A-Nation Explained
| A-Nation |
| Native Name: | エイ・ネーション |
| First: | August 2002 |
| Prev: | August 2019 |
| Next: | 2024 |
| Frequency: | Annually |
| Location: | Various cities, Japan |
| Years Active: | 2002–present |
| Last: | September 2024 |
| Participants: | Artists from Avex Trax and Guest |
| Attendance: | 5.8Million+ |
| Genre: | J-pop |
| Organized: | Avex Group (through Avex Entertainment) |
A-Nation (stylized as a-nation) is the name of an annual series of summer concerts that are held in various cities in Japan.[1] Organized by Avex Group, Japan's biggest independent record label, this series features the most successful artists signed onto Avex Trax or other labels of the group (although some artists from other Japanese labels also participate here). A-Nation began in 2002 and is held each weekend during August of each year. Top Avex artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Kumi Koda, AAA, Ai Otsuka, BoA, Do As Infinity, TVXQ, Super Junior, Hitomi and SHINee perform at A-Nation every year.
Dates and venues
2002
2003
- July 19 and 20 – Kasai Rinkai Park, Tokyo
- July 26 – All-Season Resort Appi
- August 2 and 3 – Uminonakamichi Seaside Park, Fukuoka
- August 9 and 10 – Port Messe Nagoya, Aichi
- August 16 and 17 – WTC Open Air Stadium
- August 23 – Hiroshima
- August 30 and 31 – Odaiba
2004
- July 31 – Toyama Athletic Stadium
- August 7 – Uminonakamichi Seaside Park
- August 14 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 21 and 22 – Kobe Port Island
- August 28 and 29 – Showa Memorial Park
2005
- July 30 – Ōita Bank Dome
- August 6 – Makomanai Open Stadium, Hokkaido
- August 13 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 20 and 21 – Ajinomoto Stadium
- August 27 and 28 – Kobe Port Island
2006
- July 29 – Echigo Hillside National Government Park, Niigata
- August 5 – Uminonakamichi Seaside Park
- August 12 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 19 and 20 – Kobe Port Island
- August 26 and 27 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2007
- July 28 – Tohoku Electric Natori Sports Park, Miyagi
- August 4 – Ningineer Stadium
- August 12 – Yamaha Resort Tsumagoi
- August 18 and 19 – Kobe Port Island
- August 25 and 26 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2008
- July 26 – Ningineer Stadium
- August 2 – Miyazaki Athletic Stadium
- August 10 – Ishikawa Kanazawa Stadium
- August 17 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 23 and 24 – Sakai City Green Park, Osaka
- August 30 and 31 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2009
- August 1 – Kanto Repark, Kumamoto
- August 8 – Ningineer Stadium
- August 15 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 22 and 23 – Ajinomoto Stadium
- August 29 and 30 – Nagai Stadium (now Yanmar Stadium Nagai)
2010
- August 7 – Ningineer Stadium
- August 14 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 21 and 22 – Nagai Stadium
- August 28 and 29 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2011
- July 30 – Ningineer Stadium
- August 6 – Uminonakamichi Seaside Park
- August 13 – Port Messe Nagoya
- August 20 and 21 – Nagai Stadium
- August 27 and 28 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2012
2013
- A-Nation Island: August 3 to 11 – Yoyogi National Gymnasium
- Stadium Fes
- August 24 and 25 – Nagai Stadium
- August 31 and September 1 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2014
- A-Nation Island: August 14 to 20 – Yoyogi National Gymnasium
- Stadium Fes: August 29 to 31 – Ajinomoto Stadium
- A-Nation Taiwan: September 13 – Nangang 101 Cultural Creation Hall
- A-Nation Singapore: October 18 – MasterCard Theatres
2015
- A-Nation Island: July 31 to August 6 – Yoyogi National Gymnasium
- Stadium Fes
- August 22 and 23 – Nagai Stadium
- August 29 and 30 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2016
- A-Nation Island: July 29 to August 4 – Yoyogi National Gymnasium
- Stadium Fes: August 27 and 28 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2017
- August 26 and 27 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2018
July 28 – Nagashima Spa Land (canceled due to Typhoon Jongdari)- August 4 – Huis Ten Bosch
- August 18 and 19 – Yanmar Stadium Nagai
- August 25 and 26 – Ajinomoto Stadium
2020
2024
- September 1 - Ajinomoto Stadium
Participant artists
Artists not signed with Avex Group are expressed in italics.
1These artists are managed by Avex Group, but are not signed to any of its labels.
2These artists left Avex Group either after being terminated or end of their contracts.
3These artists, before being signed to Avex Group, were invited to participate to A-Nation.
4Mari Natsuki is currently signed to another label, while her band, Gubier du Mari, is under Avex.
5Minami Kuribayashi is currently and originally signed to Lantis. She is also currently signed to Avex Group for Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse.
Sponsors
Main
- 7&i (2010–present)
- FamilyMart (2009)
- Morinaga & Company (Weider in Jelly) (2005–present)
- Nippon Life (You May Dream! Project)
- Toyota (2004)
Yearly
2012
2013
2018
Media partners
Notes and References
- Web site: What's a-nation . 17 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121011003412/http://a-nation.net/whats.html . 11 October 2012 .
- Web site: 2024-09-02 . 【ライヴ・レポート】浜崎あゆみ、東方神起、WEST.、 GENERATIONS、NiziUら、豪華アーティストが集結！──「a-nation 2024」 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240902070710/https://ototoy.jp/news/119505 . 2024-09-02 . 2024-09-07 . Ototoy . ja.
