Taisei Fukumoto is a man with a plan. As a solo artist he embarked on his highly anticipated first nationwide live house tour, “Yonmoji” (“Four Letters”), on 23 August, kicking off at Shibuya CLUB QUATTRO in Tokyo. The tour treated fans to intimate performances that left a lasting impression and a feeling that he was coming home to the stage.
As someone who has interviewed him the past, I know he is a born performer. Drive, dedicated, and incredibly hungry.
A Labor of Love
Taisei poured his entire heart into every detail of the tour, from the minimalist stage design to the perfectly curated setlist. The stage featured a keyboard adorned with flowers, a microphone and the tour logo decorated with clouds, stars and a radiant sun. This atmosphere reflected his vision of what it means to be an idol: a combination of charm, sincerity and connection.
Emotional Performances
As the crowd hushed in anticipation, Taisei took his place at the keyboard, delivering an emotional rendition of the title track, “Yonmoji” 
Intimate Gathering
Throughout the night, Taisei performed his original songs, medleys and covers, showcasing his versatility and passion. His playful interactions with fans, coupled with lively talk sessions and a game session, made the event feel more like an intimate gathering than a traditional concert.
Exclusive Experience
Fans received an exclusive photo card with song lyrics of “Yonmoji,” the setlist and a QR code leading to special tour content. This enhanced the personal connection that defined the entire experience.
Artist’s Reflection
Taisei expressed his gratitude, saying, “I was nervous about whether the venues would fill up, but seeing so many familiar faces has made me incredibly happy”. His dedication to making his fans feel valued and appreciated shone through every moment of the show.
Tour Conclusion and New Beginnings
The Yonmoji tour concluded on October 1 in UMEDA CLUB QUATTRO, Osaka. Taisei continues to solidify his place as a rising solo artist, with each performance painting a brighter picture of his journey.
Birthday Surprise
On his birthday, October 16, Taisei released the music video for “I Wanna Meet U,” a catchy pop song that evokes the cozy feeling of reuniting with someone special. Watch it now on his YouTube channel!
1st Live Tour 2024 “Yonmoji” ABEMA Special Performance Stream
A special performance of his tour will be streamed exclusively on ABEMA PPV (Pay-Per-View) on November 3rd, with the show starting at 17:30 JST and the performance at 18:00 JST. Even if you can’t tune in live, a missed broadcast replay will be available until December 2nd at 23:59 JST, ensuring everyone has the chance to experience this magical tour. Read more on the official site:
Read the full cube garden, Sapporo live report here on Dumpling Box.
Still glowing from his performance, Taisei shared candid insights into his creative process, the emotional weight of his self-written songs, and the deep connection he holds with his fans. From designing the stage to crafting the setlist, Taisei’s hands-on approach reveals an artist dedicated not only to his craft but also to creating a memorable and personal experience for everyone in attendance. He even took time out to speak to Sabina Lindström from Dumpling Box – including some exclusives for Life in Cartoon Motion!
To people who don’t know who Fukumoto Taisei is, please introduce yourself!
I’m Fukumoto Taisei. I’m currently holding a live tour called “Yonmoji”. I’m an idol, and while I’m still in the middle of learning I also write and compose my own songs and produce my stage on my own.
Could you tell us a little about the process of making your original songs?
I started by studying chord progression and also wrote the lyrics. At first, I just wrote everything down and pored out all of the lyrics that came to my mind and then showed them to the staff and asked for their opinion about it. And they gave me feedback and advices such as “There are other, better phrases to use for this expression” and such. At first, I wrote all of the lyrics in a very direct way and was told “You should write it in a more song-like kind of way” or that I should try to add more scene description to it. I really didn’t know anything about how to do it and while I was writing the songs they gradually became like hip hop songs and rap, which wasn’t exactly how I planned the songs to be. I would love to challenge hip hop too one day, but I figured that it was not the style of songs I should be creating at the moment. It was a funny and interesting journey that I went through in creating the songs.
Picking up new instruments in order to create music is admirable. What has been the most challenging so far in regards to playing instruments?
I’m not really struggling (laugh). That’s not true. I did struggle with it. Making a steady effort to learn the basics was hard. I also sang while playing on stage this time, so I had to sing and play at the same time which was difficult. Especially in regards to piano. Even if I learned one chord, the sound of that one chord can be totally different according to the placement of the fingers which makes about three different patterns, so it was hard.
Could you tell us a little about the process behind creating the song “Yonmoji”?
I am still a total beginner when it comes to writing and composing songs so I really didn’t know anything about how to do it in the beginning. For starters, I started with instruments and practiced playing the piano. Then I studied chord progression as well. Even if I suddenly created a difficult song I won’t be able to play it myself so I purposely made the song with an easy melody and used only easy chords. But of course, I can’t do it all completely by myself. I consulted with the staff and asked them “Should I do it this or that way?” and used their advice while creating the song.
What is the meaning behind the name of “Yonmoji”?
The first song I wrote is a song called “Yonmoji”/”よんもじ” (”Four letters”). When I decided to put my feelings and thoughts into a song a lot of words came up to my mind, and all those words were of four letters, which made me realize that you can express so many things using only four letters. So I tried to come up with as many words as I could that express my feelings and have four letters and put these 4-letters words all into one song. So the meaning behind the song’s name is not just one specific thing, but rather all of the things that I wanted to express and say through this song. And all those things together are what make the song “Yonmoji”. The entire lyrics of the song are words that I wanted to convey.
What were your first thoughts about doing a national live house tour?
First of all I just really wanted to meet my fans again. This thought is what started this whole tour. But at the same time, I was really nervous. Doing a nationwide tour, I was worried whether all of the fans would actually come. I was worried thinking “Will anyone come? Will this (Hokkaido) venue be filled at all?” I was worried about ticket sales too (laugh). But when I was finally able to see the faces of my fans directly and meet my fans face to face it made me extremely happy. I could see their faces very clearly from the stage and was surprised when I recognized so many faces and thought “I know these faces!”. There were many fans that I remember seeing their faces before and could recognize them, so being able to see them was extremely heartwarming for me and now I feel so full of happiness.
How did you come up with the stage design and visual aspects for “Yonmoji”?
I based it on what I think being an idol means. It’s a combination of the idol I personally want to become and also what I think would make my fans happy to see. I tried to picture this imaginary ideal idol and combined it with my own ideas and that became the base of my ideas for the production of the stage.
What do you want the audience to remember from the “Yonmoji” tour?
I want them to remember the space. I made this stage from zero together with the staff and it means a lot to me, so I really hope the audience would remember the overall space of the stage. It’s a happy place that is shared only between me and my fans. I want them to take that memory with them and remember that Fukumoto Taisei the idol was there in that space.
Lastly, to all your overseas fans, do you have any messages or words you’d like to say?
I really want to go and meet all of my overseas fans personally. I know that usually they watch me in videos or in other contents of the fan club but I would love to be able to go and perform in front of them directly. They always come all the way to Japan to watch me perform, so next time I want to be the one to go to their place. I will definitely create an opportunity to go over there one day, so when the time comes please come and see me!
I would personally like to thank Orel (also of Dumpling Box) for the translations.
With his star on the rise, there will be more Taisei soon so…
Stay Tuned!
Life In Cartoon Motion 