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Field Trip

Metal Japan

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.

The shows

Nov 8 Sunday Tokyo

ASTERISM vs BRIDEAR

Shinjuku ANTIKNOCK

Doors 6:00 PM. A two-band head-to-head in one of Shinjuku’s great sweatbox live houses.

Guest list confirmed
Nov 13 Friday Tokyo

BAND-MAID

Nippon Budokan

World Tour 2026 Final — the band’s world-tour closer at the legendary Budokan. Doors 4:30 PM, show 6:00 PM.

Planned
Nov 14 Saturday Nagoya

Broken By The Scream + HOLIDAY NEXT

Nagoya

Idol-metal firepower in Nagoya — BBTS on home turf after we caught them at Wacken and in London.

Planned
Nov 15 Sunday Kawasaki

HAGANE + STRIKE BACK 2026

CLUB 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.

Planned

The route

  1. Nov 5Thursday
    Tokyo
    Land at Haneda, settle into Tokyo.
  2. Nov 6–7Fri–Sat
    Tokyo
    Open days in the city.
  3. Nov 8Sunday
    Tokyo
    Show night — ASTERISM vs BRIDEAR, Shinjuku.
  4. Nov 9Monday
    Hiroshima
    Shinkansen to Hiroshima; Miyajima and the Itsukushima torii at sunset.
  5. Nov 10Tuesday
    Osaka
    Hiroshima Peace Park in the morning, then on to Osaka.
  6. Nov 11Wednesday
    Osaka
    Open in Osaka. FYI — Hazuki meet-and-greet signing event in town; likely passing.
  7. Nov 12Thursday
    Kyoto → Tokyo
    Kyoto day trip, back in Tokyo that evening.
  8. Nov 13Friday
    Tokyo
    Show night — BAND-MAID, World Tour 2026 Final at Nippon Budokan.
  9. Nov 14Saturday
    Nagoya
    Shinkansen to Nagoya — show night, Broken By The Scream.
  10. Nov 15Sunday
    Kawasaki
    Show day — HAGANE / STRIKE BACK 2026 at CLUB CITTA’.
  11. Nov 16Monday
    Home
    Fly home from Haneda.

Follow 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.