{"rewrite":{"id":"r_033b88ba839e9b0b3f6b494c","clusterId":"c_41faf3dee5f06d131ee74611","slug":"sho-sakurai-says-arashi-feels-like-arashi-again-as-final-tour-opens","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Sho Sakurai Says Arashi Feels Like Arashi Again as Final Tour Opens","summary":"Sho Sakurai commented on the opening of Arashi's final tour during the March 16 live broadcast of \"news zero\" on Nippon TV. The group, which announced it will end all activities on May 31, 2026, resumed group activities in 2025 after a hiatus that began in 2020. Their last concert tour, \"ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2026 'We are ARASHI',\" opened at Sapporo Dome on March 14. Sakurai said it had been about six and a half years since the group last stood directly in front of fans, because the final year before the hiatus was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He described the moment of meeting fans at the concert venue as the instant \"Arashi began to move as Arashi.\" He also mentioned spending time in the dressing room with members and staff, eating and drinking alcohol together for the first time in a long while. Sakurai said he saw posts on social media showing fans writing messages for Arashi at airports and record stores, and that it moved him. He stated the tour has 12 performances through May 31, and he wants to treasure each one. The tour will continue in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka.","whyItMatters":"Sakurai's comments mark the first public reflection from an Arashi member on the emotional and physical return to live performance after a six-year hiatus, as the group enters its final weeks of activity.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSakurai spoke on the March 16 episode of \"news zero\" after the first weekend of the tour, which ran from March 14 to 16 at Sapporo Dome. He noted that while the five members had met for rehearsals and meetings during the hiatus, the concert setting was different. \"The moment I met the fans at the concert venue, I felt that Arashi began to move as Arashi,\" he said. He also described the after-show time in the dressing room, eating and drinking with members and staff, as something that had been absent for years. Social media posts showed Sapporo's airport, hotels, and shops decorated to welcome the group, a level of local fan engagement Sakurai said he noticed and appreciated. The tour's remaining stops are Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka, with 12 total performances leading to the May 31 end date. The Ota-Jo article, which covers the comments, is a sister site of Gadget Tsushin.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Sho Sakurai says the moment Arashi met fans at Sapporo Dome, 'Arashi began to move as Arashi' - six and a half years since their last live show.","twitterPost":"Arashi's final tour opened at Sapporo Dome. Sakurai: 'It had been about 6.5 years since we stood directly in front of fans.' 12 shows remain.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Sho Sakurai reflected on the opening of Arashi's final tour, saying the group felt like itself again on stage after six and a half years. The tour runs through May 31 with stops in five cities.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Ota-Jo\",\"url\":\"https://otajo.jp/119272\",\"title\":\"櫻井翔「嵐が嵐として動き始めた」「楽屋でメンバーとお酒を飲んで」嵐ラストツアー開幕　SNSで札幌の盛り上がりを実感「胸が熱くなりました」\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4874,"outputTokens":801,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780219838,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T09:22:01.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-31T09:25:33.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T09:25:33.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_41faf3dee5f06d131ee74611","canonicalTitle":"櫻井翔「嵐が嵐として動き始めた」「楽屋でメンバーとお酒を飲んで」嵐ラストツアー開幕　SNSで札幌の盛り上がりを実感「胸が熱くなりました」","representativeArticleId":"a_5301d34f07eda4acec16f270","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Arashi\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Sho Sakurai\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"music\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-03-19T13:15:57.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-03-19T13:15:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T09:25:33.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Ota-Jo","url":"https://otajo.jp/119272","title":"櫻井翔「嵐が嵐として動き始めた」「楽屋でメンバーとお酒を飲んで」嵐ラストツアー開幕　SNSで札幌の盛り上がりを実感「胸が熱くなりました」"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Arashi"],"studios":[],"people":["Sho Sakurai"],"type":"news","domain":"music","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Arashi's final tour 'ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2026 We are ARASHI' opened at Sapporo Dome on March 14, 2026.","Sho Sakurai said on the March 16 episode of 'news zero' that it had been about six and a half years since the group last stood directly in front of fans.","Sakurai described the moment of meeting fans at the concert venue as the instant 'Arashi began to move as Arashi.'","The tour has 12 performances through May 31, 2026, with stops in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka.","Sakurai said he saw social media posts of fans writing messages for Arashi at airports and record stores, which moved him."]}