From Concert Halls to Arenas and Domes: Japanese Singers Scale Up Concerts in Korea

Vaundy Sells Out 30,000 Seats for Seoul Concert
Takuya Kimura to Hold First Solo Show in Korea During Chuseok
J-pop Streaming Up 29.5% Year-on-Year
Recognition Gained in Korea Spreads to Overseas Markets

Boundi attracted 30,000 visitors over two days on the 19th and 20th at the Inspire Arena in Incheon. Photo by Hiyoshi "JP" Junpei

The stages for Japanese singers performing in Korea have expanded from concert halls to arenas and domes. As the domestic J-pop fanbase has translated into actual ticket purchases, Korea has emerged as a concert market capable of attracting tens of thousands of spectators. The Japanese music industry also views Korea as a major market for broadening its overseas fanbase across Asia and North America.

Japanese singer-songwriter Vaundy held his first solo concert in Korea at Inspire Arena in Incheon on the 19th and 20th, drawing 30,000 people over two days. Both concerts sold out. Vaundy also sold out all nine performances of his Asian arena tour, which takes place in five cities including Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Fukuoka, and Taipei.

The scale of venues has increased significantly over the past few years. The Japanese band King Gnu held its first solo concert in Korea in 2024 at Olympic Hall in Seoul Olympic Park with around 4,000 seats. Then, from June 20 to 21, they moved to the KSPO Dome in the same park, where about 30,000 people attended over two days. Both concerts were completely sold out.

Official Hige Dandism gathered about 26,000 people at the KSPO Dome over two days, from August 8 to 9. During ticket sales, around 80,000 people waited in the online queue at the same time, and even additional limited-view seats were sold. Their hit song 'Pretender' also entered domestic music charts. The Japanese band back number also sold out both of their solo concerts held on September 12 and 13 at KINTEX Hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

During the Chuseok holiday, Takuya Kimura, an actor and singer formerly of the Japanese group SMAP, will hold his first solo concert in Korea. On the 26th, Kimura will perform the "Takuya Kimura Live Tour 2026 Checkpoint" at Inspire Arena in Incheon. This will be his first overseas concert in the six years since his solo debut in 2020. The tour will have nine shows across five cities: starting in Kobe, then Seoul, Fukuoka, Taipei, and Chiba. Seoul is the first stop outside Japan.

This will be Kimura's first time performing a concert overseas in 15 years, since SMAP's group concert in Beijing, China in 2011. At that time, SMAP attracted about 40,000 people to the Beijing Workers' Stadium in its first overseas group concert, marking the 20th anniversary of their debut. Although Kimura released his first solo album "Go with the Flow" in 2020 and has continued performing in Japan, he has not held any solo concerts abroad until now.

For the Seoul concert, travel packages for Japanese fans were also introduced. The Japanese travel agency JTB worked with the concert promoter to sell packages that included VIP tickets, hotel accommodations, and transportation to the venue. The one-night-two-day package in a Seoul city hotel was priced at 84,900 yen per person, while the two-night-three-day package at Inspire Resort sold for 166,900 yen. There was also a package offering direct transportation from Gimpo or Incheon Airport to the concert venue.

Takuya Kimura. The Asia Business Daily DB

King Gnu attracted a total audience of 30,000 over June 20-21 at KSPO DOME in Seoul. Photo by Kosuke Ito

However, not all Japanese singers can fill large venues. Ticket sales vary depending on their awareness, fanbase in Korea, and ticket prices. Rather than J-pop as a whole universally achieving success, it is the artists who have secured a sizable domestic fanbase that are scaling up their concert sizes first.

Growing domestic consumption of J-pop underpins this trend. According to KT Genie Music, the amount of J-pop streaming in Korea from January 1 to June 17 this year increased by 29.5% compared to the same period last year. Compared to the same period in 2024, it rose by 57.5%. This contrasts with the overall music streaming volume in Korea, which has declined since 2019. Genie Music attributes the rise in J-pop consumption to the popularity of Japanese anime, frequent visits by Japanese artists, and their appearances on Korean TV shows.

Japanese singers are not coming to Korea simply due to weak domestic demand. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Japan was the world's second-largest music market in 2025, after the United States. The Japanese music market revenue also increased by 8.9% from the previous year. For Japan's music industry, which has the world’s second-biggest domestic market, the focus on Korea isn’t just about ticket demand. The recognition and content gained in Korea can quickly spread to other markets such as Asia and North America.

Japanese artists are appearing on music TV shows, joining global fan platforms, and communicating with Korean fans through social media. An increasing number of Japanese artists, such as the girl group Cutie Street, are appearing on Korean music shows. Broadcast videos and fan-created content not only spread in Korea but also reach fans in other countries.

Yusuke Nakagawa, CEO of Japanese entertainment company AsobiSystem, said, "After appearing on Korean music shows, we saw new fans from regions such as India and North America, where there had previously been little response. Korean fans spontaneously promote the fandom by quickly editing and sharing broadcast videos on social media." He added, "The Japanese music market is saturated with players and production companies. Since anime, games, and food culture have already seen global success, now is a crucial moment for the music industry to target the global market as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.