Where heavy metal is economic development.
November 4–16, 2026 · Tokyo → Hiroshima → Osaka → Nagoya → Kawasaki
Two weeks on the ground chasing the live scene we cover from afar all year — four show nights across the country, moving city to city by shinkansen, with the torii at Miyajima and a Kyoto day in between. This is where we're going next.
ZOZOMARINE Stadium
The revived Hi-STANDARD festival at ZOZOMARINE, about 40 minutes from central Tokyo. We go for Maximum the Hormone — foundational to what we cover, the same tier as SHOW-YA or Loudness — on a wall-to-wall punk and hardcore bill (MAN WITH A MISSION, 10-FEET, The Cro-Magnons, HEY-SMITH, LAGWAGON). Doors around 11:30 AM, runs to about 8:00 PM. An open-Saturday option.
Resale only — general sale sold outShinjuku ANTIKNOCK
Doors 6:00 PM. A two-band head-to-head in one of Shinjuku’s great sweatbox live houses.
ConfirmedNippon Budokan
World Tour 2026 Final — the band’s world-tour closer at the legendary Budokan. NEK! (on our watch list) opens — doors were moved earlier to 4:30 PM to fit them in, so get there for doors; show 6:00 PM.
ConfirmedNagoya
Idol-metal firepower in Nagoya — BBTS on home turf after we caught them at Wacken and in London.
PlannedCLUB CITTA' Kawasaki
Doors 1:00 PM, show 2:00 PM. An early-afternoon all-dayer — then, if time allows, THE JAM at 音楽室DX in Takadanobaba (doors 6:00 PM) to close the trip.
PlannedFollow along on the channel — show coverage goes up as we post it. For the standing picture of Japanese metal, see our Japan Scene and Japan Global briefs.