A huge line-up of gargantuan Japanese artists will be performing overseas this year between May and July, including BABYMETAL, ONE OK ROCK, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and many, many more! Other events themed around Japanese culture including fashion and traditional art are also being held in Germany and the UK. In this segment, we here at MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON have picked up all of these recommended events and listed them here for you!

 

BABYMETAL invades the rest of the world with their World Tour!
Heavy metal unit BABYMETAL, who have won the attention of audiences worldwide, held the first show of their world tour on April 3rd at the SSE Wembley Arena in the UK. Approximately 12,000 fans were there to see the concert. The entire show was also live streamed to more than 10,000 people in Japan, making for more than 20,000 fans that witnessed the concert. And their world tour has only just begun… BABYMETAL will be embarking to the US and playing between May 4th～May 13th. The 3 female artists will be delivering their intense musical passion to their American audience, with the first show on May 4th being held in New York, after which they will head to Boston, Philadelphia, Silver Spring, Detroit and Chicago respectively. They will subsequently head to Europe after they complete the US segment of their tour.

 

＃Tour Information
BABY METAL US Tour
May 4th     PLAYSTATION THEATER / NEW YORK
May 5th     HOUSE OF BLUES / BOSTON
May 7th     ELECTRIC FACTORY / PHILADELPHIA
May 10th   THE FILLMORE / SILVER SPRINGS
May 11th    THE FILLMORE / DETROIT
May 13th    HOUSE OF BLUES / CHICAGO

BABYMETAL http://www.babymetal.jp

 

Enjoy Japanese culture at event in Düsseldorf, Germany
“Japan Day” is a Japanese cultural event that has been held in Düsseldorf since 2002. This year, it will be held on May 21st. The festival is aimed to deliver Japanese culture to overseas residents, but it is also considered to be a very special event to the approximately 2,800 Japanese people residing there. From anime to traditional performance arts, those who head to the festival can enjoy Japanese culture both past and present! This year will see a huge variety of Japanese cultural treasures to enjoy, including Taiko drums, Kendo, Geisha, Japanese structures, and fireworks which will be held at the end of the festival. People who go attend the festival wearing kimono will be able to feel even closer to Japanese culture. Look forward to what they have in store this year!

 

＃Event Information
Japan Day
May 21st Düsseldorf
http://www.japantag-duesseldorf-nrw.de/jp/

 

Rock band ONE OK ROCK stretch their wings out to the world
The number one Japanese band making headlines right now and who we recommend are none other than ONE OK ROCK. Boasting giant crowds of up to and beyond 100,000, this truly powerful band’s live shows are a must-see. ONE OK ROCK will be touring Europe from the end of May and into June. The band will be delivering their intense and powerful sound to countries including Germany, Poland, France, the UK and more. Having had their musical strength recognised by the US, their sound is ever-evolving as they tour the world, and is sure to resound in the hearts of rock fans.

 

＃Live Information
May 31st　Conne Island / GERMANY Leipzig
June 1st　Palladium / POLAND Warsaw
June 3rd　Rock am Ring / GERMANY Nuremberg
June 4th　Rock in Park / GERMANY Vulkaneifel
June 5th　Trix / BELGIUM Antwerp
June 7th　Den Atelier / LUXEMBOURG Luxembourg
June 8th　Skater’s Palace / GERMANY Munster
June 10th　Pinkpop Festival / HOLLAND Landgraaf
June 11th　Download Festival 2016 / FRANCE Paris
June 12th　Download Festival 2016 / UK Donnington

ONE OK ROCK http://www.oneokrock.com

 

SCANDAL continue their world tour this year and head to Asia!

SCANDAL are forever gaining more and more fans from their live performances. They are garnering overwhelming support from younger crowds. In 2015, they held a solo world tour where they played 41 shows across 9 different countries, packing out venues. The girls are pushing forward this year to continue their world domination in accordance with their 10-year anniversary. This June, they will be playing Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand. Remember, they aren’t JUST cute girls! Prepare to be seriously surprised by this unbelievable girls band.

 

＃Live Information
June 4th     The Coliseum™, Hard Rock Hotel® Singapore, Resorts World™ Singapore
June 9th     Star Hall / Hong Kong
June 11th    ATT SHOW BOX/ Tâi-oân
June 18th   BCC Hall Central Ladprao/ Thailand

SCANDAL http://www.scandal-4.com/

 

New up-and-coming idol unit The World Standard heads to Shanghai!
The World Standard are a new idol unit that formed only this year from avex label “iDOL Street”. The group have the world in their crosshair and work to deliver “kawaii” Japanese idol culture at their live shows and across their social media outlets. They aim to play all over the place, both inside Japan and overseas. For those of you who love idols and cute Japanese culture, be sure to check out The World Standard!

 

＃Live Information
June 4th     JAM in Shanghai 2016 (details to be announced later)

The World Standard http://wa-suta.world/

 

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s 5-year anniversary world tour!!
It’s safe to say that everyone knows Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. The curtain to her long-awaited world tour is finally being raised. The tour will begin in Singapore on May 13th after which Kyary will travel to Europe and America before returning to Asia. The tour is one part of her “5-stage plan” to celebrate her 5-year anniversary. Kyary will be playing throughout the world this year. Look forward to seeing what kind of performance she has planned for her fans this year.

 

＃Live Information
May 13th     Esplanade Theatre / Singapore
June 24th    BIG TOP / Sydney
June 25th    FESTIVAL HALL / Melbourne
July 8th       KOKO / London
July 22nd    The Regency Ballroom / San Francisco
July 25th     PlayStation Theater / New York
August 8th  ATT SHOW BOX / Taipei

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu http://kyary.asobisystem.com/

 

London’s huge Japanese cultural festival “HYPER JAPAN”
HYPER JAPAN is an event that has been held in London since 2010. This year will see it held from July 15th～July 17th. A definitive collection of everything Japanese, HYPER JAPAN has anime, games, music, food, fashion and traditional culture. This is the UK’s biggest ‘Cool Japan’ event where you can really get to know Japanese culture. The festival flourishes with local young people and families. It also hosts a string of Japanese artists, from powerful rock bands to cute idol groups. This is the festival to come to if you want to see the biggest collection of everything Japanese in one place.

 

＃Event Information
HYPER JAPAN
July 15th 12:00 – 20:00
July 16th 9:00 – 15:00, 15:30 – 21:00
July 17th 9:00 – 18:00
http://hyperjapan.co.uk/festival

 

＃Summary
There are many Japanese cultural events to enjoy overseas this year between May～June. It is also a good idea to check if there are any other artists or people performing concerts or cosplaying. These events can be enjoyed to the fullest by anyone, and might be a chance for you to discover an idol you never knew of!

Text: Kenji Yoshida