2025 was set to be the most significant year in Perfume’s history. It marked the 25th anniversary of their formation and the 20th anniversary of their major debut. To celebrate these incredible milestones, they announced their latest album "ネビュラロマンス－前編", followed by their 10th nationwide tour. Spanning 11 cities across Japan in the first half of the year, it was a massive undertaking. I was incredibly lucky to secure a ticket for the Tokyo stop of the tour!!!
These days, balloting for concert tickets in Japan has become quite a challenge for international fans. Perfume uses the PIA Ticket (ぴあ) system, which requires a Japanese phone number for SMS authentication. This hurdle often prevents overseas fans from participating unless they are members of the Global fan club, World P.T.A. (W.P.T.A.). After looking at the 2025 tour schedule, I decided to aim for the Tokyo shows on February 15th and 16th. To increase my chances, I balloted for both days, hoping I might at least get one. Then, in September 2024, while I was attending my cousin’s wedding dinner, my phone buzzed with a credit card notification. A transaction had just been charged! I rushed to check the balloting results and—OMG!!! Not only did I get a ticket, I actually won for both days!!! I could barely contain my excitement during the dinner. FINALLY!
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| I was so excited after looking at this result. I keep smiling during the dinner. LOL |
One thing that sets Japanese concerts apart from the rest of the world is the ticketing structure. Unlike other countries where you can choose different price categories to guarantee a better view, Japan typically has one flat ticket price for everyone. You won't even know your seat assignment until you scan your ticket at the door on the day of the show! It’s a pure game of luck whether you end up in the front row of the arena or the very back of the upper balcony. However, for this tour, there was a special privilege for P.T.A./W.P.T.A. members: the VIP Seat Upgrade. By paying an additional fee, members could ballot to upgrade their tickets to guaranteed arena seats closest to the stage. I balloted for the upgrade for both days, and while I didn't get it for both, I managed to secure a VIP seat for one of the nights! Woohoo!! 😆This actually worked out perfectly. It meant that for one day, I could enjoy the concert from a distance to take in the full scale of the light effects and stage design. Then, on the other day, I could see Perfume up close! Kya~! 楽しみ！！
Since I only took two days of leave for this trip, I was only in Tokyo for the weekend. I flew out early on Valentine’s Day morning via Air Japan, a new budget carrier. Being single, Valentine’s Day didn't bother me at all—in fact, I was excited to fly in a day early specifically so I could catch the P.T.A. Live stream that night! This live broadcast is an annual tradition for fan club members. It was the perfect way to spend the evening before the actual concert, getting hyped up with the members and the rest of the fandom. For those who aren't members, they usually release a 30-minute sneak peek of the stream. Here it is below!
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| A glimpse of Mt. Fuji 🗻 |
The Tokyo stop for this tour was held at Ariake Arena（有明アリーナ）, which is about a 30-minute bus ride from Tokyo Station. On the first day, February 15th, the merchandise booths were scheduled to open at 1:00 PM. I arrived around 12:20 PM and was pleasantly surprised to find that the queue wasn't too bad. (I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing! 😅) Compared to my previous Perfume concerts in Japan, where it could take five minutes just to walk to the very end of the line, this queue was significantly shorter. It’s possible that because influenza was quite serious in Tokyo at the time, people were arriving later to avoid the crowds. Either way, it made for a much smoother experience for me!
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| I'm the first of the second queue |
Enjoying the view while queuing
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| 1 pm - Going In Now |
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| The Goods sale at the Sub Arena |
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| The Goods Pricing |
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| The Concert Goods Display |
This tour offered a special treat exclusive to fan club members: a "Scratch Lottery" for 500 yen per play. The prizes were incredible:
- Rank S: A signed concert T-shirt with the winner’s name (only one available per day!)
- Rank A: A limited-edition Perfume towel
- Rank B: A commemorative ticket case
- Rank C: A pin badge
- Participation Prize: A digital voice message from the members
There was a limit of five tickets per person at a time, so if you wanted to try again, you had to go to the back of the line. Over the two days, I bought ten tickets in total. My luck gave me five Rank B prizes and one Rank C prize. So, I walked away with five ticket cases and a single pin badge! 😭
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| The CD booth |
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| Fans Message Banner |
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| The Goods which I bought this tour |
I also prepared a special gift for the members this time: some Singapore Otter souvenirs! I thought it would be a nice way to bring a little piece of home to them. However, when I arrived, I noticed there wasn't a designated "Gift Box" area in the lobby like there used to be. I had to wait until I entered the concert area to ask the staff for help. Luckily, they were very kind and offered to collect the gifts and bring them backstage for me. I really hope the girls liked their little Singapore otters!
On the second day, it was time for my VIP experience! The upgrade didn't just guarantee me an arena seat close to the stage; it also came with a set of exclusive VIP-only merchandise that you couldn't buy at the regular booths. The special "treats" included a VIP-design T-shirt, a commemorative sheet, and a VIP pass on a lanyard.
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| While waiting to enter the arena |
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| Ariake Arena |
About an hour and fifteen minutes before the show, the staff began organizing the queue at the entrance. Since I had plenty of time, I managed to be right at the front of the line on both days! Once the doors finally opened, the crowd moved forward in anticipation to scan their tickets. In the Japanese system, your fate is decided the moment that scanner beeps: your seat number is printed out right there, and only then do you discover where you'll be spending the night. For this tour, the audience was divided into three color-coded teams: CYAN, MAGENTA, YELLOW. Upon scanning, everyone received a physical Team ID badge corresponding to their section. Incredibly, on both days, I was assigned to Team Magenta—the center group! 😆 Sitting right in the middle of the arena gave me the perfect "symmetry" to appreciate Perfume's legendary formations.
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| The Seat Map |
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| The seat ticket and Team Badge |
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| The View on Day 1 |
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| The View on Day 2 - VIP seat. So CLOSE!!! |
Iyo iyo (Finally, finally!), it was time for the show to begin! The views I had over the two days were absolutely perfect in different ways. On Day 1, sitting further back allowed me to fully appreciate the "Nebula Romance" world—the complex lighting architecture and the grand scale of the stage design were breathtaking. But Day 2... Day 2 was something else entirely. My VIP seat was located right next to the very end of the T-stage! When the girls moved down the runway toward the secondary stage, they were standing directly in front of me. Oh my! It was easily the closest I have ever been to them in my fifteen years as a fan. Seeing them that close, I could see every detail of their expressions and the precision of their movements. It was a moment I'll never forget!
The concert kicked off with a cinematic movie intro—a sci-fi epic about a Robot Army whose spaceship had been destroyed. Amidst the chaos, three girls were sent to Earth for safety. To blend in and stay protected, they were enrolled in a dance school to live and perform just like normal humans. As the intro faded, the tension in the arena reached its peak. Then, the three of them rose from beneath the center stage, appearing like a vision. They immediately broke into the first song of the night: The Light!
On Day 1, I was seated next to a couple in their 60s (I found out their age later during the MC segment). At first, I assumed they were just casual fans or perhaps had been gifted the tickets. However, the moment the movie intro began, the couple stood up with everyone else—and as soon as the music started, the uncle next to me started jumping! It was amazing to see. Perfume’s fanbase is incredibly diverse, ranging from young children to fans in their 70s. After the high-energy opening, the girls descended back into the stage as the cinematic narration continued the "story." After the second song, ラヴ・クラウド, the entire stage rotated 180 degrees, revealing a set that was an exact replica of the Cosmic Treat music video! It was stunning to see the MV world materialize right in front of us as they began the next performance.
For the first half of the concert, Perfume did something quite rare: they performed the entire new album setlist in its exact order, without stopping for a single MC break. For long-time fans used to their usual pattern of pausing after five or six songs for self-introductions and chatty stories, this was a completely new experience. It felt like we were watching a continuous sci-fi musical. Once the final track of the album finished, it was Nakata Yasutaka’s "showtime"—a powerful electronic transition that signaled the start of a new chapter. Then, the girls reappeared at the center stage to the opening beats of Cling Cling! You could instantly feel the shift in the room; the atmosphere became even more electric and lively. From the front to the back, everyone was jumping!
After "Cling Cling" and two more high-energy tracks, they finally stopped for their famous self-introduction. A-chan even teased us about the long silence, laughing, "Did you really think we were going to perform the whole way without talking? Can you even imagine a Perfume concert without an MC?" They explained that this tour was designed like a vinyl record: Side A was the continuous Nebula Romance story, while Side B was a unique, ever-changing setlist for each city. On Day 1, Nocchi was in top form. She bragged about receiving four Valentine’s chocolates with a hilarious doya (smug) face, but when she asked the audience how many of us got chocolate, she looked at the few raised hands, closed her eyes, and sighed, "Oh my, so few..." LOL! But the biggest highlight of Day 1 was celebrating A-chan’s birthday! The entire arena sang to her. It was such a special coincidence for me—my very first Perfume concert in Japan was Nocchi’s birthday, and now I was here for A-chan’s!
Then came the P.T.A. Corner. A-chan was as strict as a gym teacher! At one point, she asked us to pretend to be "mirror balls" and spin around. When she saw we were being shy, she "scolded" us: "Why aren't you turning? Are you embarrassed because you think people are watching you? Don't worry—NOBODY IS WATCHING YOU! So let’s turn together!" After that, everyone turn together. LOL. They also challenged us to the 無重力 (Zero Gravity) challenge from the Cosmic Treat choreography. We had to balance on one leg for 30 seconds to see if we could handle "Zero G." This interaction is exactly why a Perfume concert is so much fun! 😝
After the P.T.A. Corner, they announced there were only five songs remaining. Damn, that went by so fast! But they made sure those final songs were absolute floor-fillers. On Day 1, we started at 100% energy with "FAKE IT"—the jumping was intense! Since it was the day after Valentine’s, they followed up with their "Disco" hits back-to-back: "Chocolate Disco" and "One Room Disco." And because it was A-chan’s birthday, we got to hear her personal request, "Baby Face." It’s her favorite song, and hearing it live felt like a special birthday gift to us, too. Day 2, however, was an absolute endurance test! They kicked things off with "Party Maker" and went straight into "FAKE IT." Doing those two back-to-back is the ultimate way to lose some calories! LOL. They even reproduced the ナチュラルに恋して (Natural Ni Koishite) music video live, using the moving walkways and rotating stages. I really have to say Otsukare! to the stage crew—the logistics of moving those sets perfectly in time with the girls must be incredibly difficult! 😅
Before the final song, the music stopped for one last MC. On Day 1, the emotions finally overflowed. Kashiyuka was already in tears as she expressed her gratitude, saying that no matter what happens, she will always be by A~chan’s side. The two of them hugged right there on stage—it was such a beautiful, raw sight. Then it was Nocchi’s turn. She rarely gets emotional during speeches, but even she was in tears. she described A~chan as a "Sun" that shines upon everyone, and from her place behind her on stage, she always thinks A~chan looks so cool. She spoke about the "miracle" of that simple invitation in an elevator 25 years ago that led to this lifelong friendship. A~chan, already sobbing, joked, "Is this my wedding ceremony?" She said she felt so blessed and overwhelmed by all the love that she felt she could leave this world happy right then and there. Seeing them like that, I couldn't help but shed a tear myself. This is why I love Perfume so much—it’s not just the music or the technology; it’s the sincere, unbreakable love they have for each other. 💕
A Note from the Future (November 2025): > Looking back at this moment after A-chan officially announced her marriage on November 11, I can’t help but speculate—is it possible she was actually proposed to on that very day, February 15? >
It was her birthday, and the way she joked about it being her "wedding ceremony" feels so much more significant now. The sheer intensity of Kashiyuka and Nocchi’s tears felt like they were holding a beautiful secret, celebrating not just a tour, but a huge new chapter for their best friend. If that’s true, I feel so incredibly lucky to have witnessed such a monumental day in her life!
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| They did the same pose at the concert |
After the final song, it was truly time to say goodbye. I felt so incredibly grateful for my VIP seat; being able to see them so close and wave to them was a dream come true. When Nocchi stood at the end of the T-stage—even during the MC segments—she was right there in front of me. めちゃ近かった。People often ask, “Isn’t it a waste of money to watch the same concert twice?” But for a fan, it’s never enough. With the different "Side B" setlists and the unique energy of each crowd, no two nights are ever the same. Honestly, if I lived in Japan, I probably would have tried to attend every single stop on the tour! Hehe.
🎉🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY あ〜ちゃん🎂🎉
— Perfume_Staff (@Perfume_Staff) February 15, 2025
有明公演1日目のリハーサルで
お祝いしました🧚🏻♀️
この1年があ〜ちゃんとって
素敵な年になりますように🫶🏻#prfm pic.twitter.com/yetE0z9HtW
After the concert ended, I checked A-chan’s Instagram and realized just how many celebrities were in the crowd that night! Superstars like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Haruna-chan, and Nishino Kana were all there to support the girls. They were likely sitting in the VIP or guest sections—maybe even near me! It’s a bit funny to think I was so focused on the stage that I didn't notice a whole row of J-Pop royalty nearby. LOL. It just goes to show how much Perfume is loved, not just by us fans, but by their fellow artists as well.
Perfumeライブ最高すぎた〜
— きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ (@pamyurin) February 15, 2025
踊って泣いて今夜は眠れなさそう…！
セトリも良かったし、なにより西脇綾香さんお誕生日おめでとうございますすぎる😭だいだい大好き！！！ pic.twitter.com/hOWrcnWkUn
Looking back, this trip meant so much more than just a regular concert. After the devastating experience of my last Japan trip in 2020, where the show was cancelled at the very last minute due to the pandemic, finally seeing them on a Tokyo stage again felt like a dream come true. The wait was long, but standing there in the VIP section made every year of waiting worth it. Since this tour is titled "Nebula Romance Episode 1," I am absolutely certain that an Episode 2 is on the horizon. My heart is already set on the next chapter. No matter where I am, I will definitely find my way back to see them again! 😝
2025/02/15 side B setlist:
- Cling Cling
- Electro World
- Baby Cruising Love
~ MC - PTA corner ~
- Fake It
- Chocolate Disco
- One Room Disco
- Baby Face
~ MC ~
- 無限未来
2025/02/16 side B setlist:
- Cling Cling
- Night Flight
- Perfect Star Perfect Style
~ MC - PTA corner ~
- Party Maker
- Fake It
- ナチュラルに恋して
- My Color
~ MC ~
- Flow
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