The Weeknd kicked off the final chapter of his After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour in Tokyo on Saturday (Sept. 19), where the opening shows brought a new song thought to be titled “Tokyo” featuring Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi and a collision of Neon Genesis Evangelion and NieR:Automata imagery to the stage.
The two-night run at Belluna Dome marked the first Asian leg of the Weeknd’s record-breaking stadium tour and his first return to Japan in seven years. During Saturday’s gig, Takahashi joined him for a performance of her iconic 1995 song “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” the opening theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion. As for “Tokyo,” it was accompanied by a visual created by Yoko Taro that incorporates visuals from both NieR:Automata and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The collaboration adds another layer to the Weeknd’s longstanding fascination with Japanese culture and aesthetics. Ahead of his return, the singer told GQ Asia that he is currently remastering his Japan-influenced 2013 debut album, Kiss Land, and made clear that he isn’t contemplating a rumored exit from music: “The Weeknd isn’t going anywhere.”
The Tokyo shows also incorporated a substantial slate of Japanese creative talent into the tour’s production. At the center of the stage is a roughly 40-foot sculpture by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama, more than twice the scale of the statue featured on earlier legs of the tour. Hand-carved from polystyrene foam by craftsmen in Toyama and finished in gold with multiple layers of high-gloss aluminum paint, the sculpture features lasers in its eyes and smoke effects from its palms.
Japanese contemporary artist Tetsuya Nakamura also contributed masks worn by the Weeknd onstage, expanding a collaboration that began in 2023 with a chrome-silver mask, microphone and microphone stand. For the 2026 run, Nakamura and Sorayama co-designed additional masks and armor, while Yohji Yamamoto POUR HOMME created special stage looks.
The Tokyo arrival has been accompanied by an equally elaborate citywide rollout. The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn pop-up became the first three-floor takeover of Universal Music Store Harajuku, featuring exclusive merchandise, tour exhibits and special music releases, including a Yoshitaka Amano-designed After Hours Til Dawn collection. A Seibu Railway train wrapped in tour imagery and Amano’s artwork has also run through Tokyo, while Tokyo Tower was illuminated in the signature green of Kiss Land on Sept. 18.
The 17-date Asia run represents the final leg of After Hours Til Dawn, which has become one of the largest tours in history. The recently completed 2026 Europe and U.K. leg grossed more than $345 million across 42 shows, drawing more than 2.3 million fans and generating more than $2.2 million in charitable donations. Last year, the tour surpassed $1 billion in global gross. With more than 7.5 million tickets sold across 153 shows, After Hours Til Dawn became the highest-grossing tour ever by a male solo artist.
