What made Takeuchi Mariya decide on making her first Kouhaku Uta Gassen appearance

When NHK announced that Takeuchi Mariya (64) would be appearing on 70th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen, there was a lot of people surprised.

NHK has reached out to Takeuchi to appear on Kouhaku Uta Gassen numerous times, but each time she has refused.

Takeuchi who is celebrating her 40th anniversary of her debut will be performing “Inochi no Uta” (Song of Life) which was used in the TV drama series “Dandan” (2008-2009).

As for what made Takeuchi reconsider, earlier this March, she worked with NHK on the special “Takeuchi Mariya Music & Life ~40-nen o Meguri Tabi~”  (Takeuchi Mariya Music & Life ~ A Journey of 40 Years” and built a trusted relationship with the program staff, which led her to participate in this year’s “Kouhaku Uta Gassen”.

Takeuchi on a live broadcast is a rarity, so this is a wonderful opportunity to watch Takeuchi Mariya perform live.

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