For four days in February, Tokyo Dome felt like the center of the pop culture world.
American pop star Taylor Swift — fresh off winning her fourth album-of-the-year Grammy for “Midnights” — performed four sold-out shows in Tokyo as part of her wildly successful Eras Tour. The true power of Swift’s global appeal, however, could be found outside of Tokyo Dome’s gates. Swifties (the name for the singer’s fans) from all over the world descended on the indoor stadium to experience her shows.
A Canadian fan snapped selfies with two Indonesian women who had traveled in from Okayama Prefecture. Supporters from the Philippines donning Swift-inspired costumes posed for more pictures. A large group of Chinese fans took a group photo while holding a large banner reading, “We Will Stand By You Forever, Please Don’t Have Chinese Swifties Waiting On You” (referring to the singer’s songs "Long Live" and "Enchanted"). Everyone exchanged homemade friendship bracelets, a tradition among fans that has grown during The Eras Tour and a nod to a lyric from “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”
Despite reports of some VIP fans complaining of bad manners from Swifties who flew in for the show, the arena was for the most part filled with positivity. Throughout the show, the venue thrummed with the happiness and excitement of fans who were taking in a moment they had waited so long to experience — cheering everytime Swift said “arigato!” (thank you), gasping when she played a piano rendition of “Holy Ground” during her “surprise songs” set and bouncing around to every note of show closer “Karma.”
Big reputation
Chiaki Ikeuchi was busy in the days leading up to Swift’s arrival. Before the first show on Feb. 7, she attended screenings of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” a concert film that was created to help fans practice chants. She also spent time putting together her outfits for multiple shows and met up with other Swifties to make friendship bracelets and have karaoke sessions.
“One of the reasons I've loved Taylor for such a long time is that she always makes it fun to be a fan, like she's been giving out hints about her new album and new songs for several years,” said Ikeuchi.
Swift, now 34, is no stranger to Japan. Back in 2009, she performed at Zepp Tokyo — which has a capacity of just under 3,000 — as part of her debut world tour. Since then, she has leveled-up when it comes to venues for each subsequent trip to Japan. The singer-songwriter has also appeared on such television shows as “Music Station” in 2010 and “SMAP × SMAP” in 2011 and 2013. She has tried speaking the language enough to inspire various YouTube compilations of her attempts.
“I heard ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ because it was the theme to (Japanese reality show) ‘Terrace House,’ and I thought it was a good song,” said X user @SwiftyHitomi, who adds that she quickly became a fan after getting her hands on the pop star’s fourth studio album “Red.” Ahead of The Eras Tour, she drew notes counting down the days until Swift’s return to Japan and shared them on social media.
“I started preparing my costume when the U.S. shows started in March of 2023, even though they hadn’t announced any international shows,” said X user @nagi_swiftie, who first saw the video for “Love Story” while in high school. “I just believed she would come to Japan.”
During a time in which Western acts have seen their place of prominence in the Japanese market drop in favor of K-pop, Swift is a notable exception. She has kept her hold on Japan thanks to the aforementioned visits and fan outreach.
The best day
Outside of Tokyo Dome, Kelliann from Minneapolis, Minnesota, recalled the day she secured her tickets for the day’s concert. She was so overwhelmed with joy that the police showed up at her home.
“I was so excited, and I screamed so loudly, that the neighbors called the police to check on me,” she said, wearing clothes resembling the cheerleader outfit from Swift’s “Shake It Off” music video.
The Tokyo stops of The Eras Tour were a destination event for Swifties across Asia — only six nights in Singapore in March offer another chance to see the singer. A report compiled by the Economic Impact Research Laboratory found that Swift’s four-night visit to Japan would generate around ¥34.1 billion ($230 million).
For others, like Kelliann, tickets for Swift’s Japan shows proved to be more affordable than what they would have gotten at home, boosted in part due to the strong dollar against the yen. Tickets were still hard to get — both foreign and Japanese fans said securing tickets involved stressful hurdles, such as refreshing the ticketing app for days straight until seats appeared — but the price point was accessible to many. The chance to indulge in a Japanese vacation didn’t hurt either.
“In recent years, I have decided that I want to do things in life that give me joy as much as I possibly can — and having gone to Taylor’s concerts since 2015, I know that these events are where I have made some of the best memories in life,” said Yuki Kishimoto, a Swiftie who traveled from Toronto, over X a few days after the shows. “I was unable to secure any Canadian tickets due to the unfathomable demands, but my amazing Japanese Swiftie friends managed to do so for their home shows. They invited me over and I said yes immediately!”
Love story
Over the past year, Swift seems to have morphed from the biggest pop star on Earth to the most omnipresent human alive.
The singer, already a subject of fascination thanks to her music and The Eras Tour, has recently garnered attention for her widely publicized romance with American football player Travis Kelce. Additionally, she's been the center of conspiracy theories circulated by right-wing pundits. These theories speculate whether she might be secretly collaborating with the United States government and planning to utilize her fan base to ensure President Joe Biden's re-election.
It’s not unusual to come across critics and outsiders wondering why she’s getting all this attention.
However, talking to fans around the Tokyo Dome shows reveals a simple reason: a connection to the mega-star that feels intensely personal regardless of age, nationality or native language.
“Anyone can relate to her lyrics anytime: your first love, a heartbreak, betrayal ... there’s a song for every mood you can think of,” said Claudia Anguita Cedillo, a Spanish Swiftie working in South Korea. It’s a sentiment echoed by many fans, with one Swiftie saying the pop star’s refusal to give up on love despite facing so many setbacks was inspiring to them.
“The vulnerability, candor and specificity in her stories make me feel heard, and make me feel like I’m not alone throughout my struggles of growing up, girlhood, heartbreak and friendship,” Kishimoto said.
While the universality of Swift’s music speaks to her fans on an individual level, the variety of attendees at the Tokyo Dome performances and their camaraderie demonstrate the pop star’s ability to bridge generations and bring people closer together as well.
“My daughter left home a week after graduating from high school to attend college in London. I went into a deep depression. It was Taylor that brought me out of this darkness,” said Sherry Poniewaz, a fan who flew to Japan from Wisconsin. She added that Swift also reminds her a bit of her daughter, Sydney, who currently lives in Tokyo and is a prominent anime-focused YouTuber under the moniker sydsnap. For Poniewaz, Swift not only filled that empty-nest feeling but also inspired her to be more confident (“‘Reputation’ is my era!”).
Poniewaz was thrilled when her daughter surprised her with tickets for the opening Tokyo show, until a sudden injury almost ruined her plans. In true Swiftie fashion, however, she was determined to shake it off and live out her wildest dreams.
“I was bringing in clean clothes from the rooftop and fell down the stairs. I thought I broke my back,” Poniewaz said. “My family wanted to bring me to the hospital. I yelled, ‘That is not happening!! Patch me up because I am not missing Taylor!’”
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