After a jam-packed summer filled with a host of European tours spanning a wide range of musical genres, Japan-related events and festivals, it’s finally autumn. But if you think autumn is going to be boring, you’re very much mistaken! If you’re still looking for a great show or event to attend in October, this is the article to turn to for inspiration.
Below, we have compiled as comprehensive an overview as possible of all Japanese music events in Europe.
On tour in October 2026
For idol fans, October gets off to a good start with a mini-tour featuring three underground idols: 14th Generation Toilet Hanako-san, Satanic Punish and Ayame Oguma. 14th Generation Toilet Hanako-san are returning to Europe for the first time in seven years, following their Indie, Idol & Infamous tour in the United Kingdom in 2019. Satanic Punish will be performing in Europe for the third time as part of the Ikigai tour, whilst Ayame Oguma will be performing in Europe for the first time. They will kick off the tour at the Willemeen in Arnhem and play another show at the Sonic BallRoom in Cologne. More information can be found in this article.
Three visual kei musicians, Seth (Moi dix Mois), Kouki (D=OUT) and Tsukasa (THE MICRO HEAD 4N’S), will be coming to London as Sakura Zensen for an exclusive performance and fan meeting organised by Visual-kei Night Events. More information about the two special evenings can be found in this article. In addition, Seth will be appearing at Japan Matsuri in London on Sunday 4 October.
BABYBEARD are gearing up for a return to the European continent. They will be performing as special guests on the tour of the German metalcore band Samurai Pizza Cats, following their collaboration earlier this year on the track Ramen-Man. In addition, the pop-metal idol group, led by Ladybeard, has planned a number of their own shows, kicking off in The Hague. The group recently announced their new line-up featuring Mina and Mizuki.
New wave trance band Super Jet Kinoko are returning to Europe for their fourth tour in October and November. The tour, entitled SHROOMY PARADE —ECHO WAVE—, comprises shows in Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Denmark. Described as a unique music collective featuring seasoned artists from Osaka’s underground scene, what began as a spontaneous collaboration has evolved into a live experience that effortlessly blurs the lines between rock, trance, psychedelia, and party culture
In recent years, the three ladies from the legendary garage rock band The 5.6.7.8’s have travelled to Europe on tour on several occasions, and this year is no exception! This month, they will be performing in six countries (France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom) with their brand-new fourth album, Run Run Run, to mark the band’s 40th anniversary.
Garage rock band Electric Eel Shock will return to Europe for an extensive tour, starting in October and going through November. In October, the three-piece will perform 9 shows in the United Kingdom before they head to the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. They will be celebrating the last day of October, Halloween, at Musicon in The Hague. More information about the upcoming European tour can be found here.
Last spring, the noise rock band Melt-Banana performed on the European mainland as part of their tour. At the end of October, they will return to Europe for a slightly shorter tour covering northern and central Europe, kicking off at the Oslo World Festival. The tour continues in November with shows in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, where they will be appearing at the Le Guess Who? Festival and the Sonic City Festival.
This European tour was originally announced in June, but there has been a lot of promotion in recent weeks surrounding SPYAIR’s upcoming tour. The European tour will kick off at the end of October with a gig in Austria and will continue into November, with gigs in France, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. Eight years ago, the four-piece rock band last toured Europe as part of their first world tour. More information can be found here.
Last autumn, the three women of THE LET’S GO’s were in Europe on tour, but they have shows planned in France, Spain and Italy in October and November. This will be the first time THE LET’S GO’s have scheduled shows in Italy and Spain. They also have a new album, The Wonder Donuts Collection, comprising the four singles they have released in Japan. They will be selling the 10-inch version of the album during their upcoming European tour.
Anti Itch Cream, the solo project of Kae Takahashi (ex-Sete Star Sept) will tour Europe in October and November. The musician will kick off the tour in France and will further perform in Belgium and Spain. There are a couple of dates unconfirmed, so the advice is to keep an eye on Kae Takahashi’s social media. The project is described as digital noisecore grind, and the musician performs using a self-made drum machine and guitar, combined with screaming and a lot of energy.
As for visual kei, you’re in for a treat this month too, as the young visual kei band BLAZE will be touring Europe for the first time this October and November. The tour, entitled Rengoku, kicks off on 23 October in Romania and includes stops in Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany. The metal band was formed in 2025 with the concept ‘for the irredeemable’, producing heavy, emotionally charged music intended to resonate with people who feel lost, broken or hopeless.
This past April they were still performing at Roadburn, but the band Boris, which can now be described as legendary, can’t get enough of Europe. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the much-loved album Pink, the experimental trio will tour Europe in October and November, titled Do You Remember Pink Days?. Many shows have been sold out already and the band decided to add a few extra shows here and there.
The team at AVO Magazine had actually expected a full European tour following the announcements of the shows in the United Kingdom and France, but Paranoid Void will stick to these 10 shows. The shows in the United Kingdom and France are part of the Action Release Tour, promoting their third studio album Action, which was released earlier this year. The three-piece instrumental math/post-rock band has played several shows in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea over the past few months. The shows in the UK and France are the icing on the cake for the band.
Psychedelic rock band Tō Yō will be touring Europe this month and in November, touring through 10 countries. They will be on the road for about a month. The band just released their album Yardang via EXAG’ Records, three years after their first album, Stray Birds From the Far East. More information about the band and the upcoming European tour can be found in this article.
This month, visual kei metal band Zeke Deux are returning to Europe for a mini-tour with showsin Berlin, Prague and Vienna. They are no strangers to Europe, having performed there on several occasions. The five-piece band recently shared a trailer for their limited-edition single Carmilla, which is due to be released shortly after the European mini-tour.
If you’re into chaos, then BBBBBBB is a great pick for you. In October and November, this Nagoya-based act, which is described as one of the leading acts on the Japanese electronic hardcore scene, will be touring Europe. They’ll also be bringing their brand-new album, Poop Disco, with them. They describe themselves as a ‘victory hardcore’ band, and you can expect a mix of digital hardcore, noise, industrial and even trap, resulting in a very intense sound with a message of hope and dreams. Does that sound intriguing enough? Then you’ll be pleased to know that the band will be performing in London, Prague, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Vicenza this month.
Still on tour in October 2026
Composer and keyboardist Yasuharu Takanashi, known for his work on anime soundtracks such as Naruto Shippuden and Fairy Tail, just kicked off his European tour with project Far East Groove. The tour, titled The Battle For Glory started on 30 September in Finland. All the information about this European tour, can be found in this article.
The three-piece collective Maya Ongaku are in the middle of their biggest European tour to date, comprising 23 shows across 8 countries. The European tour has a hand full of shows scheduled for October in Spain and Portugal, before they will be heading back to Japan. The trio is known for their blend of traditional Japanese folk and psychedelic music. More information can be found on their Instagram page.
The flamboyant musician KAMIJO has had a busy summer, including a performance with Versailles at the B7KLAN J-Rock Fest and his very first gig in the United States. But since last month, he has returned to Europe for a tour comprising eight shows. In this article, you can read more about the remaining dates of his tour in October.
Crystal Lake have been touring through Europe as one of the supporting acts of Fear Factory’s Cybernetic Domination Tour and there are still several tour dates lined up for October. The metalcore band recently announced a new permanent vocalist, PK, who is also active in the metalcore band Prompts, following John Robert Centorrino’s departure earlier this year.
Alternative pop-rock group SOSOSO will be performing at a couple events in Europe tin October. The duo, consisting of model Miyu Ukiyo and German producer DRFTR (Read: Drifter), will be performing in Germany at the Japanmarket in Cologne, and in Poland they will be performing at Japan Fest 2026. They are sharing all the information about their upcoming shows on their Instagram page.
Singer-songwriter MION has been busy touring Europe in recent years, while being based in the United Kingdom. Her schedule this year was also packed with various performances across Europe, and there seems to be no end in sight. She has a number of plans for October, including performances at HeroFest 2026 in Bern, Switzerland. She will also be appearing at Japan Fest Northampton. Keep an eye on her social media accounts or her official website for updates.
Japanese music at events
Japan Matsuri London is the UK’s biggest annual festival of Japanese culture, food and drink. The musical programme for the event on 4 October in Trafalgar Square is jam-packed. Seth’s (Moi dix Mois) performance was mentioned above, but there is much more to see in terms of traditional and modern Japanese music, such as the SOAS Min’yō Group, shamisen singer Yuzu, London Okinawa Sanshinkai, Naomi Suzuki and more. The full programme can be found on the organisation’s official website.
The Berlin Ramen Festival takes place in Berlin from 9 to 11 October, showcasing not only ramen but also workshops, live music, traditional performances, listening sessions and more. On the opening day, the event will present a programme featuring a carefully curated selection of food, alongside karaoke, craft activities, films and an evening programme dedicated to Japanese music and pop culture, including a listening session and a panel discussion with teshisfinehour and kidkanevil on Japanese video game music. Further information can be found on their official website.
De singer-songwriter en pianiste Mika Kobayashi, bekend om nummers die zijn gebruikt in anime-series als Attack on Titan, Guilty Crown en The Promised Neverland, en in videogames als Final Fantasy XI en Xenoblade Chronicles X, reist af naar Polen voor een optreden op Ryucon Silesia. De conventie vindt plaats op 10 en 11 oktober in PreZero Arena Gliwice gevuld met de activiteiten en entertainment die je mag verwachten van een conventie: exposanten, cosplay, optredens, lezingen, workshops en wedstrijden. Meer informatie is te vinden op de website van de organisatie, in het Pools.
Normally, the Main Matsuri takes place in Offenbach am Main in August, and this was also announced for the coming year, but the organisers recently made a surprising announcement. This month, they will be attending the Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair) for the first time, where they will be presenting an extensive programme throughout the event, from 9 to 11 October, ranging from cosplay competitions to live performances on their own stage. All the information can be found on the Main Matsuri Facebook page and in the interview on the Frankfurt Book Fair website, where you’ll read that the Japanese yodeller Takeo Ischi will be giving a number of performances.
This year sees the first edition of The A Festival, which celebrates Asian entertainment. The event will take place in Paris on 24 and 25 October. As well as performances, you can look forward to interviews, masterclasses, auditions, workshops and more. The Japanese pop-rock band Seven Oops (7!!) will be attending the event for performances and meet-and-greets. Further information can be found on the Envol Prod website.
Have you seen an announcement that hasn’t been featured on the website yet? Send us a message. If you’re an event organiser, feel free to send us a press release. All the contact information can be found on this page. Want to contribute to AVO Magazine? We are currently looking for writers and translators.
