From December 27 to 31, 2025, I attended all five days of COUNTDOWN JAPAN 25/26 held at Makuhari Messe. Including the day I arrived to get settled, it was a six-day, five-night trip. I’ve been to this New Year’s eve festival a few times before, but five full days was a first for me. Looking back, I honestly can’t believe my body held out.
The Journey from Aichi to Makuhari — Six Days Away
Living in Aichi, Makuhari Messe is a full-on away trip. I decided to drive. The last day, December 31, is a New Year’s Eve festival, which means I’d be at the venue well past the last train. Worrying about trains the whole time wasn’t appealing, so I committed to driving from the start.
I stayed at a hotel near Chiba-Minato. I arrived on December 26 to get settled, returned to the hotel around 2 a.m. on the final night, then checked out leisurely on New Year’s morning before heading back to Aichi. The drive home became a review session — playing artists from Day 1 through Day 5 on repeat. Listening to five days’ worth of J-rock on the way back felt like a genuinely luxurious use of time.
The Billboard I Saw at Kaihin-Makuhari Station Three Years Ago
The thing I most wanted to write about in this post is how I first discovered Sabasister.
This was Sabasister’s third appearance at COUNTDOWN JAPAN. I first learned about them three years ago at the same festival. That day, while waiting on the platform at Kaihin-Makuhari for a train toward Chiba-Minato, I noticed an advertisement for Sabasister. They hadn’t been on my schedule, but something about it caught me — “these guys seem interesting” — so the next day I went to their set on a whim.
They were still indie at the time. Watching them perform, I thought, “I want to follow this band properly.” Since then, I’ve seen them live in Nagoya three or four times. At CDJ25/26, Sabasister was chosen to perform the New Year’s countdown act. Having your personal favorite be the one to ring in the new year on stage — that doesn’t happen often.
DAY 1 (December 27) — The Start of Five Days
HANA opened the first day. They’ve grown in presence rapidly over the past few years, and their performance that day left an impression that easily ranked in my top three across all five days.
Da-iCE always brings a reliably energetic show with a playful, loose vibe that I enjoy. A colleague of mine is a Da-iCE fan and had been at a different venue the night before — they went home thoroughly satisfied. It’s one of the nice things about festivals: shared connections form around common ground like that.
milet had taken a break from activities for a while, so seeing them again was a welcome reunion. I was somewhere near the front, if I remember right. Vaundy performed on the Earth Stage, so I ended up further back — a small Vaundy in the distance — but the energy from the whole crowd came through just fine.
DAY 2 (December 28) — SHISHAMO’s Final Bow
Day 2 was the most emotionally charged of the five.
SHISHAMO has announced they will hold their final concert in Kawasaki in June 2026, ending their run as a band. That means this CDJ was likely their last. I had won the front area lottery, so I was close enough to burn the memory in properly. There’s a different density to a show you watch thinking “this might be the last time.”
I’d seen FRUITS ZIPPER from about row 15 in the front area last year — sparkling and wonderful. This year I didn’t get the front lottery and watched from further back, but I got to enjoy the energy of the whole crowd instead.
A friend had told me about Aooo beforehand, so I did some homework before going. It’s a high-profile supergroup featuring Riko Ishino, former vocalist of Akai Kouen, and Hikaru Yamamoto, a bassist who also supports YOASOBI — a compelling lineup. I went to Noshi out of curiosity for a song I’d been interested in, then closed out Day 2 with Creepy Nuts, who by now feel like a festival staple.
DAY 3 (December 29) — The Wall at Day Three
By Day 3, my body started sending complaints. I hadn’t reset properly after the first two days, and the cumulative fatigue was becoming noticeable. From this point I stopped pushing myself to stand the entire time, sitting down and taking breaks to find a sustainable pace. For a five-day stretch, knowing when to ease up might be the key skill.
I started with Koresawa — an artist who doesn’t show their face on TV or YouTube but performs live with their face visible. The lyrics capture honest, unfiltered feelings, and I make a point to see them whenever I’m at CDJ. Then Haruka Mirai, Marcii, and Saucy Dog before Hump Back.
Hump Back was a first for me. I loved the vocalist’s voice and had particularly wanted to see “Haikei, Shounen yo” live. The performance lived up to what I’d hoped for.
After that came Tani Yuuki, My Hair is Bad, and CANDY TUNE — whom I’d never seen live and was curious about. Sakanaction closed it out; every time I see them I think, “yeah, Sakanaction really is something.”
DAY 4 (December 30) — The Long Wait for BUMP OF CHICKEN
Day 4 started with Hamburger Boys, then Yabai T-Shirts Yasan and miwa. I’d previously seen miwa on the GALAXY stage, so seeing her back on the COSMO stage felt freshly interesting. Stage size tracks an artist’s momentum — noticing those shifts is one of the rewards of coming to a festival year after year.
KANA-BOON’s return with a new drummer and lineup was memorable. Then [Alexandros] and sumika before closing with BUMP OF CHICKEN.
It had been a long time since I’d seen BUMP OF CHICKEN. I remember a previous CDJ where they were connected to a live NHK Red-White Song Battle broadcast. This year’s set was as good as ever — and with their Summer Sonic 2026 appearance confirmed, I’m looking forward to seeing them there too.
DAY 5 (December 31) — New Year’s Eve, Counting Down to 2026
The final day ran from 3 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning — a special schedule for New Year’s Eve. It was a full day of bands, one after another, and being immersed in J-rock for hours on end felt genuinely good.
The lineup started with Ziyoou-vachi (Queen Bee), then Singers High, go!go!vanillas, and 10-FEET. Singers High and go!go!vanillas have a similar energy to Hamburger Boys — the kind that gets your body moving automatically. I saw Frederic from the front area; I love their melodies and have been to a solo show at Zepp Nagoya.
Natori is an artist who doesn’t show their face online, and I’d been curious what they were like live. Seeing them perform with live vocals was a genuine surprise — refreshing in the best way. THE BACK HORN were the veterans of the evening’s lineup, standing apart from the younger-leaning roster. I happened to be close to the COSMO Stage for their set, which doubled as good positioning ahead of Sabasister.
Then, at 11:40 p.m., Sabasister took the stage.
It was apparently their first time performing the countdown act too — they seemed genuinely nervous. An awkward MC started about a minute before midnight, then a more composed countdown began around the 30-second mark. The year turned slowly and quietly into 2026. The moment it did, streamers launched into the air and the crowd erupted, and they went straight into “Happy.” Honestly, in that moment I was too busy grabbing falling streamers and taking in everything around me to actually listen to the song properly. It wasn’t until I watched the post-event replay that I finally felt like I’d received that performance the way it deserved.
Afterward, I stayed to listen to Kawasaki Takaya in a mellow wind-down, then headed back to the hotel around 2 a.m.
The Festival Has Changed — And I’ll Keep Showing Up
The average attendee age at CDJ is reportedly 23. As someone twenty years into a career, I’m well above that.
Compared to when I first started going to festivals, the genres, the age of the crowd, and the atmosphere of the venue have shifted noticeably. In earlier years, going all five days to a full-on rock festival was normal. These days, CDJ feels like it’s broadened its doors — more casual, friendly to first-timers who want to take a day trip by train. The artist lineup has diversified beyond rock to include idol acts, J-pop, and artists who broke through via YouTube.
I won’t pretend there are never moments where the change feels like a gap. But even so, the fact that I can still find artists I want to see and make it through five days is probably because the festival still holds that “chance encounter” quality. Spotting that billboard at Kaihin-Makuhari Station three years ago and walking in on a whim was exactly that kind of moment.
Wrapping Up
I made it through all five days — body complaining, but genuinely enjoying it to the end. From Day 3 onward I sat more and took more breaks, but not forcing myself to keep running might have been the thing that got me through the full stretch.
On New Year’s morning, I checked out slowly and hit the road back to Aichi, playing every artist from Day 1 to Day 5 the whole way. Less a recap, more a way to stretch the feeling a little longer. Whether I’ll be back next year, I don’t know — but when I do come again, I want to enjoy it at my own pace.
— Kei
Related Links
COUNTDOWN JAPAN 25/26 Official & Recaps