Masayoshi Takanaka brings first world tour to London and the US with City Pop Waves 2026

Live Nation have announced that legendary Japanese guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka will head out on his first-ever world tour in 2026 as part of its City Pop Waves series, with a run of shows that starts in London before moving through New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Titled City Pop Waves: Masayoshi Takanaka SUPER TAKANAKA WORLD LIVE 2026 presented by Live Nation, the tour runs from March 31st to April 12th 2026, with an expected combined audience of around 15,000 across five historic venues including O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Brooklyn Paramount.

The announcement follows Takanaka’s sold-out return to the United States at The Wiltern in Los Angeles in March 2024, where around 5,000 tickets reportedly disappeared almost instantly. That show, his first US appearance in around four decades, laid the groundwork for a wider push overseas as interest in city pop continues to surge among younger listeners worldwide.

Now 50 years into a career that has produced more than 20 studio albums, Takanaka remains one of Japanese pop’s defining guitar figures, known for records such as ‘Blue Lagoon’, ‘Ready to Fly’, and ‘Brasilian Skies’. His profile has grown again in the streaming era, helped by online discovery and samples from Western artists.

Will the surfboard guitar return?

One of the major talking points of the tour will be the return of Takanaka’s custom “surfboard guitar”. The full-size instrument, built from an actual surfboard and first unveiled in the mid-2000s, has only appeared on stage a limited number of times.

For SUPER TAKANAKA WORLD LIVE 2026, the guitar has been restored and is set to be played in front of audiences in London and across the US, effectively reviving a cult artefact from his live history and from the visual mythology around city pop.

The tour is the third chapter of Live Nation’s City Pop Waves, a concert series built around leading Japanese city pop artists as the genre enjoys a renewed global spotlight. The series is positioned as a way to connect long-standing Japanese acts with new listeners overseas, particularly in the UK and North America.

Alongside Takanaka’s world tour, the current City Pop Waves line-up includes Taeko Onuki, who will play her first concert outside Japan at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on February 7th 2026, and Anri, who will begin her first US tour with performances at Brooklyn Paramount on May 17th and The Wiltern on May 20th 2026.

Update 14/11/2025: London venue upgraded following immediate sellout

Demand for SUPER TAKANAKA WORLD LIVE 2026 has exceeded expectations, with tickets for the London show selling out within moments of going on sale. The date has now been upgraded from O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (capacity ~2,000) to O2 Academy Brixton (capacity ~4,900), and the additional allocation sold out straight away.

Takanaka’s management has also released a notice stating that the tour has received an “overwhelming response” and that additional shows are being scheduled in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Further details will be announced once dates and venues are confirmed.