Hiroji Miyamoto and Kazunari Ninomiya Open NHK Summer Music Special with 'Konsho no Tsuki no You ni' Duet

On Saturday, August 15, 2026, Hiroji Miyamoto of Elephant Kashimashi and actor Kazunari Ninomiya opened Part 3 of NHK’s summer special “NHK Summer Music Festival: Uta de Aetara 2026” (Uta de Aetara) with a duet on the band’s signature ballad “Konsho no Tsuki no You ni” (“Like Tonight’s Moon”). The performance — billed as one of the night’s headline collaborations — launched the final hour of a four-hour broadcast from NHK Hall in Tokyo on NHK General TV and BSP4K.

Editor’s note: This article draws on NHK program materials, post-broadcast coverage from Oricon News, Sponichi Annex, and Model Press, and Ninomiya’s social posts during the August 15, 2026 broadcast.

A one-night-only pairing for Part 3

Uta de Aetara (“If We Meet Through Song”) is NHK’s large-scale summer music special, positioned as a seasonal counterpart to the year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen song festival. The 2026 edition featured 34 acts performing 44 songs drawn from 21,746 viewer requests, with three broadcast segments beginning at 6:05 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. JST.

Miyamoto and Ninomiya were assigned the top slot in Part 3 — the 9:00 p.m. hour that closed the night. Ninomiya served as one of three co-hosts alongside actress Keiko Kitagawa and Mrs. GREEN APPLE frontman Genki Omori, but for this number he stepped from the microphone desk onto the stage as a singer.

Detail	Information
Song	“Konsho no Tsuki no You ni” (Elephant Kashimashi, 1994)
Performers	Hiroji Miyamoto × Kazunari Ninomiya
Segment	Part 3 opener (~9:00 p.m. JST)
Venue	NHK Hall, Tokyo

The pairing paired one of Japan’s most enduring rock vocalists with an actor who built his fame in Arashi and on screen — a cross-generational blend that fit the show’s brief of linking Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras through familiar melodies during the Obon holiday week.

The performance: facing each other across a classic

“Konsho no Tsuki no You ni” is among Elephant Kashimashi’s best-known songs — a tender, soaring ballad that has anchored the Kyoto-born trio’s live sets for more than three decades. Miyamoto, 61, has led the band since its 1984 formation and remains one of Japanese rock’s most distinctive voices.

On August 15, Miyamoto opened the vocal line and Ninomiya joined on the refrain “itsu made mo tsuzuku no ka…” (“will it go on forever…”), stretching the melody with a clear, unhurried tone. Coverage from the hall described the two facing each other at points during the song, trading phrases while the audience listened in near silence.

When the final note landed, Miyamoto draped an arm over Ninomiya’s shoulder. “Kakkoii ze! Ninomiya-san!” (“You were cool, Ninomiya!”), Miyamoto told him on stage — a moment that quickly circulated on social channels alongside clips of the duet itself.

Ninomiya, 43, told the hall afterward that he wanted to sing “many more songs” and reflected on how rare the opportunity felt. In comments reported after the performance, he wondered aloud how many years had passed since he last sang on television — and how long since he had stood on the NHK Hall stage as a vocalist rather than a host.

Ninomiya’s return to the spotlight as a singer

For viewers who know Ninomiya primarily through dramas, variety hosting, and his Arashi years, the August 15 appearance carried extra weight. He co-hosted NHK’s MUSIC GIFT special in 2025, but singing a full number on a prime-time music festival — opposite Miyamoto, no less — was a different proposition.

After the broadcast, Ninomiya updated X with a message of thanks to the production staff and to Miyamoto for sharing the stage. He used emotive phrasing — crying, bowing, teary-eyed emoji — that matched the tone fans described in replies: “saisukatta” (“this was the best”), “torihada” (“goosebumps”), and pleas for him to sing more often on television.

The post underscored how seldom Ninomiya performs as a vocalist in the current phase of his career, and how strongly the duet resonated with audiences who remember his chart runs with Arashi in the 2000s and 2010s.

Miyamoto and Elephant Kashimashi in context

Elephant Kashimashi — often shortened to “Elecashi” — has spent more than 40 years at the center of Japanese rock, with Miyamoto’s raw, emotional delivery as its defining feature. “Konsho no Tsuki no You ni” sits alongside staples such as “Soredemo Shinjitsu” and “Boku no Aisuru Kimi e” in the band’s canon.

Inviting a non-musician host to share one of those flagship songs on NHK’s biggest summer music night was a statement of trust in Ninomiya’s voice and stage presence. For Miyamoto, the collaboration also placed a younger-generation star inside a song that has soundtracked weddings, farewells, and summer evenings for millions of Japanese listeners since its 1994 release.

Part 3 continued after the duet with performances from Hiromi Go, Yoko Minamino, =LOVE, Motoki Omori (solo), M!LK, Masashi Sada, LUNA SEA, Masaharu Fukuyama, Aimyon, and Kururi, among others — but Miyamoto and Ninomiya’s opener set the emotional temperature for the closing hour.

Where to catch the broadcast afterward

NHK said the full Uta de Aetara 2026 broadcast would be available for one week on catch-up via NHK ONE following the initial August 15 airing.

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Discussion

A rock veteran and a drama idol sharing one microphone on Obon night is the kind of television moment Japan’s summer music specials were built for.

1. Should more music festivals pair hosts with legacy artists on signature songs — or does that risk overshadowing the performers who built those catalogs?

Ninomiya’s duet with Miyamoto was promoted as a centerpiece collaboration. Does casting a beloved actor as co-vocalist elevate the song for new viewers, or dilute what fans expect from the original artist?

2. How much appetite is there for Ninomiya — and other Arashi members — to sing on television again?

His post-broadcast message suggested the appearance was emotionally significant and historically rare. Is occasional guest vocals enough, or do fans want a more sustained return to music-focused work?

If you caught Part 3 on August 15 — did the duet land as nostalgia, surprise, or both?

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