On 24-25 October 2026, the spirit of Germany’s legendary Wacken Open Air festival will come to Japan! Two days of hard rock, heavy metal and power metal, with German bands headlining both nights. Looking forward to liaising between Japanese organisers and international artists and VIP guests.

For the first time, Japan will host its own FULL METAL festival, powered by Wacken Open Air, one of the world’s largest and best-known heavy metal festivals. Held on 24–25 October 2026 at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, the event celebrates the international appeal of metal music and the longstanding connections between the German and Japanese music scenes.

For the first time, Wacken Open Air has granted permission for a festival in another country to officially carry the *Powered by Wacken* label – a distinction awarded to FULL METAL JAPAN.

The inaugural line-up features legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker and his band MSG as Saturday’s headliner, while German power metal giants POWERWOLF will close the festival on Sunday, marking their first-ever performance in Japan.

Other international acts include Finland’s Stratovarius, the Netherlands‘ Vandenberg, Greece’s Gus G. alongside Ronnie Romero, Brazil’s Angra and Hibria, and Denmark’s Pretty Maids. Japan is represented by acclaimed metal bands Loudness and Lovebites.

Having attended Wacken Open Air in Germany for the first time this summer, I am particularly looking forward to being involved in its Japanese sister event. As part of the VIP Guest Relations team, I will be responsible for welcoming and assisting VIP guests, facilitating communication between Japanese organisers and international guests.

Tickets for both days still available!

Event Details at a glance:

Event: FULL METAL JAPAN 2026 – Powered by Wacken
Dates: 24–25 October 2026
Venue: Pia Arena MM, Yokohama, Japan
Lineup: Saturday, 24 October: Michael Schenker Group, Stratovarius, Lovebites, Vandenberg, Gus G. & Ronnie Romero
Sunday, 25 October: Powerwolf, Angra feat. Kiko Loureiro & Edu Falaschi, Loudness, Pretty Maids, Hibria feat. Iuri Sanson & Renato Osorio
Organiser: FULL METAL JAPAN Executive Committee, Tokyo Onkyo
With support from: German Embassy Tokyo, German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan)

Official website & ticket information: https://fullmetaljapan.com

sonjablaschke.com/news/full-metal-japan-2026-powered-by-wacken

For the ARTE documentary series A World of Faith, we explored the country’s booming oshikatsu culture, where music, fandom and devotion intersect.

The three-part ARTE documentary series A World of Faith explores the role of faith and spirituality in different cultures around the world. From established religions to contemporary forms of devotion, the series examines how people seek meaning, identity and belonging – and what they choose to believe in. The series premiered on ARTE in October 2026 and is also available to stream on ARTE’s online platform (in certain countries).

For the second episode, Gods, Spirits, Gurus, we explored Japan’s fascinating oshikatsu (推し活) phenomenon. Literally meaning activities dedicated to supporting one’s favourite, oshikatsu involves passionate devotion to idols, musicians, actors, anime characters or other beloved figures. Fans spend considerable time and money attending events, collecting merchandise and celebrating their favourites, making oshikatsu a multibillion-yen industry.

Working as the local producer in Japan, I organised and facilitated filming with young Japanese women who practise oshikatsu in September 2025, as well as an interview with a scholar of religious studies who helped put the phenomenon into perspective, exploring the connections between fandom, devotion and religion.

Despite the large number of people active in oshikatsu, it was quite difficult for me to find people who agreed to be interviewed about their fandom. Another challenge was identifying a quiet enough spot in Shibuya to interview the women. On the day we were scheduled to interview a religious studies scholar, a typhoon nearly derailed our plans by disrupting train services between Osaka and Tokyo…

The project was kindly supported with filming permissions from Tower Records Shibuya and concert footage from STPR. The latter is a Japanese entertainment production and talent management company specializing in 2.5-dimensional idols (2.5次元アイドル) – performers who combine virtual or illustrated identities with real-life music, livestreaming and concerts.

Production credits

– Series directors: Cristina Trebbi, Susanne Utzt and Jobst Knigge
– Japan line producer: Sonja Blaschke
– Cinematography (Japan): Francisco Lopez
– Production: Spiegel TV
– Broadcaster: ARTE / ZDF
– Format: Three-part documentary series, approx. 53 minutes per episode
– First broadcast: 3 October 2026

Watch A World of Faith (2/3): Gods, Spirits, Gurus on ARTE (available only in certain countries):

arte.tv/en/videos/115508-002-a/a-world-of-faith-2-3

sonjablaschke.com/portfolio/japans-oshikatsu-culture-when-fandom-becomes-faith

Just weeks after my first Wacken Open Air, it was time for another round of camping, dust and metal – this time at Summer Breeze in Dinkelsbühl, Germany!

Seeing little kids perched on their parents‘ shoulders, proudly throwing the horns while rocking out to HEAVYSAURUS, has to be one of the cutest sights at any metal festival! The German dinosaur metal band introduces children to heavy music with catchy songs, colourful costumes and energetic live shows – and clearly knows how to win over young metalheads and their parents alike. And this traveller from Japan!

Barely recovered from my first Wacken Open Air in the north of Germany, I found myself camping again just a couple of weeks later, this time in the south, but again surrounded by dust, heavy music and thousands of fellow metalheads at Summer Breeze in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, from 12 to 15 August 2026.

And I absolutely loved it! The relaxed, friendly atmosphere and fantastic line-up, packed with musical highlights, made my first Summer Breeze an unforgettable experience. Definitely a festival I’d love to return to!

A huge thank you to HEAVYSAURUS for making this possible – once again, thanks to a chance encounter in Japan that had already opened the doors to Wacken! So grateful, thank you!🤘

sonjablaschke.com/news/dino-metal-at-summer-breeze-open-air

For my first visit to Wacken, I’ll be looking beyond the line-up – at festival culture, international audiences and the connections between Japan and Europe.

After years of travelling to rock and metal shows across Asia and Europe, I’m excited to experience Wacken Open Air in northern Germany for the first time and gain a behind-the-scenes insight into one of the world’s best-known metal festivals.

After 20 years as a German living in Asia, my first German metal festival may come with a little reverse culture shock. I’m curious to see what feels familiar, what feels different and how Wacken compares with the festivals and live-music culture I know from Japan and elsewhere in the world.

The visit also feels like an opportunity to reconnect with an earlier part of my professional life and explore where my experience in journalism, international production and cross-cultural communication might meet my long-standing interest in live music.

See you in Wacken.🤘

For updates, consider following my (live) music account:

instagram.com/itravelformetal

sonjablaschke.com/news/next-stop-wacken-open-air

What began as a long day and night of filming in Tokyo started with an inspired interview with Japanese DJ pioneer Takkyu Ishino and led to an unexpectedly emotional encounter between iconic German DJ Westbam and one of his most devoted Japanese fans.

Takkyu Ishino is a pioneering Japanese techno DJ, producer and co-founder of the influential electronic music duo Denki Groove. Active internationally since the 1990s, he has performed at major events including Berlin’s Love Parade and is regarded as one of the leading figures in Japan’s techno scene. Mention his name, and many Japanese will be familiar with him.

All the more, I felt a certain amount of pressure interviewing him for the upcoming documentary about the equally iconic German DJ Westbam. They are friends, almost family, but also collaborators and influential artists in their respective countries. Ishino’s remarks about an ardent Westbam fan with a special present for the German artist would lay the groundwork for the most emotional scene later that night…

After filming a brief hello scene in front of the Tokyo venue, we accompanied Westbam, his partner and his son to Shibuya for some sushi and a relaxed stroll through the ever-busy quarter under the neon lights. While they spent the evening relaxing, we had some sushi too, then went to get our backstage passes and set up for a night of filming Ishino and Westbam’s show, titled “TAKBAM” (12 June, 2026).

Before the start of the show, we waited outside to talk with a couple of fans – and managed to get hold of the aforementioned die-hard fan, who had indeed brought a very special present for his favourite DJ. Their later encounter brought tears to our eyes!

Ishino and Westbam played until 5 a.m., followed by an after-party backstage. A very long shoot, but a very rewarding one! Now I’m looking forward to seeing the documentary on the big screen. It will be released in cinemas sometime in 2027.

Director: Cordula Kablitz-Post („Die Toten Hosen – You Only Live Once“, „FCK 2020 – Two and a Half Years with Scooter“, and “KREATOR – HATE & HOPE”)
Production: avanti media fiction GmbH (Berlin, Germany)
Runtime: 100 minutes
Theatrical release (Germany): 2027

DOP Unit 2 (Japan): Francisco Lopez
Director Unit 2 (Japan): Sonja Blaschke

sonjablaschke.com/news/music-documentary-westbam-in-the-rhythm-of-the-night

Japans beeindruckende Unterwasserwelt steht im Mittelpunkt einer neuen, 45-minütigen Folge der ZDF-Wissenschafts-Doku „Terra X“. Einen Monat lang war ich dafür mit einem Filmteam quer durch Japan unterwegs – von der Tsunamiküste im Nordosten bis in die tropischen Gewässer Okinawas.

Vier Wochen quer durch Japan, immer dem Wasser auf der Spur! Von Anfang April bis Anfang Mai 2026 war ich für eine neue, 45-minütige „Terra-X“-Dokumentation für das ZDF unterwegs – diesmal nicht nur als Produktionskoordinatorin, sondern erstmals auch als Co-Autorin gemeinsam mit Claudia Ruby.

Im Mittelpunkt der Folge steht Japans besondere Beziehung zum Meer: Es liefert Nahrung und Energie, prägt Kultur und Traditionen, beherbergt eine faszinierende Artenvielfalt – und stellt die Menschen zugleich vor große Gefahren, wie der Tsunami in der Tohoku-Region 2011 tragisch zeigte.

Unsere Reise begann in Osaka. Von dort flogen wir nach Sendai und fuhren entlang der „Tsunamiküste“ im Nordosten Japans, wo wir uns mit dem Wiederaufbau nach der Katastrophe von 2011 und neuen Schutzmaßnahmen gegen künftige Tsunamis beschäftigten.

Weiter ging es nach Toyama, wo wir die faszinierenden Leuchtkalmare (hotaruika) filmten, die jedes Frühjahr aus den Tiefen des Meeres aufsteigen und mit ihrem bläulichen Licht für ein ganz besonderes Naturschauspiel sorgen.

Über Naha auf Okinawa erreichten wir mit der Fähre die Insel Kumejima, auf der wir gut eine Woche drehten. Hier ging es unter anderem um Meeresschildkröten und eine zoologische Rarität: die winzige Skelett-Panda-Seescheide (ガイコツパンダホヤ), die erst 2024 wissenschaftlich beschrieben wurde. Auch die faszinierende Unterwasserwelt rund um die Insel stand im Mittelpunkt unserer Dreharbeiten.

Nach der Rückfahrt mit der Fähre nach Naha flogen wir zurück nach Tokio und fuhren mit dem Auto weiter auf die Izu-Halbinsel mit einem Abstecher am berühmten Fuji für den Dreh einer Moderation. Unser Ziel: eine kleine Insel namens Mikomoto im Süden der Izu-Halbinsel und ein Ort, an dem Taucher an guten Tagen in der Saison Dutzende von Hammerhaien sehen können.

Ein Monat mit vielen spannenden Begegnungen, beeindruckenden Landschaften, aufregenden Drehs über und unter Wasser und faszinierenden Einblicken in die Beziehung zwischen Japan und dem Meer.

Die Dokumentation „Terra X: Faszination Wasser – Japan“ wird Anfang 2027 im ZDF und auf ARTE zu sehen sein.

„Terra X: Faszination Wasser – Japan“ (2026)

Buch und Regie: Claudia Ruby
Co-Autorin, Produktionskoordination: Sonja Blaschke
Moderator, Meeresbiologe und Forschungstaucher: Uli Kunz
Kamera: Torbjörn Karvang
Ton: Marvin Zimmermann
Unterwasserkamera: Lennart Rossenfeld (Shark Lenny) und Kirin Sekito

Redaktion ZDF: Ricarda Schlosshahn

sonjablaschke.com/news/einen-monat-fur-terra-x-unterwegs-mantas-meeresschildkroten-und-leuchtkalmare

Japan’s Edo period (1603 – 1868) was a time when almost nothing went to waste – not even human waste. In fact, the excrement of wealthy households was particularly sought after as fertiliser. What can we learn from Japan’s remarkably resourceful past?

Terra X is the flagship documentary brand of ZDF, Germany’s national public-service broadcaster. Known for its high-quality productions, Terra X covers a wide range of subjects, including history, archaeology, science, nature and culture.

Shot in 2025 across the world and broadcast in 2026, the Terra X series Forgotten Knowledge (Vergessenes Wissen) explores how traditional practices from around the globe can offer solutions to modern environmental challenges. From centuries-old architecture in Spain and traditional fire management in Canada to sustainable fishing in Europe, the series shows that sustainability is far from a modern invention.

For the second episode, The Legacy of Our Ancestors (Das Erbe der Ahnen), we travelled back in time to explore Japan’s sophisticated recycling culture. Old fabrics were repurposed into clothing (sakiori), rice straw was turned into sandals, and even human excrement was collected and sold as valuable agricultural fertiliser. These practices formed part of an elaborate circular economy in Japan long before recycling became a global concern.

Our guide through Japan’s Edo-period recycling culture was Kyota Ko, an author and content creator specialising in Japanese history and folklore. Known for his entertaining books and popular Instagram account @themetroclassic, he brings Japan’s past to life through fascinating stories and often surprising historical details.

For this project, we spent several days in Tokyo and its vicinity, but also several days in the picturesque Kiso valley in Nagano prefecture. As the line producer for Japan, I was responsible for researching and scouting filming locations, finding and casting protagonists and experts, arranging interviews, securing filming permissions and coordinating production logistics, including liaising and interpreting throughout the shoot.

Production & Broadcast Details:

Series: Forgotten Knowledge (Vergessenes Wissen), 2 × 44 min
Episode: The Legacy of Our Ancestors (Das Erbe der Ahnen), Episode 2
Written by: Cristina Trebbi, Susanne Utzt
Directed by: Christopher Gerisch, Anja Kindler, Jobst Knigge, Cristina Trebbi
Production: SPIEGEL TV
Broadcaster: German public broadcaster ZDF / Terra X
Cinematographer (Japan): Francisco Lopez
Line Producer (Japan): Sonja Blaschke
First broadcast: 26 April 2026, 7.30 pm, ZDF

Watch (in German) on ZDF’s streaming platform (Japan segment: 01:30-08:00):

zdf.de/video/dokus/terra-x-vergessenes-wissen-100/terra-x-vergessenes-wissen-da…

sonjablaschke.com/portfolio/zdf-terra-x-forgotten-knowledge-the-legacy-of-our-ancestors

The documentary “Black Box Diaries” by Japanese journalist Shiori Ito is finally screening in Japan – after a long delay. Her film had premiered internationally in 2024 and was released in Japan only in December 2025 due to a mix of legal concerns and hesitant distributors.

Japanese journalist Shiori Ito has been trying to process her traumatic experience of sexual assault in 2015 in various ways over the years – from her courageous decision to go public in a highly patriarchal country – with all the terrible consequences – to making this heart-wrenching documentary. It’s a very important film, but one you might want prepare for and ask yourself honestly whether you are capable of watching it. 

In the film, which often uses self-recorded audio and video, cleverly intercut with time-lapse scenes of Tokyo city life, Ito tries to uncover the truth about that night when she – at the time 25 years old – suddenly found herself undressed in a Tokyo hotel room after having dinner with a much older journalist. (Now, years later, the horrific Pelicot case in France comes to mind…)

But Ito also reflects on the moral conflict she has been facing – asking others for help while secretly recording conversations as evidence, while also worrying about the consequences for those involved. That inner struggle comes across clearly.

The film has won numerous international awards and received an Oscar nomination. Her story became a key moment for the #MeToo movement in Japan in 2017, alongside the Flower Demo protests, which I wrote about at the time. 

The man she accused had connections to powerful political circles including then-prime minister Shinzo Abe – and got away with what he did to her. However, he did lose against Ito in a civil court case. In 2019, a Tokyo court ruled that what happened was non-consensual and ordered him to pay ¥3.3 million (about €25,000) in damages.

Ito was present at the screening at the small downtown cinema Stranger near Kikukawa station on Friday. Several people were in tears during the Q&A. Later in the lobby, there was a long line of people waiting to speak with her – and she responded to everyone with remarkable openness and kindness. Hard to believe the assault happened more than ten years ago, and it is heart-breaking to think what she has had to endure since…  

sonjablaschke.com/news/black-box-diaries-finally-on-screens-in-japan

Happy New Year! Expect: strong momentum, independence, and periods of noticeable change.

2026 is considered the Year of the Fire Horse. In East Asian astrology, this combination is associated with strong momentum, independence, and periods of noticeable change. The Fire Horse is often described as decisive and forward-moving, with a tendency toward clear breaks and new directions rather than gradual transitions.

Note: I’ll be back in the office in the last week of January. Until then, email replies may be a bit delayed—thank you for your understanding.

sonjablaschke.com/news/the-year-of-the-fire-horse-2026

On 4 October 2025, the governing Liberal Democratic Party of Japan elected a new leader – and prime minister-designate. A few days before, I went out to collect vox pops. I usually just do the interviewing, but this time also filmed the participants. In addition, I was interviewed for DW’s news program.

Trying to find Japanese women in their 20s to 40s to talk about anything remotely politicial is challenging, to say the least. „Ask men, they like to talk about politics,“ I was told by one. I had asked well over a dozen women in a suburban park the other day to tell me about their feelings about the current issues in Japanese society, a few days before the LDP leadership election on 4 October 2025. While some agreed to say something off camera (and what they said would have been very useful!), they declined to be filmed.

So as much as journalists try to collect a variety of voices – there is only so much one can do. Eventually, a woman in her early 50s agreed, however, she went into a slightly different direction and did not make it into the final piece – and so it was, as so often, male voices only. There are a number of possible reasons for that of course, and one for sure is living in a country where for women speaking about social and political issues is not seen as common.

The result of my first attempt at filmed vox pops you can find here, in the beginning of 3-minute piece in English on the two main candidates by DW’s Taiwan-based correspondent Rik Glauert.

dw.com/en/japans-ruling-party-to-choose-new-prime-minister/video-74230781

Just a few hours before the election on 4 October 2025, I was interviewed by DW for their news program, and got to clarify that while Sanae Takaichi would be the first woman to potentially be elected prime minister of Japan, her policies and convictions are far from women-friendly, let alone feminist.

Watch the 4-minute segment here:

dw.com/en/sanae-takaichi-expected-to-be-japans-first-female-pm/a-74233820

sonjablaschke.com/news/ldp-leadership-election-2025-vox-pops-for-dw

The Kamchatka earthquake on 30 July 2025 was one of the strongest ever recorded and triggered tsunami warnings around the Pacific – including Japan. I reported on the developing news story for Deutsche Welle (DW).

The first advisories in the morning of 30 July 2025 were somewhat concerning, but did not seem too alarming – tsunamis of several ten centimeters, they said. Dangerous, but manageable with all the precautions in place in Japan.

That changed an hour later, when all of a sudden, Japan warned that the tsunamis could reach up to three meters – which is a very different story! For comparison: The world’s strongest earthquake in Chile in 1960 caused tsunamis between 2 and 6 meters in Japan, killing 182 people.

Between 80 and 130 centimeters were recorded today. Something to watch out for in the future: The first waves were lower, not more than 40 centimeters! The higher ones arrived maybe 5 or 6 hours after the earthquake in Kamchatka. For comparison: Just 30 centimeters will knock even a strong and healthy person off their feet.

So I spent the day today doing live reports for the English service of Deutsche Welle on the tsunami warnings in Japan, due to which almost two million people were asked to evacuate to higher ground, during sweltering heat. One of the reports is this one (my reporting from 7:20):

youtube.com/watch

On the morning of 31 July 2025, the sense of crisis of the day before had mostly subsided, despite tsunami advisories still being in place in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions, and a small part of the south of Japan. However, those were finally lifted in the late afternoon.

At midday, DW asked me to comment on how Japan had dealt with the tsunami, and what kind of challenges a country faces in such a situation. The biggest challenge this time was undoubtedly the combination of severe summer heat with the fact that many evacuation areas are not indoors, but outside. Hokkaido not being used to such high temperatures has a much lower rate of air-conditioning than the rest of the country.

Also – what would have happened, if two million people had been asked to evacuate during a typhoon, or during winter, when much of the north is covered in meters of snow…?

For more, watch the full DW report of several contributors (my reporting from 6:05) here:

youtube.com/watch

sonjablaschke.com/news/live-reporting-for-dw-on-tsunami-after-kamchatka-quake

The documentary „Old Enmities, New Friendships / New Alliances in East Asia?“ was shot in October 2024 on location in Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures.

This was not an easy documentary to prepare in my role as a line producer, but it was a very rewarding one. It was the also first time I obtained permission to film and witness military exercises. Thanks to the cooperation of the Ministry of Defense and local military personnel, we captured incredible footage – not only of the exercise we were assigned to film, but also of an additional one to which our team – director Michael Mueller, cameraman Francisco Lopez and myself – had exclusive access. However, what made this project most memorable, were the relationships forged:

A big Thank You to all our interview partners & to everybody involved for their kind cooperation!

Synopsis:

The political situation in East Asia is changing rapidly. Former wartime enemies Japan and South Korea are moving closer together and seeking to close ranks with Taiwan. The three countries are arming themselves on a massive scale. While the world is looking at Ukraine, the Middle East and the USA’s customs and trade policies, the political situation in East Asia is changing rapidly and fundamentally under pressure from China.

Is an alliance emerging in the world’s most dangerous and economically important region, with Japan, South Korea and Taiwan standing alongside the USA against China? Can peace in the region be secured through mutual deterrence? Or will developments turn East Asia into a powder keg that could explode at any time? How reliable is the USA as a partner under a President Trump? And what impact would an escalation of the Taiwan conflict or the conflict between North and South Korea have on peace and prosperity in the rest of the world?

The documentary „Old Enmities, New Friendships“ explores these questions, traveling to military and economic hotspots in Japan and South Korea. The film examines the increasing military cooperation between the US and its allies in the region, the importance of East Asia for world trade and the difficult rapprochement between Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, which share a long and conflict-ridden history.

Featuring interviews with military, economic and security experts, this documentary features visits to Japanese and US bases, a joint maneuver and encounters with people living on Japan’s southern islands and in South Korea. It provides an exclusive insight into a region whose security and stability is of global importance.

Director: Michael Mueller
Producer: Nick Golüke, CEO NGLOW FILM
Director: Michael Mueller
Production: Silke Breidenbach, NGLOW FILM
Camera: Francisco Lopez / Anton Scholz
Sound: Daniel Lee
Editing: Johannes Hiroshi Nakajima
Line Producer: Anton Scholz (South Korea), Sonja Blaschke (Japan)
Sound Mixing: Holger Jung
Colour Correction: Nick Coleman
Motion Design: Sebastian Reeh

sonjablaschke.com/portfolio/new-alliances-in-east-asia-dw-documentary-now-on-youtube