Countdown to Nov. 3rd: ARASHI’s 25th Anniversary

Since their formation, ARASHI has always had a policy of putting the fans first. There have been instances where they’ve asked the press to move aside for fans to get a better view, their 20th-anniversary tour included 50 shows to accommodate more fans, and they shook hands with everyone at their mini disaster relief concert in 2013 after Miyagi suffered earthquakes and tsunami. ARASHI has been described as angels or an oasis for the heart, almost too good to be true.

ARASHI reassures fans that they are just taking a break and will come back from their hiatus. The leader of the group, Satoshi Ohno, needed time away from the spotlight. Fans hope all five members will stand on stage together again, referring to the break as “summer vacation.”

We are now in the fourth year of summer vacation, but that hasn’t stopped fans from celebrating anniversaries. Most groups only have one anniversary, but ARASHI celebrates twice. The group technically made their debut on September 15th, 1999, arriving via jet cruiser on the beaches of Hawaii. However, the members themselves have said they consider their real anniversary to be when they released their first single ‘A・RA・SHI‘. As fans prepare to celebrate, ARASHI surprised us with a few announcements!

Not in Japan? Can’t read Kanji?? Girl, same…

As a non-resident fan of Japanese groups, it can be tough, but ARASHI has been making their music more accessible since announcing their hiatus. They added their discography to streaming services, opened an official YouTube page, and started using social media.

Luckily, even foreign fans can anticipate the ARASHI 20th Anniversary Best Album “5×20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019” (Special Edition) to be released on streaming in Dolby Atmos on Sunday, November 3rd. Dolby Atmos sound is a spatial audio technology that provides a more immersive listening experience by adding audio above and around the listener, going beyond traditional surround sound.

Love the music but haven’t seen the music video yet? ARASHI is planning to upload the rest of their music videos onto YouTube for their anniversary! You can watch the members grow from teenagers to men in their 30s by watching them chronologically. Or maybe there’s a song you love that you didn’t even realize had a music video. Fans can soon watch music videos without worrying about downloading viruses from sketchy websites or having to pay to ship the album or single from Japan to their home country.

Some videos, like ‘Love So Sweet‘, are already on YouTube, but more are coming soon. This writer’s most anticipated music video is for their song ‘My Girl‘. In the music video, ARASHI members play five brothers packing up their childhood home after their mother’s death.

Jun Matsumoto recently posted on his Instagram about “Jiro” and “Saburo” showing up at his stage performance, showing a soft spot for the ‘My Girl’ single. Jiro and Saburo of course are the names of the characters members Sakurai Sho and Masaki Aiba played in the music video!

Living in Japan? Able to read Kanji? This part is for you!

Fans in Japan are lucky enough to enjoy theatrical screenings of the 2009 concert ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×10. The concert will have 505 screenings (5 is the ARASHI lucky number), and only members of the ARASHI fan club can purchase tickets. Attendees are encouraged to bring items such as uchiwa (a handheld fan with their favorite idol’s face or a phrase on it) or concert penlights (light-up wands) to recreate the atmosphere of a live performance.

Fans who know the Japanese alphabet are also able to participate in a playlist-making feature on the new website My Best Arashi. Anyone can create playlists with any theme by choosing 5 ARASHI songs from a selection of 423.

For example, this user has curated a playlist of songs that are popular with fans but which ARASHI themselves don’t understand why. Or there’s this user who made a playlist of 5 songs to send to your loved one. The website is relatively easy to navigate with machine translation, but creating a playlist manually could be challenging if you aren’t familiar with the Japanese alphabet.

But wait, there’s more!

ARASHI may not have always been popular, but since 1999 they’ve held a concert tour every year. The first Arashi concert is only available in VHS format, and some concerts were never released on recording. However, most of their concerts are available on DVD. ARASHI’s live performances have received critical acclaim for their stunning visuals. The industry widely recognizes the youngest member, Matsumoto, for his ability to direct their concerts.

Matsumoto has a finger in every pie, all the way from what songs they sing to what lights they use. Matsumoto has incorporated innovative elements like a moving stage over the audience, and a curtain made of falling water with their image projected onto it. The pandemic prevented live concerts in 2020, so ARASHI live-streamed a performance for fans to enjoy from home. Some lucky fans even appeared on screen with the band during a song! At their 2020 farewell concert, fans sent messages displayed to the Arashi members on the venue’s ceiling. Whether it be stunning visuals or crowd participation, Matsumoto is always attempting to elevate the concerts to the next level.

But, as you may imagine, a concert from 2003 might not be the best quality. But fear not! To commemorate their anniversary on November 3rd, ARASHI will be releasing Blu-ray versions of their concerts! The Blu-ray releases include concerts from 2003 up until 2013. Concerts after 2013, of course, already have Blu-rays. Want one for yourself? Pre-order it now with CDJapan!

Anything NEW new?

Along with all of these re-releases, ARASHI is releasing a picture book that follows their 2018 song ‘Kimi no Uta‘. The beautiful melody has Arashi’s signature hopeful sound despite a bit of sadness in the lyrics. The picture book will follow the song lyrics, discussing the fleeting nature of time and the strength found in moments with loved ones.

Originally used as the theme song to member Aiba’s television drama Boku to Shippo to Kagurazaka, ARASHI is now using this song to emphasize their love and comradery with fans. Through the picture book, even if you can’t read the lyrics on the page, ARASHI is sending a message to all of the fans using this. A message that they’re still there, their songs are still there, and that fans are never alone. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a copy here, and you’re part of the ARASHI fan club, you’ll also get a special bookmark!

For now, this is all they’ve announced, but fans are still keeping their eyes peeled just in case ARASHI is hiding another present up their sleeve. Some fans have speculated that their 25th anniversary could encourage them to resume activities sooner, but with each of the members having a busy schedule (some acting, some fishing) it’s hard to say whether or not they have the time right now. Matsumoto himself will even be out of the country just before the 5th of November, as he is a leading actor in the production of Love in Action, set to be performed in London.

However, there might be something on the horizon. Member Kazunari Ninomiya has been hinting that he’s cooking something up with Matsumoto. Could it be a live performance? Or a guest spot on Ninomiya’s YouTube channel? Whatever it is, it’s bound to be something exciting!

Interested in seeing what other Asian boybands are up to? Check out this article on South Korean boyband Stray Kids!