OVSC8

## Voting

### System

Each country awards a set of 1 - 7 points, followed by 8, 10 and 12 points for their top 3 favourite songs

### Winner

 New Zealand
 "Ruin" by So Below

After their win in Stockholm, Japan's capital Tokyo hosted the 8th OrbisVision Song Contest, bringing the contest to Asia for the first time.

44 countries have confirmed their participation.

The contest consisted of 3 shows, two semi-finals and a Grand Final.

New Zealand was the winner of this edition with the song "Ruin" by So Below. They became the first country in Oceania to win the contest.

## Location

### Host city

**Tokyo** (東京 *Tōkyō*) is the enormous and wealthy capital of Japan, and also its main city, overflowing with culture, commerce, and most of all, people.

As the most populated urban area in the world, Tokyo is a fascinating and dynamic metropolis that mixes foreign influences, consumer culture and global business along with remnants of the capital of old Japan.

From modern electronics and gleaming skyscrapers to cherry blossoms and the Imperial Palace, this city represents the entire sweep of Japanese history and culture. Tokyo truly has something for every traveller.

Over 500 years old, the city of Tokyo was once the modest fishing village of **Edo** (江戸 - literally *Gate of the River*) due to its location at the mouth of the Sumida river. The city only truly began to grow when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, who decided to set up a new seat of power far away from the intrigues of the imperial court in Kyoto.

After the Meiji restoration in 1868, during which the Tokugawa family lost its influence, the emperor and the imperial family moved here from Kyoto, and the city was renamed to its current name, Tokyo, literally the "Eastern Capital".

The metropolitan center of the country, Tokyo is the destination for business, education, modern culture, and government. (That's not to say that rivals such as Osaka won't dispute those claims.)

Tokyo is **vast**: it's best thought of not as a single city, but a constellation of cities that have grown together.

    Tokyo's districts vary wildly by character, from the electronic blare of Akihabara to the Imperial gardens and shrines of Chiyoda, from the hyperactive youth culture hub of Shibuya to the pottery shops and temple markets of Asakusa.

If you don't like what you see, hop on the train and head to the next station, and you will find something entirely different.

The sheer size and frenetic pace of Tokyo can intimidate the first-time visitor. Much of the city is a jungle of concrete and wires, with a mass of neon and blaring loudspeakers.

At rush hour, crowds jostle in packed trains and masses of humanity sweep through enormous and bewilderingly complex stations.

Don't get too hung up on ticking tourist sights off your list: for most visitors, the biggest part of the Tokyo experience is just wandering around at random and absorbing the vibe, poking your head into shops selling weird and wonderful things, sampling restaurants where you can't recognize a single thing on the menu (or on your plate), and finding unexpected oases of calm in the tranquil grounds of a neighbourhood Shinto shrine.

It's all perfectly safe, and the locals will go to sometimes extraordinary lengths to help you if you just ask.

### Venue

After Japan's victory in Stockholm, the NHK confirmed the capital Tokyo will host the 8th edition with the Nippon Budokan becoming the host venue of the contest.

Opened on 3rd October 1964 and built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition at the first Tokyo Olympics that same year, this prestigious venue gained fame for becoming a world-famous music venue despite its status as a martial arts venue. Music stars from Japan and abroad such as Blur, Bryan Adams, Perfume, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Deep Purple, Duran Duran, Taylor Swift, Hikaru Utada, Scandal, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Morning Musume, LiSA, Da-ICE, Hatsune Miku and more performed here.

Popular seiyuus (voice actors/actresses) who also have singing careers performed here such as Mamoru Miyano, Inori Minase, Nana Mizuki, Shouta Aoi, Aya Uchida, Maaya Uchida, Tatsuhisa Suzuki (as part of his band OLDCODEX) and Suzuko Mimori performed here.

Various K-Pop acts have been to the Budokan as well such as TVXQ, 2PM, Lee Seung-gi, T-ara, Super Junior, Junho from 2PM, iKon, Taemin and BLACKPINK.

The Budokan once again had the chance to be an Olympic and also Paralympic venue when Tokyo hosted the delayed 2020 Games, which was only the city's second time hosting the Games.

For the Olympics, it hosted both judo and the debut of karate. It also hosted Paralympic judo events during the Paralympic Games.

## Participating countries

### Semi-final 1

Japan, Brazil and North Korea will vote in this semi-final. Qualifiers are marked in blue.

### Semi-final 2

Israel, Mexico and the United States will vote in this semi-final. Qualifiers are marked in blue.