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.”