He's been knighted, named the richest rock star in the world, has an Oscar, has done a guest spot on "The Simpsons," has played to the largest stadium audience in history and has been imprisoned right here in Japan. That's right, rock god Sir Paul McCartney returns to Japan after an 11-year hiatus in support of his latest album, "New." Japan has always loved The Beatles, so it has been no surprise to see tickets for each of the six stops on the Japan leg of his "Out There" tour sell quickly — even at ¥12,500. McCartney will be showering Japanese fans in rock history starting at Osaka Dome on Nov. 11 and 12, moving on to Fukuoka Dome on Nov. 15, and finishing up the tour with three shows at Tokyo Dome on Nov. 18, 19 and 21 (7 p.m. start; ¥12,500-¥16,500).
Before seeing the pop icon who practically invented "hearthrob status," you can catch current titleholders One Direction,who are playing back-to-back shows at Chiba's Makuhari Messe on Nov. 2 and 3. The group will wind up their world tour here and release their first motion picture the same weekend. Coincidence? Not with these boys. (5 p.m., 4 p.m. starts; ¥8,000-¥9,000).
While pop fans are swooning at Makuhari, those with more eclectic taste may want to check out the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender (Electronic Music of Art Festival), which takes place Nov. 1-4 (times and prices vary, www.redbullmusicacademy.jp/jp/events) The four-day event features cutting-edge DJs, VJs, bands and singers. Stand-out acts include longtime BBC radio host, DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson. He'll play Liquidroom on Nov. 1 as part of a gig that's separate from EMAF, but that looks to be the most intriguing. It will feature a live run-through of his "Worldwide" show and feature performances from psychedelic funk/soul band The Stepkids, trip-hop/acid jazz MC Rob Gallagher and Japan's own nu-jazz pioneers Jazztronik (6:30 p.m. start; ¥5,500; 03-5464-0800). Another highlight from EMAF should be Ninja Tune's Daedelus / Adventure Time (Daedelus & Frosty) playing at Shibuya's intimate WWW club Nov. 2 (11 p.m. start; ¥2,500 at the door; 03-5458-7685).