Sho Sakurai Says Arashi Feels Like Arashi Again as Final Tour Opens
Sakurai's comments mark the first public reflection from an Arashi member on the emotional and physical return to live performance after a six-year hiatus, as the group enters its final weeks of activity.
Reporting from 1 sources: Ota-Jo.
Sho Sakurai commented on the opening of Arashi's final tour during the March 16 live broadcast of "news zero" on Nippon TV. The group, which announced it will end all activities on May 31, 2026, resumed group activities in 2025 after a hiatus that began in 2020. Their last concert tour, "ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2026 'We are ARASHI'," opened at Sapporo Dome on March 14. Sakurai said it had been about six and a half years since the group last stood directly in front of fans, because the final year before the hiatus was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He described the moment of meeting fans at the concert venue as the instant "Arashi began to move as Arashi." He also mentioned spending time in the dressing room with members and staff, eating and drinking alcohol together for the first time in a long while. Sakurai said he saw posts on social media showing fans writing messages for Arashi at airports and record stores, and that it moved him. He stated the tour has 12 performances through May 31, and he wants to treasure each one. The tour will continue in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka.
Sakurai spoke on the March 16 episode of "news zero" after the first weekend of the tour, which ran from March 14 to 16 at Sapporo Dome. He noted that while the five members had met for rehearsals and meetings during the hiatus, the concert setting was different. "The moment I met the fans at the concert venue, I felt that Arashi began to move as Arashi," he said. He also described the after-show time in the dressing room, eating and drinking with members and staff, as something that had been absent for years. Social media posts showed Sapporo's airport, hotels, and shops decorated to welcome the group, a level of local fan engagement Sakurai said he noticed and appreciated. The tour's remaining stops are Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka, with 12 total performances leading to the May 31 end date. The Ota-Jo article, which covers the comments, is a sister site of Gadget Tsushin.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.