The Standout Events of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN WEEK
Categoria: Musica
From a Hip-Hop Showcase to an Eiichi Ohtaki Tribute, see all the events in Tokyo that tap into the deep history of Japanese music.
Por Billboard | 05/06/2026
With the international honors of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ) fast approaching, local media have been running stories about the awards almost daily. The performers for the Grand Ceremony, where the major categories are revealed, were recently announced: Sam Smith returns to Japan for the first time in years to deliver a special performance as the show’s first-ever overseas guest. The lineup also features artist of the year nominees Fujii Kaze, HANA, Sakanaction and Kenshi Yonezu. Adding to the night are MISAMO — the unit made up of TWICE’s three Japanese members — along with CHANMINA and Hitsujibungaku, while Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, a big band with a long résumé at festivals at home and abroad, takes the stage for a one-night-only set alongside LiSA, TAKUMA (10-FEET) and AiNA THE END. In the lead-up to the Grand Ceremony on June 13, a slate of events under the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN WEEK banner will take place across Tokyo. Check out a few of the top picks that tap into the deep history of Japanese music. Music Awards Japan 2026. Photo Credit: Yuma Totsuka Yuma Totsuka THE SUCCESSOR — MAJ HIP HOP TRIBUTE Monday, June 8 @ Zepp DiverCity (TOKYO) The Successor is a ceremony that distills more than 40 years of Japanese hip-hop into a single night. The seeds of hip-hop culture, planted in Japan in the 1980s, grew — through the rise of the Japanese-language rap scene from the ’90s onward — into a sprawling culture that left its mark across Asia. Passing that baton forward, this special live show frames that history not as nostalgia but as “the next succession.” It’s produced by Kan Takagi and ZEEBRA, who have stayed on the front line from the scene’s earliest days, alongside new-generation standard-bearer YZERR. Expect the full, integrated expression at hip-hop’s core, where music, dance, art and DJ culture move as one. The bill pairs foundational names like RHYMESTER, King Giddra and NITRO MICROPHONE UNDERGROUND with artists driving the current scene — T-Pablow, STUTS, PUNPEE and ¥ellow Bucks — plus next-generation rappers including Watson, MaRI and 3Li¥en. Don’t miss this rare chance to take in both the history and the present of a scene still largely under the radar overseas. A Tribute to EIICHI OHTAKI — SYMBOL OF MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026 Wednesday, June 10 @ SGC Hall Ariake Each year, MAJ names a “SYMBOL OF MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN.” Following last year’s honoree, YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA (YMO), the 2026 symbol is Eiichi Ohtaki. After co-founding the legendary band Happy End with Haruomi Hosono, Takashi Matsumoto and others, Ohtaki wrote songs that remain pillars of Japanese pop history, among them “Kimi wa Tennenshoku,” “Yume de Aetara” and “Shiawase na Ketsumatsu.” In recent years, his name has traveled across generations and borders via YouTube and other streaming services — making this a fitting tribute to an artist of genuinely special significance