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Japan's Olympic Artistic Swim Team Practices to Hatsune Miku Song
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Hatsune Miku is heading to larger and larger stages with an act planned at this year's Coachella festival and at least one song planned for the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
Japanese Olympic artistic swimming coach Masayo Imura practiced with her national team, including ace member Yukiko Inui in Tokyo on January 9. Imura and Inui performed a duet to the song to a version of the folk song "Sakura Sakura" where the virtual idol can be heard singing the lyrics "Sakura, Sakura, Yayoi no sora wa..."
Imura chose the song because she considers it a representation of "Japanese-ness" and called anime "amazing." Hatsune Miku's popularity was also a factor in Imura's decision. The coach attended a showing of Hatsune Miku's stage performance with kabuki actor Shidō Nakamura last year.
Japan ranked fourth in the world in artistic swimming at the World Championships last year, just behind Russia, China and Ukraine.
Source: Nikkan Sports (益田一弘)
