Hikaru Utada’s landmark SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024, their first nationwide tour in six years, is being immortalised with the release of the NINE STORIES photobook set on March 21st.
The project, featuring work by nine acclaimed photographers, captures the energy and atmosphere of the tour and marks the 25th anniversary of Utada’s debut. To accompany the release, Tokyo’s New Gallery will host a photography exhibition from March 7th to March 30th.
NINE STORIES presents the work of photographers such as Daido Moriyama, Rinko Kawauchi, and Wing Shya, each documenting one of the nine cities visited on the tour across nine volumes. Through themes like “Observation”, “Relationships”, and “Physicality”, the collection examines Utada’s performances and the environments surrounding them.
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The NINE STORIES exhibition, held at New Gallery in Tokyo’s Jinbocho district, will display original prints from the collection. These prints, selected from the work of the nine featured photographers, will also be available for purchase. Admission is free and provides fans an opportunity to view the project in a gallery setting.
Each photographer brings their own style and perspective to the project, interpreting the tour’s performances in ways that reflect both the music and the cities involved. The lineup includes:
- Fukuoka (Observation) – Kazuhei Kimura
- Aichi (Fragments) – Chikashi Suzuki
- Saitama (Physicality) – Mayumi Hosokura
- Miyagi (Radiance) – Rinko Kawauchi
- Tokyo (Relationships) – Daido Moriyama
- Taipei (Self-Projection) – John Yuyi
- Hong Kong (Kaleidoscope) – Wing Shya
- Osaka (Simultaneity) – Takashi Homma
- Kanagawa (Presence) – Rika Noguchi
How to pre-order
The photobook set will be available as a nine-volume box priced at ¥15,000, with individual volumes retailing for ¥2,200. The box set will include a lenticular case and is available for pre-order now through select online stores. Customers purchasing the box set from official stores will receive a special bonus gift, details of which will be revealed closer to the release date.
The photobooks are available for pre-order via:
For further details, visit the NINE STORIES special website.
