- Title: Riding the wave into his 70s: Masayoshi Takanaka sparks unexpected Gen Z revival
- Date: 31st March 2026
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JANUARY 14, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) GUITARIST, MASAYOSHI TAKANAKA, SAYING: “I’ve been getting more popular overseas lately. The excitement was incredible at the Los Angeles concert in March (2025), it really made me feel that performing overseas is wonderful, it’s a lot of fun. So I got my passport out and I’m heading to London for the first ti
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: CITY POP JAPAN JAZZ MUSIC WORLD TOUR
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: UK
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe,Music,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA002662514012026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Japanese guitarist Masayoshi Takanakais selling out venues worldwide, riding a surge of Gen‑Z enthusiasm that has propelled the 73‑year‑old back onto international stages - and back to London for the first time in five decades.
Two sold‑out shows last year at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles convinced the guitarist to expand his overseas performances, much to the delight of his young Western fan base discovering his music decades after its release.
"My fans abroad are mostly in their 20s, they’ve got a different character, they’re much more open and vocal with how they express themselves. When a song ends the cheering is amazing, it’s so loud," Takanaka told Reuters.
His world tour kicks off in London with two sold out gigs on March 31 and April 1 at the O2 Academy in Brixton. The first date was upgraded from the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in November 2025 following “overwhelming demand,” according to his official website.
Fans gathered in the British capital ahead of the shows at record shop VDS LONDON for a meet‑up organised by unofficial Instagram fan club Takanaka Vibes, which has amassed 122,000 followers.
Looking through vinyls they described frantic efforts to secure tickets, comparing the process to a test of endurance. Student Freddie Thomas said he had multiple friends refreshing Ticketmaster for 15 minutes in order to get his "once‑in‑a‑lifetime" tickets.
"People are kind of getting bored of modern music because it's just... kind of like the same thing all over again," said student Vienna Baker. Adding that discovering artists like Masayoshi Takanaka "makes people feel like there's more to music."
Sentiments echoed by Takanaka "the kind of music we were making 50 years ago, with hardly any machines at all, might be quite easy for them to listen to," he said.
After London, Takanaka's tour takes him to America, Australia and New Zealand before finishing up with a festival in the UK.
For Takanaka, the scale of the response feels unreal.
“It feels like a dream,” he said. “At my age, I can hardly believe it - but it’s something truly special.”
(Production: Ethan Flynn-Johnson, Marissa Davison) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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