Tokyo is one of the top destinations in the world for musicians. International superstars from Mick Jagger and Coldplay, to Madonna and Mariah Carey, have played for sold-out audiences in venues like Tokyo Dome and Nippon Budokan.
That is, of course, until a global pandemic came along and changed everything.
My family moved to Japan in November 2020, at the height of COVID-19 lockdowns. By then, nationwide restrictions had made large gatherings, such as concerts, a thing of the past. And while much of the world had returned to normal by early 2022, Japan was slower to resume a pre-COVID way of life. The borders were closed to most foreign visitors until late 2022, and we didn’t see the return of large-scale international music events here until 2023.
Finally, in February 2023, we got to see our first concert in Japan – Conan Gray! We’re big fans and, of course, he was amazing.
A few months later, we found out that Taylor Swift would be performing in Tokyo during the international leg of her Eras Tour in February 2024. EEEK! The Swifties in the family were ecstatic and knew we just HAD to be at that show.
Ticket sales in Japan are run differently than they are in America. While there was no Great War with Ticketmaster, the battle was nonetheless trying, and we were nearly defeated. In Japan, tickets are usually sold using a lottery system. You enter the lottery during a designated period, and only those who are selected in the lottery are eligible to purchase tickets.
I purchased our Conan Gray tickets via lottery, and it was fairly easy. I assumed purchasing Taylor Swift tickets would be similar.
HA.
In June 2023, I entered the ticket lottery. I didn’t win.
In July 2023, I entered the second ticket lottery in. I didn’t win again.
In August 2023, I attempted to purchase tickets through the general sale and was unable to find them for less than $350 each (we’re Swifties, but we have a budget).
Japan has strict rules about ticket resales. Resale tickets are only valid if they’re purchased via the official resale site. I knew this would be our last chance to buy tickets. I anxiously awaited the resale period, which began one month before the shows. It took me 3 days of click-refresh-click-refreshing before I finally – FINALLY – was able to purchase tickets!!!
So on February 9, Amelia and I, along with 55,000 fellow Swifties, attended the concert of a lifetime!
It was so worth the wait, the time, and all the energy I spent trying to get tickets. It was a truly a night we’ll never forget.
We spent a lot of time picking out our outfits. Can you guess which Eras we were?
We even did our nails just like Taylor! (Although for our show, she actually had her nails painted plain white.)
Some other fun facts about the Tokyo shows:
Unlike the typical Eras Tour venue, Tokyo Dome has a roof. Because of this, parts of the show had to be modified – for example, the pyrotechnics during “Bad Blood” were left out entirely to safely accommodate the roof.
The shows had an early start at 6pm and unlike all the other Eras tour stops, there was no opening act. This is because Tokyo has a strict evening noise curfew. The show ended around 9:30, but then we waited about an hour in the merch line.
The international portion of the Eras Tour included only two countries in Asia: Japan and Singapore. (Apparently the concert promoter struck an exclusivity deal with Singapore, preventing shows in other Asian countries. As a result, many fans from all over Asia attended the Tokyo shows.)
Fans dressed up in different “Eras,” traded friendship bracelets, and did the same chants and rituals (in English) that are done all over the world!
During our show (night 3), the Surprise Songs were “Superman” (Speak Now) and “The Outside” (Taylor Swift/Debut).
Also during our show, Taylor lost her footing and almost fell from the Folklore cabin! She laughed about it and said she saw her life flash before her eyes. Luckily she was fine.
Taylor spoke almost entirely in English, although she did throw in a few Japanese phrases, like “Eras Tour e yokōso” (welcome to the Eras Tour) and “Tokyo daisuki” (I love you Tokyo). Despite the majority of the audience not speaking English as a first language, everyone sang along just fine! The girl sitting next to me did not speak English, but she knew every word to every song.
We’ve heard that Tokyo concertgoers tend to be quieter and more reserved than in other countries. We’ve now been to 3 concerts in Tokyo (Taylor Swift, Conan Gray, and Queen + Adam Lambert), and the general atmosphere is calmer than in other countries. People often sit down for ballads or less familiar songs, or in the case of Queen, for the entire show. But the enthusiasm isn’t lacking at all!
Taylor, thank you for a magical night! We had the time of our lives with you. I’m so grateful to have shared these special memories with my daughter.
