ARASHI: A Beginner’s Guide to the Songs and Story

A television theme, a concert film, a song in English: there is more than one way to meet ARASHI.

For an overseas listener, the name may arrive before the music. Perhaps you recognise an actor, encounter an old performance, or hear a melody that turns out to belong to the group. Following that first connection can make a large catalogue feel much more approachable.

ARASHI’s five members are Masaki Aiba, Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno and Sho Sakurai. Their debut single, “A・RA・SHI,” was released on November 3, 1999, as documented in the official anniversary-album track listing.

The story has distinct chapters. The group paused activities at the end of 2020. Its final tour concluded at Tokyo Dome on May 31, 2026, the date an official announcement gave for the end of group activities. The recordings offer a way to explore that shared history.

Four songs that open different doors

“A・RA・SHI” — the beginning

Start with the song that shares the group’s name. The label’s credits connect the 1999 single to Fuji Television’s World Cup volleyball coverage. That detail places the debut within a wider television event, giving it a setting beyond the record itself.

If you want to keep moving through the early years, 5×20 All the BEST!! 1999–2019 collects 63 single title tracks alongside the anniversary song “5×20.” It offers a chronological route through two decades of releases.

“Love so sweet” — a television connection

The 2007 single “Love so sweet” was the theme for the TBS drama Hana Yori Dango 2. For viewers who discovered Japanese pop through television, a theme song can become attached to characters and scenes as strongly as to its performers.

This is a useful place to begin if screen stories are already part of your interest in Japan. You can approach the song through the drama, or let the music be your first encounter.

“Turning Up” — a digital opening

“Turning Up” arrived on November 3, 2019, as ARASHI’s first digital single. Its official page links directly to download and streaming services.

That release belonged to a broader change in access. In its 2019 documentary announcement, Netflix described the group opening social accounts on five platforms and making its singles available for worldwide streaming. For people discovering Japanese music abroad, this period provides a particularly useful entry point.

“Whenever You Call” — an English-language route

The 2020 single “Whenever You Call” is an all-English ballad written and produced by Bruno Mars and D’Mile. The label describes Mars listening to earlier ARASHI songs and watching performances while developing the track.

It offers an immediate lyrical connection for English-speaking listeners. You can begin here, then return to the Japanese-language catalogue with a voice or phrasing already in your ear.

A face you may recognise from film

Music is only one possible introduction to a member. Kazunari Ninomiya appears in Genki Kawamura’s Exit 8, included in the 2025 Cannes Midnight Screenings. Its central situation—a man searching for a way out of a repeating underground passage—makes a strikingly different introduction from a pop performance.

That connection allows a film viewer to work backwards: recognise the actor, learn that he is part of ARASHI, and explore the music from there. An individual screen career and a shared musical history can become two parts of the same discovery.

Meet the people behind the performances

ARASHI’s Diary -Voyage- is another starting point. The Netflix documentary combines archive material with access to the group in the period leading toward its 2020 hiatus. Its global premiere was in December 2019.

Keep that timeframe in mind: the series belongs to the chapter before the hiatus, several years before the final tour. Watching it alongside the music gives you a way to connect a finished performance with the people discussing and preparing their work.

It also changes the pace of discovery. A song introduces a sound in a few minutes; a documentary gives you time to recognise personalities and relationships. Check the title page for availability and language options where you live.

See how the songs become a show

The official recording This is 嵐 LIVE 2020.12.31 documents the Tokyo Dome livestream held immediately before the hiatus. Its set list includes all four songs introduced above.

The label describes audience-participation projects, real-time communication with fans, and XR effects combining physical and virtual space. That makes the recording an example of a concert shaped for viewers watching through a screen.

Watch a familiar song within the larger show and notice what surrounds it: the entrance, the transition, the camera’s choice of a close-up or a wide view. The song remains recognisable while its place in a performance adds another layer.

For the later chapter, the official We are ARASHI release page documents the May 2026 tour finale. It helps keep the final tour distinct from the December 2020 performance and its earlier farewell before the hiatus.

You can enter this history from either end. Start with a song, a film or a conversation that catches your attention, then follow the connection to the five people on stage together.