There are still views like this—YOSHIKI CLASSICAL 2026

This is the story of a night when I listened to YOSHIKI's music and realized there were still new views to see.
I went to YOSHIKI CLASSICAL 2026: The Eve of Awakening — Tokyo 3 Nights, Chapter One to the World.
I went there.

There were three performances this time, but I went to the first day.
It was Friday, April 3rd, and the venue was the Tokyo Garden Theater.

It was my first time at the Tokyo Garden Theater.
In terms of atmosphere, I think it's similar to the Budokan. When I looked it up later, I found the capacity was about half that of the Budokan, but the sloped seating and the metal handrails felt similar.

I knew the start time would be delayed lol, so I drove and parked at the adjacent Ariake Garden. Crossing the sea felt wonderful.

Of course, I changed into my tango shoes.
High Heels | Arisa Urakami
I wore a sleeveless two-piece set from Comme ça du Mode that I've had since I was 20. It's a silk chiffon layered over satin. This is my best outfit.

For lunch, I had a seafood bowl and a beer at 'Tsukiji Shokudo Gen-chan' in the food court on the 5th floor of Ariake Garden. 'Wait, you're driving and having a beer?' you might ask. You're right.
But the show started at 7:00 PM.
I knew the show would likely end after 11:00 PM, so there would be plenty of time, and I calculated that one drink would be fine.
—In the end, this decision was correct (the show actually ended after 11:00 PM, and by the time I paid and got in the car, it was past 11:30 PM. I'm so glad I didn't take the train).
Since Toyosu is right next door, it was delicious... I was also happy to see a few fellow fans in the seats.

While waiting, I bought a paperback book at Maruzen, which is also on the 4th floor.
What I got this time was,
Latin American Ghost Stories: Jorge Luis Borges, Tadashi Tsutsumi | Kawade Shobo Shinsha
Reading things like this while waiting is actually quite fun.

By the way, at Ariake Garden, you can use multiple elevators to get to the parking lot until 11:00 PM, but after 11:00 PM, only the 'D' elevator (where the 1st floor is a bus terminal) can be used. I'm glad I asked about that before night fell. Thank you to the information desk staff for letting me know.

I was happy to hear 'Amethyst' and 'Anniversary' playing at Ariake Garden as well.
The extraordinary nature of Yocchan's classical music was invading the daily life of the shopping mall... It made all the effort of dressing up worth it.

The hall, which I also posted in the top image, was filled with the lovely scent of flowers.
Looking back at the photos now, the flowers from DIR EN GREY didn't all fit in the frame... That's a shame.
But really, the scent of these flowers made it feel like I had truly arrived at the concert, which was nice.

I bought some merchandise and waited for the show to start.
This time, I bought a circle blanket (it's round, cute, and fluffy) and a tote bag (is there even such a beautiful tote bag?).
STORE | YOSHIKI OFFICIAL STORE

Since I had the time, I brushed my teeth while waiting...
I put on a long cardigan from the 2017 X JAPAN concert merchandise (the X logo designed by HIDE is scattered on the back in Swarovski crystals).

The weather was nice, and even while standing in the walkway between Ariake Garden and the Tokyo Garden Theater, I could feel the pleasant breeze.

After lining up for a while, the doors finally opened. That said, the start was delayed by an hour.
But since I had anticipated it, it didn't bother me at all.
If anything, it felt like 'Ah, this is the usual,' which gave the first day a special feeling.

However, I felt that the loud communication between the staff members (even though they had lapel mics...) and the shouting of instructions detracted from the extraordinary atmosphere of the classical performance. That was the only part that was a pity.

I was waiting excitedly to see what the opening would be like, and the curtain rose with 'JADE' performed by the orchestra alone.
It was incredibly powerful.
In particular, the gap between the major key chorus and the minor key sections was intense, and the double bass was so effective that I felt the true power of classical music—to think they could achieve this much without drums... The timpani played a 6 or 7-stroke roll, which was incredibly luxurious.
It was also wonderful to see the conductor practically leaping as he conducted.

At this point, YOSHIKI appeared. He was wearing a blue, sparkling outfit.

It wasn't a 'Kyaa!' moment, but rather, how should I put it—a feeling of happiness at seeing him after so long, a dreamlike feeling of 'Am I really seeing him right now?', and a slight sense of tension.

Then, the beautiful strings began. 'Say Anything,' which is ingrained in the cells of every X fan.

Ah, since recording was allowed, I wish I had recorded the whole thing, I think to myself as I write this. But on the day, I didn't have the composure for that at all.

So, please forgive me as this report is based on my memory rather than the entire setlist.

And then, the MC.
'What was that song we just played?'
Yocchan being playful.
Voices from the ladies in the arena seats called out, 'Say Anything.'
Ah, YOSHIKI has really returned...
I could truly feel it.

He said, 'This is the first time I'm performing this in front of people,' and played Chopin's 'Nocturne'.
The fact that it was played with trembling hands spoke to the fact that his surgery was recent and that he was standing on stage after overcoming grueling rehabilitation, which really touched my heart.

I think YOSHIKI's music has a brilliance that only YOSHIKI can write, but it's not just that; I feel that because he has respect for his predecessors and a humble heart... that is why his power to move forward is so great.

'I'd be happy if you sang along with me,' he said, and then 'Kurenai' began.
The tempo was slow, and our voices as the audience were perhaps a bit hesitant, but that only added to the feeling of 'this moment is all we have.'

I remember, I think it was at Yokohama Arena, when Toshl said, 'I'm not sure if I remember the lyrics anymore, will you sing with me?' and performed "X," and we all sang along. That was nostalgic. At that time, Yocchan had just finished his neck surgery, so he did the X jump slowly, didn't he?

"La Senna," introduced as a 'new song,' was particularly memorable.
In the song introduction, he said, 'The light of the stars is reflecting on the Seine... it's a song I wrote about how thoughts reach those who are not here now, those you cannot meet right away, and how that light reaches them' (I'm sorry, the phrasing isn't exact. I, Urakami, am writing this while trying my best to recall the content).
It was something to the effect of believing that love can reach someone even at a distance.

This really... touched my heart deeply.
I'm sure it will reach them, right...

He also said that the lyrics, which were written in English and translated into Italian, were finally ready in time for this performance.
He mentioned it was the first time he had Italian lyrics in one of his songs.
Yocchan asked Ai Ichihara, who sang the song,
'What is the Seine called in Italian again?'
And Ms. Ichihara replied immediately in beautiful Italian,
'La Senna.'
I was somehow happy about that, too.
The song shone as brightly as could be. It was like an opera piece.

There were many more songs, but I cannot write them all down with my poor vocabulary. I was happy to hear the relatively new song "Rosa," and "Crucify My Love" felt both nostalgic and poignant.

Before I knew it, the first part had ended like a dream.

In the second part, Yocchan wore a white outfit. It was sparkling and shining, as expected.
I am sure I am not the only one who was reminded of the 'Blue Night' and 'White Night' at the Tokyo Dome.
Since I heard the outfits for the second and third days were different colors, I was truly lucky to witness this blue and white on the first day.

Bach's (Yocchan pronounces it 'Back') "Air on the G String" was performed on the piano.
J. S. Bach × YOSHIKI.
This was an incredibly delightful combination.
Of course, Yocchan has performed Bach many times, but in previous YOSHIKI CLASSICAL concerts, the image of Beethoven or Tchaikovsky was stronger (this is my personal impression).
The performance of Bach felt like it overlapped with X's live shows, and since I listen to Bach all the time, I was happy about that too.

And then!!!
Behind the stage, beyond the white screen, a drum set emerged.
Yocchan, who had left his seat in the middle of a song, went to the drum set.

A drum solo with all his might—.
It was amazing.
The intensity was such that I lost my vocabulary.
Overwhelming sound.
The feeling of being enveloped by the drums, that familiar intensity where I wondered, 'Was this 64-beat time?'
Sometimes people compare it to old performances, but it was such an amazing sound that there is no point in comparing.

'I wonder how many years it's been since I did a full drum solo. I'm in a daze,' said YOSHIKI.
After that, he repeated, 'I'm in a daze right now,' from time to time, but we in the audience were also half in a daze (we were desperate to keep up, but our hearts were ecstatic and our ears were savoring the music—a state of split consciousness).

For "Rusty Nail," the impressive phrase in the intro was handled solely by the harpist, and it was superb, with tension, a sense of speed, and maturity.
I think that is the real thrill of CLASSICAL, having it done by the orchestra alone.

After interspersing several songs that are also alive in my cells, such as "Tears," "Larme" (which also means tears; Yocchan called it a new song. According to a Yahoo News article, it is spelled Larmes), "Red Swan," which started with 'Shall we spread our blood-stained wings together?', Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," Puccini's "Nessun Dorma," and "Without You,"
'Two more songs.'
'Eh.' 'No way.'
'We've already done quite a lot, haven't we?' Yocchan replied with a laugh.
'How many decades ago did I compose this? Let's stop thinking about it.'
With that MC, "ART OF LIFE" began.

It's Beyond Description.
But if I dare to put it into words, I think it was a performance that connected the past and the present, and linked them to the future. I was also happy that YOSHIKI, who had been playing the piano, stood up and did a DJ set.
Yocchan has publicly stated that he likes Dubstep (I love Dub too).
The headphones around his neck and the way he adjusted the mixer knobs suited him very well.
Also, I found myself wishing he would do V2 (his unit with Tetsuya Komuro) again. My dreams are expanding.

The last song was, of course, "Endless Rain."
No matter how many times I hear the intro, it is truly wonderful. I felt once again that it is an ending song worthy of a concert billed as 'CLASSICAL.'

I was happy to be able to sing.
But the chorus of voices was small and short.

Even so, that's fine. I will sing it again at an X JAPAN concert.

Two days later, the third day's concert was partially streamed on YOSHIKI CHANNEL, and there was also an interview after the performance (Yocchan, to all the staff, thank you so much).
Towards the end of that interview, there was a scene where YOSHIKI mentioned that it was Toshl who triggered him to start the Dinner Show. A scene from a past Dinner Show where PATA-chan appeared and performed was also broadcast.
The connection has not been broken.

It seems there will be a Dinner Show in the summer.
A live performance at the Walt Disney Theater has also been announced, and I am truly happy that YOSHIKI is feeling well and active.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I would love for him to perform at the Tokyo International Forum again.
The comfortable seating and the acoustics (the balance between high and low frequencies is excellent) are both very appealing.

Even though I pride myself on expressing things through words,
there is a frustration in not being able to fully express it in words.
That is how wonderful the concert was.

To the orchestra members, the singers (Ai Ichihara and Beverly), and the dancers, thank you very much (although YOSHIKI introduced them on the day, there wasn't much information available about the orchestra or the dancers, which feels a bit sad. Both the performance and the dancing were wonderful).

By the way, the next day, my cat was also relaxing on the circle blanket.

Yocchan, please take care of your health.
Let's meet again (Who are you, haha. Yes, I am just a fan).

Yocchan said,
"The moment you finish your challenges is the end of your life."
"I want you to keep challenging yourself, believing in meeting a version of yourself you haven't seen yet (I will keep challenging myself too)."
I will cherish these words of encouragement as I live my life.

We are X