Text on slides: Masayoshi Takanaka is a Tokyo-born guitarist, composer, and one of the defining architects of City Pop—Japan's genre of jazz-infused urban pop that became the soundtrack of the country's economic boom in the 1970s and '80s. Now, at 73, he is embarking on his first-ever world tour. As much a showman as a musician, Takanaka built a career around technically dazzling performances, most famously wielding his guitar built from an actual surfboard.⁠ ⁠ For most of that time, audiences in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand never got to see him live. In March 2025, he played two sold-out nights at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, marking his first US performances in over 40 years. The reception was enough to set something larger in motion.⁠ ⁠ When Live Nation announced his first-ever world tour in November 2025, every date sold out within days. Additional shows were added in New York and Los Angeles to meet demand. The US leg hits Brooklyn Paramount, the Aragon Ballroom in Chicag...