The moment that some fans have been waiting for twenty years is finally here! The phenomenal boy band ARASHI has finally hit the sunny shores of The Little Red Dot with ARASHI JET STORM! A whirlwind press tour covering Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei in just under two days, this unprecedented event saw over 1000 loyal fans troop to Jewel Changi Airport for an up-close look at their favourite Japanese boy band.

There is no bigger name on the Japanese pop music scene than ARASHI. Composed of Masaki Aiba, Satoshi Ohno, Jun Matsumoto, Sho Sakurai, and Kazunari Ninomiya, the group debuted in 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since then, the group has become one of the biggest bands in Japanese pop culture history, with a string of #1 hits, sold-out concerts, and successful film and TV appearances.

For some of the members of ARASHI, this is not their first time in Singapore. Both Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba have filmed a movie and a TV show here respectively, however, it was Satoshi Ohno’s first time with the band, and Jun Matsumoto’s absolute first visit to the Garden City. Kazunari Ninomiya noted how different the weather was in Singapore compared to Japan. But if there was one thing they all had in common, it was how grateful they were for the support of the fans.

Some of the most exciting news revealed at the press con was the launch of ARASHI’s official SNS channels on Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Weibo. When asked about their reactions about their official accounts trending on social media worldwide, Jun Matsumoto said that it was a fresh, new, and exciting way to directly interact with their fans, and they’ve been having a lot of fun with it so far.

Other announcements include the release of their first digital single, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut, titled “Turning Up”! “Turning Up” — plus 64 more singles, are available now at various digital download and streaming sites via smarturlit/turningup.

The band likewise gave a sneak peek of their 2020 performances, starting with their back-to-back concerts on the 15th and 16th of May at the newly rebuilt Tokyo National Stadium, as well as an upcoming concert in Beijing in Spring 2020 — their first in China in over 10 years.

Overall, ARASHI JET STORM in Singapore has been an amazing chance for local fans to get up close to the band that many have been following close to twenty years. And although the group will be going on hiatus in a year’s time, the boys want their fans to have a happy and memorable journey until then. As for us, we are definitely hoping that they return to Singapore for a full-blown concert very soon!