Hikaru Utada celebrates 25 years of hits with a sold-out finale

There was a curious rumbling all through Yokohama’s Okay-Arena as 18,000 concertgoers crammed the sold-out venue for the ultimate night time of Hikaru Utada’s Science Fiction tour on Sept. 1.

Maybe it was from the excited followers, who had descended upon Yokohama undaunted by heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings to see the J-pop famous person carry out their first tour in six years. Some arrived hours earlier than doorways opened to queue for tour merchandise comparable to T-shirts, glow-up wristbands, wormhole keychains and drinkware.

The singer (who’s nonbinary and prefers they/them pronouns) launched into their Science Fiction tour this summer time to rejoice the twenty fifth anniversary of their debut. The nostalgia-laden 18-show tour, which drew 258,000 attendees in complete, kicked off in Fukuoka on July 13 and hit seven cities in Japan, in addition to Taipei and Hong Kong for 2 sold-out solo concert events. In addition to the tour, Utada launched a biggest hits album, additionally titled “Science Fiction,” that includes two discs with 26 tracks, together with three new songs: “Gold (Mata Au Hi Made),” “Naniiro Demo Nai Hana” and “Electricity.”