From Mart Stages to Selling Out 7,000 Seats… Sung Si Kyung's 9 Years in Japan

Singer Sung Si Kyung has sold out a 7,000-seat venue in Japan, nine years after beginning his activities there with the attitude of a rookie. On the 4th, Sung Si Kyung held his solo concert ‘Sung Si Kyung Japan Concert [A Song For You 2026]’ at the Tokyo Garden Theater in Japan. It was a complete sell-out, setting the record for his fastest sell-out among his solo concerts held in Japan. 90% of the audience were local Japanese fans. Having stood on stages at large shopping malls and marts in Japan and singing in front of hundreds, Sung Si Kyung has steadily increased his local fanbase by continuing small-scale performances. The activities built since releasing his first Japanese full-length album in 2017 have led to this concert scale and sell-out record.

Sold out all seats at Tokyo Garden Theater after 9 years

Sung Si Kyung has continued his activities in Japan since releasing his first Japanese full-length album ‘DRAMA’ in 2017. The solo concert held at the Tokyo Garden Theater on the 4th was conducted at a 7,000-seat scale and was completely sold out. 90% of the audience were local Japanese fans. While he is a singer who holds three-day solo concerts every year-end at the KSPO DOME in Korea and sells them out, he started from a low level of recognition in Japan.

Akita Sakigake Shimpō reported in September that Sung Si Kyung's news regarding this solo concert recorded the shortest time to sell out among his Japanese performances. The scale of the performance did not increase drastically all at once, but grew through previous tours and appearances on broadcasts. According to the original text, Sung Si Kyung's Japanese performance scale increased to 3,000–4,000 seats in 2025. The performance on the 4th was held at a 7,000-seat scale. The duration of his performances in Japan and the venue scales are as follows:

A tour that started on mart stages and in front of 250 audience members

When he first entered Japan, Sung Si Kyung sang at large shopping malls and marts. In 2024, he conducted a Japanese tour, but he could not fill the 600-seat venue during the Fukuoka performance. Appearing on SBS PowerFM ‘Choi Hwa-jung's Power Time’ at the time, Sung Si Kyung said, “I recently went on a tour in Japan, and I am still a rookie in Japan. In Fukuoka, the tickets didn't sell well, so even though it was a 600-seat venue, it didn't sell, so I reduced it to 400 seats. But even that didn't sell, so I sang in front of 250 people. But that was so happy and fun.” Touring venues with less than 1,000 seats accompanied by a band session was a situation where he had to endure deficits, but Sung Si Kyung continued his Japanese tours.

When performing in Japan, Sung Si Kyung sang in Japanese and conversed with the audience in Japanese. The original text reported that his singing ability, fluent Japanese, and his variety show sense and wit during performances played a role in increasing his local fanbase. The scale grew with repeated performances, and in 2025, he conducted performances of 3,000–4,000 seats. The fact that Sung Si Kyung started his activities as a rookie in Japan and the process of gaining experience by touring small venues align with what he has directly revealed on broadcasts. Although he was a singer who had already been holding large concerts in Korea, in Japan, he had to newly create the audience scale and audience response.

Japanese popular music critic and radio DJ/MC Masayuki Furuya commented on this achievement, saying that the fact that a talented Korean male solo singer filled a venue of over 7,000 seats was not a result achieved solely by the K-pop and Hallyu craze. He evaluated it as, “It is the result of building deep trust with Japanese music industry officials persistently over a long time without giving up.” He continued, “It is the culmination of time spent making steady efforts, sometimes localizing to fit the Japanese market while sometimes maintaining his stubbornness regarding his musical expression, and above all, valuing direct communication in Japanese.”

Local interest following appearances on Japanese variety shows

In November last year, Sung Si Kyung appeared on the Japanese TBS music variety program ‘Hamada Song Festival’. He also appeared on the Fuji TV music variety program ‘Chidori's Oni Renchan’. The corner of said program was introduced as a way where success is achieved by accurately matching the pitch, tempo, and lyrics of a song. In a corner where it is not easy even for Japanese singers to pass the early rounds, Sung Si Kyung succeeded nine times in a row. The original text reported that gasps came from the panels watching the broadcast and on-site, and interest and reactions toward Sung Si Kyung continued in Japan immediately after the broadcast.

The outfit he wore on the broadcast became a hot topic online, being called the ‘Goryeo Celadon Look.’ The Netflix variety series ‘Crazy Good Restaurants’ in which Sung Si Kyung is appearing also played a role in increasing his recognition in Japan, and his YouTube channel and song video content also received renewed attention. Beyond the stage and broadcasts, food content and videos are also included in the scope of Sung Si Kyung's activities encountered in Japan. He signed a management and production partnership agreement with Kodansha in Japan and also released a book introducing Korean gourmet restaurants in Japan.

Regarding Sung Si Kyung's activities in Japan, Furuya mentioned the situation where there were stories that it is difficult for Korean artists to succeed in Japan. He said, “In the past, there were many stories that it was difficult for Korean artists, rather than idols, to succeed in Japan. Behind this wonderful achievement accomplished in such a situation, there was the persistence and effort of continuing to challenge without giving up. I believe this achievement will give great courage and hope to junior artists who challenge the Japanese market in the future.” According to the original text, Sung Si Kyung has continued his activities by building trust with Japanese music industry officials and communicating directly in Japanese.

The next goal is a performance at Nippon Budokan

The stage Sung Si Kyung has chosen as his next goal is the Nippon Budokan. The Budokan is a venue that can accommodate up to 14,000 people, and the original text explains that it is of a similar scale to the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Korea. It is a place where top-tier singers perform in Japan, and is called the 'holy land of Japanese performances' and the 'dream stage for Japanese musicians.' Sung Si Kyung revealed on the MBC show 'Son Suk-hee's Questions' broadcast last April that he has set a performance at the Budokan as his goal. He said, "'I thought I should not settle and become a senior (singer) that I am not ashamed of. My goal is to perform a concert that fills the Budokan. It is definitely not easy, and that is why I am more attracted to it." He continued, "If I can truly pull off a (performance) at the Budokan, I want to let people know that there is such a singer in Korea who didn't do it all at once but came up from the bottom through hard work."

The book published in Japan is a gourmet guide introducing Korean restaurants, focusing on the places covered in the YouTube channel 'I'll Eat It.' The title of the book is 'Sung Si Kyung's Truly Delicious Korean Food Guide: Sung Si Kyung's Deep Korea.' Sung Si Kyung also attended a publication commemorative event held at Kinokuniya Books Shinjuku Main Store on the 5th, the day after his Tokyo Garden Theater performance. By continuing his Japanese performances and book publication together, he has been conducting activities in the local area beyond just music.

In Korea, he appears on the KBS 2TV late-night music variety show 'The Seasons - Sung Si-kyung, Your Eardrum Boyfriend' as the MC every week. Last month, he completed the concert brand 'Well, Today' which started in 2022. This year's performance moved to the outdoor 88 Lawn Field for the first time and was held as a picnic-style concert listening to music on the grass. While continuing his performance activities in Japan alongside his domestic broadcasts and concerts, Sung Si Kyung announced the Budokan as his next goal.

Sung Si Kyung's activities in Japan have led from mart and shopping mall stages and tour performances visited by hundreds to the sell-out of Tokyo Garden Theater. Appearing on Japanese variety programs and publishing a book also became part of his local activities. A performance at the Budokan is the next goal Sung Si Kyung personally revealed, while in Korea, he has continued as the MC for 'The Seasons - Sung Si-kyung, Your Eardrum Boyfriend' and the 'Well, Today' performances.

Read the original (Korean)