Going East

A slew of Japan arena tours were announced in the past few weeks.

Both Whitney Houston and the Backstreet Boys will be hitting the Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo in February for multiple shows. The Boys will be there Feb. 5-7, while Houston will play Feb. 11, 13 and 14.

The Boys will also play three nights at the World Memorial Hall in Kobe Feb. 9-11 and Nagoya’s Gaiji Hall for two nights the following week. Houston’s Kansai dates are limited to two nights at Osaka Castle Hall.

Lady Gaga will bring her Monster Ball tour to the World Memorial Hall April 15 and the Yokohama Arena April 18, while AC/DC will keep it short and sweet by playing Saitama Super Arena March 12 and the Kyocera Dome baseball stadium in Osaka March 16.

And then there’s Carole King and James Taylor, who will haul their intimate Return to the Troubadour show to the cavernous Budokan April 14 and 16.