On Thursday, August 1st, YOSHIKI appeared at a press conference held at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, where various important news was announced.
YOSHIKI revealed that he will undergo his third emergency cervical spine surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, California, on Tuesday, October 8th. YOSHIKI is currently experiencing severe neck pain as well as symptoms such as loss of feeling in his left hand. Several well-known doctors have advised him to undergo surgery immediately.
With a few exceptions, most of YOSHIKI's schedule over the next two months has been canceled. Though he wishes to continue with as many things as possible, his entire schedule after his October surgery will be canceled.
YOSHIKI reported in his own words,"Right now, I have a burning sensation in the fingertips of my left hand, and it feels like I'm constantly holding ice in my hands. It's unbearable without painkillers. The doctor told me that I should have surgery next week, but I already have a lot of commitments. Specifically, there is no option of canceling the dinner shows, which start tomorrow, as fans not only from Japan but from all over the world will be attending. I hope to be able to put on the best show possible."
Although YOSHIKI is about to undergo important surgery, he also announced a lot of big news at the press conference, including the launch of the innovative fan community "YOSHIKI+."
"YOSHIKI+" is an innovative digital service that replaces the 22-year-old mobile service "YOSHIKI mobile" (which will close at the end of August). It is a fan community where fans can enjoy unprecedented, innovative content, using AI and podcasts, and online communication with the artist himself. The long-awaited launch of the service is here.
During the press conference, the launch of the "AI YOSHIKI PROJECT" was announced, which will use AI technology to turn YOSHIKI into a virtual human, and a video showing the making of the project was released. AI YOSHIKI will continue to learn and will be able to freely converse with fans not only in Japan but also overseas.
Furthermore, one of the contents of YOSHIKI+, a digital communication corner with YOSHIKI using ZOOM for FAN MEETINGS, was introduced, and as a mock up experience, a Q&A corner was held during the press conference where fans connected via ZOOM.
YOSHIKI responded positively to the fans' wishes to make "YOSHIKI+" cards. The unprecedented event of interacting with fans via ZOOM at a press conference caused a stir in the venue.
"In X JAPAN, HIDE was the one who communicated with the fans, and I was the leader and pushed forward. However, after HIDE passed away, I felt that I had to take on the role of communicating with the fans, so I started YOSHIKI Mobile. At first, I wasn't very good at it, but with the support of our fans in difficult situations, we were able to get to this point. Though we have social media, I want to connect through both innovative and analog mediums so we can build closer relationships."
Additionally, the girls group "Bi-ray" and boys group "XY", both produced by YOSHIKI, will make guest appearances at the dinner shows, which will consist of 13 performances over 8 days starting on Friday, August 2. Bi-ray will perform at the breakfast show, and XY will perform at the dinner show.
It was also mentioned that from the end of July, X JAPAN and YOSHIKI's songs and live footage will be distributed worldwide on major platforms.
Until now, these songs have not been distributed on music distribution platforms, and they have already attracted attention from fans around the world. Songs currently being distributed include the songs from the album "DAHLIA" ("Rusty Nail," "Forever Love," "Tears," "DAHLIA," etc.) and "JADE." Also, live footage such as "X JAPAN Blue Night/White Night Complete Edition" and "X JAPAN THE LAST LIVE Complete Edition," the legendary Tokyo Dome live performance from X JAPAN that excited the whole of Japan, have been distributed.
In addition, YouTube Channel membership will include an archive of past broadcasts of YOSHIKI CHANNEL, which could only be viewed on Niconico until now, and users will be able to watch valuable past footage, such as X JAPAN's legendary live performance without an audience. Broadcasts that were only available in Japanese at the time will also be uploaded with newly recorded English translations.
At the press conference, the upcoming global schedule was mentioned. An invitational visit to Saudi Arabia was announced. Saudi Arabia aims to build a nation independent of oil and is investing in the entertainment industry. As part of this, the world's largest e-sports tournament, the Esports World Cup, is being held in July/August, and YOSHIKI was invited. Next year will be the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is keen to strengthen the connection with Japanese game companies.
Furthermore, YOSHIKI has been invited as a special guest speaker at Salesforce's "DREAMFORCE 2024" to be held in San Francisco in September 2024. The event is renowned as the world's largest AI cloud platform event, attracting many industry leaders and experts, demonstrating YOSHIKI's influence and high reputation in the industry. He will appear on stage to discuss AI with Salesforce's Paula Goldman, an expert on AI data and a member of the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC) of the United States.
YOSHIKI's activities in various markets such as wine and fashion are also a hot topic. Recently, a new product was announced by "Y by YOSHIKI", a wine brand produced by YOSHIKI. A rosé wine "Y by YOSHIKI Rosé California 2023", was released and has been very well received with sales increasing steadily. According to the California Wine Association's North Asia/Australia Regional Co-Representative, out of the many wines released, this rosé wine was the first to sell out in many wine shops, and despite it being only one month since its launch, YOSHIKI has already made a big impact in the way Japanese people view rosé wine.
Despite concerns about his physical condition, various important announcements were made at this press conference. Normally, surgery would take priority over everything else, but YOSHIKI continues to defy common sense with his incredible mental strength.
About "YOSHIKI+ (PLUS)"
Service launch date: Thursday, August 1, 2024
URL: https://www.yoshikiplus.com/
Fees: STANDARD 880 yen (tax included) / month PREMIUM 1,760 yen (tax included) / month
Contents (planned)
・YOSHIKICHANNEL linked fan meeting
・YOSHIKI+ exclusive podcast
・AI-based content
・YOSHIKI STORE exclusive merchandise sales
・Concert ticket priority sales
What is "AI YOSHIKI"?
A new service for YOSHIKI+: A virtual human of YOSHIKI using various AI generation techniques such as YOSHIKI's video, voice synthesis, and LLM (Large Language model) which allows free conversation with fans.
In addition, to provide a richer experience, a 3DCG avatar is being created using the 3D face scanner "LUMIO3D". With the full cooperation of Toei Zukun Laboratory, the world's best 3D face scanner [Light Stage] (of which there are only two in Japan) was used to film the avatar, aiming for a quality that can be used worldwide.
Dinner Show
Dinner show ticket details
General ticket sales
Dinner show performance details
"EVENING / BREAKFAST with YOSHIKI 2024 in TOKYO JAPAN"
Venue: Grand Hyatt Tokyo Ballroom
Number of performances: 13 in total
Ticket prices:
Breakfast Show 88,000 yen (tax included)
Dinner Show 110,000 yen (tax included)
VIP package 300,000 yen (tax included) *VIP packages are only available for evening performances *Sold out
Dinner Show Schedule:
August 2 (Fri) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)
August 3 (Sat) Breakfast Show (Breakfast 11:45am JST / Show 1pm JST)
August 3 (Sat) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)
August 4 (Sun) Breakfast Show (Breakfast 11:45am JST / Show 1pm JST)
August 4 (Sun) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)
August 23 (Fri) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)
August 24 (Sat) Breakfast Show (Breakfast 11:45am JST / Show 1pm JST)
August 24 (Sat) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)
August 25 (Sun) Breakfast Show (Breakfast 11:45am JST / Show 1pm JST)
August 25 (Sun) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)August 30 (Fri) Dinner Show (Dinner 6:30pm JST / Show 8pm JST)
August 31 (Sat) Breakfast Show (Breakfast 11:45am JST / Show 1pm JST)
August 31 (Sat) Dinner Show (Dinner 18:30 JST / Show 8pm JST)
Bi-ray- related links
Official Instagram
Official X
Official Site
XY related links
Official Instagram
Official X
Official Site
Y by YOSHIKI related links
Y by YOSHIKI Official Site
Y by YOSHIKI Official Instagram
Y by YOSHIKI Official X
YOSHIKI Official STORE
YOSHIKI Official Site: https://www.yoshiki.net/
YOSHIKI YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/yoshikiofficial
YOSHIKI Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoshikiofficial/
