Japanese fans gather to welcome BTS on world tour

TOKYO: Tens of thousands of excited fans gathered at a landmark Tokyo stadium Friday to watch K-pop megastars BTS, in concert outside South Korea for the first time on their new world tour.

The seven-member group – widely regarded as the world’s biggest boy band – took to the stage together for the first time last month following a years-long hiatus prompted by mandatory military service.

The tour coincides with the release of their latest studio album “ARIRANG”.

Last week’s spectacular concert in Goyang, about 16 kilometres from the South Korean capital Seoul, marked the start of a tour that will span 85 shows across 34 cities worldwide.

“I waited so long,” Miki Satani, 50, clutching a ticket for the concert, told AFP.

BTS “give me lots of energy and cheer me up”, said Satani, who discovered BTS six years ago.

“When I have various kinds of hardships in life, I can receive cheer by listening to their music… I feel they are like vitamin supplements for my life.”

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Fans who Friday surrounded Tokyo Dome – which can accommodate up to 55,000 people – included many without tickets, who came just for the atmosphere.

Ticketless Russian tourist Viktoria Diatlova, 27, expressed love for the boy band, saying their music “has such a beautiful message”.

Noa Iwaasa, 22, a hairdresser in Tokyo, said: “BTS is part of my life, as I’ve been listening to them since I was a student.”

The two concerts are on Friday and Saturday.