A gospel journey that began in a Sapporo church is heading to a Taipei jazz club. Furui Riho, a Japanese singer-songwriter from Hokkaido who spent 15 years singing in a gospel choir, will hold her first-ever solo concert outside Japan in September 2026. Her Billboard Live Tour "The Garden" takes her to Tokyo, Osaka, and Taipei, marking a new chapter for one of Japan's most compelling R&B voices.

Furui Riho announces first overseas solo show

On April 19, 2026, Japanese singer-songwriter Furui Riho announced her upcoming tour, "Furui Riho Billboard Live Tour 2026 -The Garden-," to be held in September 2026. Alongside Tokyo and Osaka, the tour includes a show in Taipei, her very first solo performance outside Japan. The news has drawn strong attention from fans both in Japan and abroad.

This is her first Billboard Live tour in roughly two years, following 2024's "Do What Makes You Happy." Since then, she has steadily scaled up, through the 2025 Zepp tour "Vloooooom" and her biggest tour yet, a 12-city run called "Dear my friends." Now, she's finally crossing borders.

Full tour schedule

"The Garden" spans three cities and six performances. Like all Billboard Live shows, each date features two sets (1st and 2nd).

Date City Venue 1st Show 2nd Show
Fri, September 11, 2026 Osaka Billboard Live OSAKA Doors 16:30 / Start 17:30 Doors 19:30 / Start 20:30
Sun, September 13, 2026 Tokyo Billboard Live TOKYO Doors 15:00 / Start 16:00 Doors 18:00 / Start 19:00
Sat, September 26, 2026 Taipei Billboard Live TAIPEI Doors 16:00 / Start 17:00 Doors 19:00 / Start 20:00

She'll be joined by a trusted band: Jun Tomoda (piano), Haruka Sakamoto (guitar), Haruna Makiyama (bass), Masato Mori (drums), and Ma-chang (backing vocals). The depth of her gospel roots, the groove of R&B and soul, and songs that come alive in an intimate setting, all just meters away from a few hundred listeners per show.

Who is Furui Riho?

Furui Riho was born on April 10, 1991, in Otaru, Hokkaido, and is a singer-songwriter, composer, and producer based in Sapporo.

Raised in a family that loved music, she was taken by her mother to a gospel performance at a church in Sapporo when she was in fifth grade, and never looked back. She spent 15 years in a gospel choir, a foundation that gave her the soulful, grounded voice she's known for today. Her stated influences include Minnie Riperton, Kirk Franklin, and Mariah Carey.

She started performing solo in college, and her 2019 debut digital single "Rebirth" led to everything that came after. Her 2022 debut album "Green Light" was selected for Apple Music's "Up Next" and Spotify's "RADAR: Early Noise 2023." In 2024, she signed to Pony Canyon and released her second album, "Love One Another," home to fan favorites like "Pink Hair," "Super Star," "LOA," "dekoboko," and "I'm free."

A major turning point for international fans came in July 2025, when she wrote "Hello", the opening theme for the Kyoto Animation TV series "CITY THE ANIMATION." That put her in front of anime audiences worldwide. Her third album, "Letters," arrived in March 2026, followed by her first-ever hall tour in April. "The Garden" is, in a sense, an extension of that momentum.

Why Taipei for her first overseas show?

Why Taipei first? A big part of the answer is Billboard Live TAIPEI, which opened in November 2025.

Billboard Live is a Japan-born "club-restaurant" style live venue brand that has run spots in Tokyo, Osaka, and Yokohama, plus international locations in Shanghai and Nanjing. Its Taipei branch is its newest. The venue sits on the 7th floor of ATT 4 FUN, a major entertainment complex in Taipei's Xinyi District, just steps from Taipei 101.

With only about 300 seats, a mix of VIP, tables, and standing, and JBL's top-end speaker system, it's an unusually intimate space for international artists. Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean, and Western performers are all on the upcoming calendar, positioning Taipei as a new hub connecting Asian music scenes.

So for Furui Riho, Taipei isn't a "blind leap into an overseas arena." It's the same venue brand, same intimate distance with fans that she's used to in Tokyo and Osaka. The energy she's built up at Billboard Live in Japan translates directly to Taipei. It's a natural, smart first step.

Venue access (for international fans)

Billboard Live TOKYO

  • Address: Tokyo Midtown Garden Terrace 4F, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
  • Access: Direct connection from Roppongi Station (Hibiya Line / Oedo Line); 3 min from Nogizaka Station (Chiyoda Line)
  • Nearby: Roppongi Hills, The National Art Center Tokyo, Tokyo Midtown

Billboard Live OSAKA

  • Address: Herbis PLAZA ENT B2F, 19-19 Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka
  • Access: About 10 min on foot from JR / Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station
  • Nearby: Grand Front Osaka, HEP FIVE, the Chayamachi district

Billboard Live TAIPEI

  • Address: ATT 4 FUN 7F, No. 12 Songshou Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei
  • Access: About 5 min on foot from Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station (MRT Tamsui-Xinyi Line), Exit 2
  • Nearby: Taipei 101, Eslite Xinyi, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park

The Taipei show falls on a Saturday, an ideal date for international fans planning a weekend "concert-plus-travel" trip.

Pre-sale tickets and the "DAYSY" fan club

One crucial detail: pre-sale tickets for the Tokyo and Osaka shows will be handled through Furui Riho's official fan club, "DAYSY," from 9:00 PM on April 19, 2026 (Sunday) through 11:59 PM on April 26 (Sunday).

DAYSY was launched on April 10, 2026, Furui Riho's first-ever official fan club. The site lives at daysy.club. Membership costs 770 yen/month (about $5) or 8,470 yen/year (about $55), payable by credit card or carrier billing (monthly only).

Perks include pre-sale tickets, an app-exclusive direct message feature from Furui Riho herself, members-only live streams, original videos / photos / audio content, and a digital membership card. The app is available on both iOS and Android, search "DAYSY" or "Furui Riho" in the App Store or Google Play.

Whether international fans can subscribe without a Japanese credit card, and exactly how pre-sale for the Taipei show will work, are details worth watching for in future announcements on the official site.

"I want to bring my music overseas": her own words

In an October 2025 interview with Anime Atelier, Furui Riho spoke directly to her overseas fans:

"My lyrics are in Japanese, but I'm truly grateful to have connected with so many people through this anime. I believe the power of music can reach people's hearts beyond language. The theme I hold dear, love, is a universal language that crosses borders, and I'm confident it lets me connect with everyone. Recently, I've developed a strong desire to share my music not only in Japan but with the world. Performing overseas someday and delivering my songs in person is my dream."

That dream is now becoming a concrete show just half a year later. And the first stop is Taipei, a city in the East Asian region where her profile grew thanks to "CITY THE ANIMATION." As a storyline, it all connects beautifully.

What "The Garden" means

The tour title "The Garden" resonates with what Furui Riho wrote when she launched her new fan club:

"On tired days, I want this to be a place where you can unwind and laugh. On sad days, a place where you can gently hold yourself. I hope warm time can flow here." What she's trying to create is a garden where each listener can bloom as themselves.

The core of a voice trained in gospel, the groove of R&B and soul, and Japanese lyrics full of humor and the smell of everyday life, Furui Riho's September tour promises to bloom differently in Tokyo, Osaka, and Taipei, with each city drawing out something new.

It's a rare chance to experience the real state of today's Japanese R&B scene up close, in a room where every seat feels like the front row. If this caught your attention, keep an eye on her fan club "DAYSY" and her official social accounts.

Is Furui Riho already known in your country? As a Japanese R&B and soul singer-songwriter, if she were to play other Asian cities, Seoul, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, which city would you want to see her in? Let us know in the comments.

References