Exile duo Takahiro, left, and Akira

Pop group Exile opens outlet for 4 days in Tokyo Midtown

Thursday 04th December, 05:05 AM JST

TOKYO —

Takahiro, 23, and Akira, 27, from popular group Exile opened their Exile Shop in Tokyo Midtown on Tuesday, an event held for their new album “Exile Ballad Best,” of which more than a million copies have been shipped to stores. The album went on sale Wednesday.

The Exile Shop at Tsutaya will run until Dec 7, and will be selling limited edition shirts, photos, CDs, handtowels and other goods. Akira said: “I walked into the store, and was just surrounded by photos of us. I’ve never seen so many. I was really happy.”

Of the album, Takahiro said: “There’s a lot of feeling in it. Something you can enjoy seeing and hearing.” Akira added: “There are some emotional songs on there. I hope people can see the world from our point of view. I’ll probably spend Christmas by myself and listen to ‘Lovers Again’ and fantasize away,” a remark which fired up the onlookers.

Wire reports

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8 Comments

BlackFlag at 10:17 AM JST - 4th December

I’ll probably spend Christmas by myself and listen to ‘Lovers Again’ and fantasize away

yeah, sure you will.
thepro at 12:57 PM JST - 4th December

They are the most hilarious of j-pop bands in that most of the members don't actually sing or play any instruments
chardk1 at 03:05 PM JST - 4th December

They didn't "open a store" in Tokyo Midtown, they're holding a four-day event selling band memorabilia at the Tsutaya.
TrappedNTokyo at 04:51 PM JST - 4th December

He can hang out with DJ OZMA and work on some new choreographed dance moves....Paging NSYNC
a51cope at 12:56 PM JST - 5th December

I wanna go there nad buy new one!! I didnt like Exile song before, but feel the atomosphere that they having recently, I become to be EXILE fan!! I wanna to buy their songs!! at there!!
Maruku at 11:48 PM JST - 5th December

This "band" represents everything that is wrong, sad, hopeless and pathetic with commercial music. It's taken the absolute ridiculousness that is SMAP (grown-men with zero musical talent that need to wake up to the reality that they are not 16 anymore), and pimped them to even greater heights. These guys are the w*ores of companies like Johnny's Entertainment that make people like ... Rick Astley, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Max Headroom seem like real musicians. Is it so much about the money that these guys don't feel embarrassed and die the same million deaths that I die just watching them? Don't they feel dirty? The kind of dirt that you rub and rub but it doesn't come off.

Apparently, this is acceptable.
Richard_the_First at 10:13 AM JST - 6th December

At least they are not part of Johnny's cartel though. That man has an unhealthy strangle hold of the media here.