Ho-kago Tea Time Stage (Johnsonverse)

Overview
For the transition to the Japanese isles, Center Stage would be completely remodeled. Instead of a forest setting, it is now set in the Light Music Club room at Sakuragaoka High School. Each of the Center Stage characters were replaced according to their role: Dook was replaced by Ritsu Tainaka, Fatz by Tsumugi Kotokubi, Beach Bear by Yui Hirasawa, and Mitzi by Mio Akiyama, though she plays bass, while Mitzi is simply the female vocalist. The decision was later made to have Mio remain as bassist, and also serve as a prominent vocalist in the band (even though all characters would be vocalists, as with the Rock-afire Explosion). Choo-Choo, and Antioch were completely omitted from the new set-up. The changes for the Japanese locations only affected Center Stage, and Stages Left and Right were completely unchanged, retaining Billy Bob, Looney Bird, Rolfe (until the Magic Night showtape from September-October 2016), Earl, and the Sun and Moon. Beginning in November 2016, Azusa Nakano was added to Center Stage.

The K-On! animatronics are second-generation AnimeTronics. All AnimeTronics have a massive range of movement, and have onboard computers and rechargeable lithium batteries (the Billy Bob, Looney Bird, and Rolfe animatronics still use hydraulics, external computers and power supplies, and still need to be aired-up before opening). The animatronics have other advanced features: Ritsu and Mugi can actually play their instruments, as Ritsu is reverse-engineered from Dook's second-generation animatronic that CEI resumed development on (though Mugi's Korg Triton keyboard is plugged into a dummy socket, as all music comes from the soundtrack), Yui can actually jump a few inches off the ground, ShowBiz cast members can "speak" to audience members using VoxMutatio, Johnson's voice-changer technology that makes the characters sound exactly like their voice actresses, and all four have clothes that are easily removed. The clothes are washed weekly in specifically-labeled washing machines, and during the summer months, the overcoats and shirts are swapped with vests and short-sleeved shirts to simulate their summer uniforms. They are also anatomically-correct, leading to several reports of guests groping the animatronics or attempting to engage in intercourse with them. They also have real hair that is washed nightly using rinse-free shampoo. The animatronics are so advanced, that consideration was given to having them do OK Go's famed treadmill dance routine for "Here It Goes Again", before tests with generic AnimeTronics showed the technology wasn't at that point yet, with at least one AnimeTronic being totaled during these tests.

All HTT animatronics have numerous failure modes in the event of various issues, ranging from cosmetic issues to major mechanical malfunctions. In the event of a Mode 5x failure, a backup showtape containing only Billy Bob and Looney Bird material is activated, as both have less moving parts; some locations have a turntable with a full Rock-afire Explosion setup on the reverse side to serve as a backup in the event a Mode 5x failure necessitates taking the HTT show offline for a prolonged period.

In addition to HTT, the band is occasionally joined by Yui's childhood friend, Nodoka Manabe, who replaces Billy Bob on Stage Left, and also has a rear-projected screen to present lessons on the history of ShowBiz Pizza Place, Pizza Time Theatre, and Chuck E. Cheese's. Her animatronic has the ability to pick up and manipulate objects, such as a stick she uses during her lessons, a cup of coffee that she "drinks" from, a dummy iPhone, and a remote to start and stop the videos on her screen. For Nodoka, Looney Bird and the Smitty's Super Service Station backdrop are unchanged, with everyone pointing this fact out and calling out ShowBiz's laziness. Nodoka's animatronic has the N failure mode identifier. Jun Suzuki also occasionally joins the band as a guest star, also replacing Billy Bob on Stage Left, though she has her own set to replace Looney Bird and the Smitty's Super Service Station backdrop. Jun's animatronic uses the J failure mode identifier. She had previously been part of a stage concept that was trialed at several smaller ShowBiz locations using the CU-1 Stage alongside Chuck E. Cheese's characters Jasper T. Jowls, Helen Henny, Mr. Munch, and Pasqually P. Pieplate (all utilizing latex masks, which used replica molds due to the originals having long been destroyed); these tests were unsuccessful, and were replaced by a standard 3-Stage setup (as Jun was actually an Azusa animatronic with different cosmetics, her mech was retained for the transition, while the Jasper, Helen, Munch, and Pasqually animatronics, which were surplus Beach Bear, Mitzi, Fatz, and Dook animatronics that Department 18 still held, were all sent back to CEI to be converted back in anticipation of ShowBiz's expansion to Canada; the new Jun animatronics are purpose-built). Beginning in 2019, the band's music teacher Sawako Yamanaka was added as a recurring guest, also replacing Billy Bob and Looney Bird on Stage Left, using the S failure mode identifier.