Il Volo, an Italian operatic pop trio known for its incredible tenors, will be the first foreign artist to be filmed at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The concert will be held without an audience and will be filmed, with proceeds going to charity.

The musical trio is known around the world for its mesmerizing harmonies. Their music manages to sound modern while still channeling tradition, making them an excellent choice to perform at the center of Japanese cultural traditions in Kyoto. The group will also perform in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.

The music video for the group’s song Grande Amore, released in 2015, has racked up over 200 million views on YouTube. Loved by fans around the world, Il Volo’s music transcends language barriers, and the group is sure to impress on their Japan tour.

The world’s first Apex Legends cafe will be opening for a limited time in Tokyo and Osaka this summer! The Nessie Cafe will be held at Tower Records Shibuya starting July 22 and at Tower Records Umeda NU Chayamachi starting August 20. 

Over 100 million people around the world have played the battle royale title Apex Legends. Every aspect of the game, from the character designs to the maps and weapons, has been meticulously designed to create a truly engaging and fun experience. Basically, it makes sense that so many people seem addicted to it.

Menu at a Glance

Nessie & Wattson’s W Curry

Supplies Box Sandwich

Nessie & Wattson’s Crackling Orange Parfait

Nessie’s Pancakes

A Nessie Surfaces! Cake

Drink Menu

Bloodhound / Gibraltar

Lifeline / Pathfinder

Wraith / Bangalore

Caustic / Mirage

Octane / Wattson

Crypto / Revenant

Loba / Rampart

Horizon / Fuse

Valkyrie / Seer

Ash / Mad Maggie

Newcastle / Nessie Latte

Drink in Original Bottle

PANKAN

The collaboration cafe will feature a selection of themed menu items based on Nessie, a loveable part of the title. Drinks inspired by every Legend in the game will also be available. Reservations are available by lottery only, but certain menu items will be available for takeout. Drinks will be available in a limited edition bottle. 

Those who make reservations for the cafe will also have the opportunity to purchase exclusive merchandise on-site.

Veteran players won’t want to miss out on the world’s first Apex Legends cafe!

©2022 Electronic Arts Inc. Electronic Arts, the Electronic Arts logo, Respawn, the Respawn logo, and Apex Legends are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. InfoLens Inc. is an authorized Electronic Arts licensee.

To celebrate the first anniversary of the animated Studio Chizu film Belle, a special Cinematic Orchestra will be held on August 14 at the Tokyo International Forum. The event will feature a number of other beloved Studio Chizu works.

The event will feature a symphony orchestra performing songs from many Studio Chizu films while famous scenes play on an oversized screen. The works to be featured include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and Belle.

Masakatsu Takagi will be playing piano while Hanako Oku and Ann Sally will be attending as guest vocalists.

Original merchandise will also be on sale at the venue, with some pieces featuring an incredible illustration of Belle from the feature film.

Which Studio Chizu film is your favorite?

Featured Works

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
Summer Wars (2009)
Wolf Children (2012)
The Boy and the Beast (2015)
Mirai (2018)
Belle (2021)

Last month, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performed on the Gobi Stage at Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States. The singer has now returned to Japan for the second half of her ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ seeing the singer performing 30 shows across Japan. The tour will conclude with a solo performance at Budokan in October. 

In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities and has been attracting major attention. Kyary’s newest collaboration in Yamagata has been announced ahead of her concert there on May 13!

The singer will be collaborating with Shelter Nanyo Hall in Nanyo, Yamagata, a small town of only around 30,000 people. The hall is the world’s largest wooden concert hall, made entirely from laminated local cedar. It uses the most advanced fire-resistant technology for wood in Japan and was certified as the world’s largest by Guinness World Records in December 2015. The multi-functional hall can seat over 1,400 people, and the property also features a Japanese-style tea room, meeting rooms, an open tree-growing space, and more.

“I want the local population to be incredibly proud of this magnificent wooden structure,” said Norihito Shimanuki, the hall’s director. “Through this concert hall, we’d like to promote Nanyo and Yamagata Prefecture both domestically and internationally.” 

The collaboration logo for the newest partnership was inspired by the ‘KPP NANDA COLLECTION LIVE in HAWAII’ visual. The one-night-only concert was held in July 2014. Since the main focus of this team-up is ‘wood,’ the visual’s palm tree has been transformed into a cedar tree!

A collaborative T-shirt is also on sale featuring the new logo and the singer’s 10th-anniversary logo. The shirt is available on the LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project website for two weeks only starting May 12. Support Japanese businesses and pick one up while you can!

The Kirby game series turns 30 on April 27, 2022, and to celebrate this impressive event, the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival will be held on August 11!

While the event will be held in person at the Tokyo Garden Theater, fans from all over the world will also be able to watch for free on YouTube.

The concert will feature songs from the series performed by a “big-band style ensemble” made up of 35 musicians, with Kirby himself participating in real-time on an LED monitor, dancing around as fans celebrate his birthday.

Those attending the concert venue in person will be able to snag a special penlight that will sync to the music for some extra magic. 

What’s your favorite Kirby soundtrack?

©HAL Laboratory, Inc. / Nintendo

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Persona video game series, both the SEGA Collab Cafe Akihabara and Nanbasennichimae locations will offer Persona-themed dishes and goods starting February 12, 2022.

Round 1: February 12 – February 25

Drinks

Food

Desserts

Round 2: February 26 – March 11, 2022

Drinks

Food

Desserts

Round 3: March 12 – March 27, 2022

Drinks

Food

Desserts

Menu Bonuses

Round 1 / Round 2 / Round 3 *Random

Exclusive Goods

To be released on February 12, 2022

Big Acrylic Stand (7 varieties)

Pin (7 varieties)

To be released on February 26, 2022

Chibi Acrylic Keychain with Stand (P1, 9 varieties)

Pin (P1, 9 varieties)

To be released on March 12, 2022

Chibi Acrylic Keychain with Stand (P4, 11 varieties)

Pin (P4, 11 varieties)

During the event period, visitors can enjoy original food items, desserts, and drinks inspired by each of the Persona games. For each menu item purchased, guests will receive a random original coaster.

Don’t miss the shop on the same floor, selling many original goods exclusive to this collaboration!

©ATLUS ©SEGA All rights reserved.
©GENDA SEGA Entertainment Inc.

The Hatsune Miku Symphony 2022 event will be performed at Pacifico Yokohama and The Symphony Hall Osaka following the Suntory Hall performance later this year. The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra will perform alongside visual effects, and Vocaloid fans won’t want to miss this incredible show!

In addition, the Blu-ray and CD of the Hatsune Miku Symphony 2021 Yokohama performance are now on sale. Each contains an advanced ticket application to the Suntory Hall performance. A digest video of KAITO’s 15th Anniversary song, the theme for the event, is also available to watch on YouTube.

Hatsune Miku Symphony 2021 – Yokohama Performance Digest [Orchestra Live Blu-ray & CD]

On February 5 and February 6, a Hatsune Miku Symphony 2022 booth at SNOW MIKU 2022 will be selling the 2021 Blu-ray and CD. Those buying fast enough will get an original pin.

Shenmue the Animation, based on Yu Suzuki’s game series originally released for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, is scheduled to be released in 2022! The series is being directed by Chikara Sakurai at Telecom Studios. 

Official Trailer

A trailer for the series has been uploaded to YouTube showing Ryo Hazuki’s struggle against his nemesis Lan Di. The show is set in the nostalgic and beautiful city of Yokosuka and follows Ryo as he struggles to understand the death of his father. A key visual was also released alongside the trailer.

The new video footage also highlights the voice cast for the first time, including Masaya Matsukaze as Ryo Hazuki and Takahiro Sakurai as Lan Di. The two actors have also provided comments below.

The opening theme song UNDEAD-NOID will be performed by Kashitaro Ito, whose videos have been viewed over 80 million times.

Cast Comments

Masaya Matsukaze (Ryo Hazuki)

Thanks to the fans, I’ve been able to return to the role of Ryo after 20 years, and in my first anime role no less! 

Shenmue has been a very big part of my life. 

I hope that longtime fans and new fans alike will enjoy the show and that everyone will be able to experience the world of Shenmue. 

I can’t wait to see the finished product either!

Takahiro Sakurai (Lan Di)
I’m Takahiro Sakurai and I’ll be playing the role of Lan Di.

On a personal note, when I started working as a voice actor, I participated as a test voice during the development stages of Shenmue. That was my first encounter with this work.

That was a valuable experience for me.

I was so happy to hear that Shenmue would be reborn as an animated series.

The world of Shenmue has not faded from my memory in over 20 years. I hope everyone can enjoy it with me!

© SEGA / Shenmue Project

A new YouTube video is bringing iconic Attack on Titan moments to life. To commemorate the release of The Final Season Part 2, the video features Hiroyuki Sawano’s prolific soundtrack to the anime series being performed live while accompanied by scenes from the show. The concert was held last year at Pacifico Yokohama last year.

Attack on Titan – ətˈæk 0N tάɪtn <WMId> [Official Live]

Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2 is currently airing every Sunday and is available to stream on a number of global streaming services.

©諫山創・講談社／「進撃の巨人」The Final Season製作委員会

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her major label debut, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is back in the news. The artist will perform at this year’s Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States, and released her first full-length album in three years ‘Candy Racer’ in October 2021. On January 16, Kyary embarked on the largest tour of her career, ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ which will see the singer performing 30 shows across Japan.

The first show was held at Atsugi City Cultural Hall in accordance with all local guidelines to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. Fans lined up, excited to see the artist for the first time in three years–and when Kyary took the stage clad in a bright green wig and costume, she showed her appreciation for those who have waited to see her again. 

“Long time no see! I’m sorry I made you wait,” the singer said as the audience replied with massive applause. “Today, I’m starting my first tour in three years. I want to give you all a performance that will make you glad you came!” 

The artist began by performing her newest track Maybe Baby for the first time. The setlist included 21 songs total including songs from Kyary’s newest album ‘Candy Racer’ and legendary tracks like PONPONPON and Fashion Monster. 

In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the “LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project” was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities. The 30 stops on the new tour include many that Kyary has not visited before, and were chosen based on the singer’s desire to perform for fans who may not typically be able to attend one of her shows. Wanting to show her gratitude, this is also a chance to inspire local industry and tourism, both of which have been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic. 

Keep an eye out for what Kyary Pamyu Pamyu does next!

From January 14 until February 6, Ikebukuro Sunshine City’s E-DINER will feature a special menu inspired by the MiHoYo otome game Tears of Themis. 

Original Food Menu

Minase’s Orange Pancakes: ¥990 (Tax Included) / Sakyou’s Omurice with Handmade Tomato Sauce : ¥1,100 (Tax Included) / Moritsuki’s Avocado Sandwich: ¥1,100 (Tax Included) / Izumi’s Fresh Blueberry Parfait: ¥990 (Tax Included)

Original Drink Menu

Non-alcoholic Cassis Orange / Hot Blended Coffee / Matcha Cream Latte / Violet Jelly Soda: ¥880 each (Tax Included)

Purchase Bonus

Guests will receive one random coaster (9 varieties) for each food or drink order.

Merchandise

Acrylic Stand: ¥1,320 each (Tax Included)

Chibi Character Acrylic Stand: ¥1,100 each (Tax Included)

Holographic Pins: ¥550 (Tax Included)

A4-sized Clear Folder Set: ¥770 (Tax Included)

Mug: ¥1,650 (Tax Included)

Masking Tape: ¥440 (Tax Included)

SNS-style Clear Sheet: ¥330 (Tax Included)

B2-sized Tapestry: ¥3,300 (Tax Included)

Canvas Art: ¥4,400 (Tax Included)

Blanket: ¥5,500 (Tax Included) / On sale starting January 24

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will be performing at the world-famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California this April! Scheduled to perform at the event in 2020, Coachella was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. Back after two years, the lineup of performing artists has been posted to the official site.

This year, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Ye (Kanye West) will be headlining the event, which also includes artists from around the world. Kyary will perform on April 16 and April 23.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut and is set to begin her largest nationwide tour to date on January 16. The artist will be performing 30 shows across Japan.