On December 30th, artists attended the rehearsal for the 62nd Kohaku Uta Gassen at the NHK Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Kobayashi Sachiko (58), who'll appear on the Kohaku stage for her 33rd consecutive time, astounded everyone there with her 2.5 ton "lion prop".

When Kobayashi appeared on stage in her gold-colored dress, the stage slowly began to rise and a black cloth drops to unveil a huge red lion.� The length of the lion is said to measure 8 meters and the total weight of the lion is 2.5 tons. According to insiders, the lion prop just barely fit into the elevator. �This is the heaviest prop that Kobayashi has used to date," they said.

The theme of the costuming is �Gokoku Houjou� (good harvest of the five grains), a nod to the land damaged in the Tohoku region from the disasters earlier this year. Interestingly, stalks of rice from Kobayashi�s hometown in Niigata are inlaid in her costume.

Kobayashi voiced her approval when she stated that �Even though I am eaten by the lion, I am happy.�

Source and Image: Sanspo