to invite her to be the second host have intensified.

Last year's Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) had record low ratings, so it's not shameful to bring in popular actors to fill the gap.

If Zhou Yi remembers correctly, Yukie Nakama won the Best Actress award at the Japanese Drama Academy Awards twice for her roles in both parts of the "Gokusen" series. This year, "Gokusen 2" even achieved a peak viewership rating of 32.5%, a figure that would leave anyone breathless. Meanwhile, her junior, Masami Nagasawa, has emerged as a dark horse, winning numerous newcomer awards in the film industry and taking home three Best Supporting Actress awards.

Although Toho's management played a role, his talent was also a gift from God.

"Are you sure my last concert was enough to help you turn the tables?"

Zhou Yi laughed. He himself had no idea that his concert could have such a huge impact. Wasn't that pure nonsense?

"Let's give it a try. If I lose, I lose. At least I tried my best." Masami Nagasawa was full of enthusiasm.

Born in 1987, she just turned 18 this year, and her future is promising!

If it weren't for the string of scandals last year and this year that fueled her ambition, she wouldn't have even considered a judge position on the Kohaku Uta Gassen, let alone competing for a host position.

"...Actually, it's not that there's absolutely no chance."

"?"

"Didn't you say that NHK is conducting a survey this year titled 'Songs You Want to Hear on the Kouhaku Uta Gassen'? If you release a hit single, you might be able to use this survey as a way to indirectly become a host and perform."

Zhou Yi stroked his chin for a while before speaking.

Of all the anecdotes and gossip he knew about the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), this so-called "Songs You Want to Hear on Kohaku" survey only appeared once, in 2005.

The reason is simple: surveys simply can't withstand the frenzy of fandoms.

Fans of popular actors from various TV dramas and idol groups were surprised to see such a good thing.

We absolutely have to get our older brother/sister on the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) to show their face!

As a result, people started calling on their friends and forming cliques, which directly led to NHK receiving a large number of organized polls, with votes for everyone, causing the official organization a lot of trouble.

Therefore, the survey "Songs You Most Want to Hear" was immediately stopped and abolished after the 05 Red and White Song Festival.

It was truly a fleeting moment.

If Masami Nagasawa wants to advance her career as a host this year, releasing a hit song and then using this survey to overtake Yukie Nakama is a viable strategy.

After all, it's only October now.

"It's not that simple. The Red and White Song Battle starts on December 31st."

Masami Nagasawa was disheartened: "My manager has assessed it. After all, it's not that easy for a song to become a hit. Even if I, who am very popular now, sing it, it's not guaranteed to be a huge hit. It also takes time to spread."

While it's true that you can ask someone to write a song, songwriting isn't something that happens immediately just because you ask.

If Toho had foreseen Masami Nagasawa's current explosive popularity and knew the new survey content for the Kohaku Uta Gassen at the beginning of the year, they would have been actively seeking out songwriters, with plenty of time to do so.

now--

Given the tight timeframe, no songwriter in the Japanese music scene could confidently guarantee that they could create a song that met the requirements, so they naturally found various reasons to refuse or delay.

"The company's current idea is for me to cover one of your songs and use your concert platform to expand our influence, to see if we can turn things around."

There is no doubt that Zhou Yi's concert will attract a lot of attention.

Legendary Phoenix, Rock Saint, Asian Music Emperor, and the world's number one pop musician—each of these titles is incredibly prestigious and earned through hard work, with countless others serving as stepping stones for him.

Not to mention that these two concerts at the Tokyo Dome will be his first concerts in Japan, and it is foreseeable that they will dominate the headlines of all entertainment media.

Zhou Yi shook his head: "A cover version is impossible."

Even if it's just a cover of his songs.

"Have you been working a lot lately?" Zhou Yi asked after a moment's thought, chewing on a chicken cartilage.

"It can be adjusted, why?"

“Then you can come to Warner to record a new song, and then try it out using my concert as a platform.”

—?!

Masami Nagasawa paused, her hand holding the bamboo skewer, her eyes filled with surprise. Then, she said, both touched and amused, "Are you sure? Time is running out, and while your Japanese is fine for everyday conversation, can you really write songs?"
"It would be completely unnecessary for this to become a stain on your career."

If it weren't for Zhou Yi's sake, she would have listened to the company's invitation to sing a song long ago.

The two concerts at Tokyo Dome drew a total of over 100,000 attendees.

If the new song is of high quality and becomes popular, it's guaranteed to attract at least 100,000 listeners on music show platforms. This would definitely be the highest-attended music show performance in Japanese history.

However, she was unwilling to see any flaws in Zhou Yi's invincible record, so she ignored her agent.

Even though she had heard during her previous trip to China that Zhou Yi could write songs very quickly.

"I'll speak and write at the same time. You can watch and correct me if there are any mistakes. Just translate the correct usage, and that's fine."

Zhou Yi smiled and raised his glass to her, clinking glasses: "As for whether it's a stain or not, it's not that serious."

Ask anyone in the martial arts world, who doesn't know that I, Zhou Yi, am a man of unwavering loyalty and exceptionally good to my friends!
Fan Bingbing was winning big in China, especially after the release of "The Myth." She truly had the confidence of an international superstar because the film's copyright, thanks to Jackie Chan's name, was highly sought after all over the world.

"But you don't understand Japanese culture, so you basically have no material to write about in a short time. What kind of content can you write about?"

"Hmm... Memories of summer? Generally speaking, it's fastest to write about your own experiences."

Masami Nagasawa was taken aback: "Summer?"

"Ah, the seaside, fireworks, kimonos."

Zhou Yi raised his head slightly, lost in memories: "Of course, there's you too."

Masami Nagasawa blinked, her mind instantly pulled back to that summer by the man's words—

On the way to the Naha Fireworks Festival, she violated traffic rules by placing her long legs on the passenger seat, her toes covered in burgundy nail polish, playfully twitching; the wind blew through her hair, and the fireworks blooming in the sky forever etched the memories of that summer into her mind.

"As for the song title, please add a flower symbol—"

Masami Nagasawa's sudden move caught Zhou Yi off guard.

"Although I was very touched that you still remembered, I thought you were too forgetful. However, it's still not necessary."

Zhou Yi is already very busy, so she shouldn't add to her burden.

As she bent down, the man's breath, so close to her face, was clearly felt on her cheek. When their eyes met, she reached out and pinched his cheek, tilting her head and smiling, "Arigato, Legend."

(End of this chapter)