Fuji Rock

Why Should I Go?
To experience a festival culture shock.

Any interesting titbits of information?
The first ever Fuji Rock in 1997 had its second day cancelled after the festival was hit by a typhoon.

No longer situated anywhere near Mt. Fuji, Japan’s largest outdoor music event has been out of the shadow of Japan’s largest mountain since its first, slightly disastrous year in 1997, when a storm left many ill-prepared Japanese teen rockers shivering with hypothermia. Things have been much better since it relocated to the Naeba Ski Resort. Lush green forests and steep slopes fringe this naturally beautiful, and exquisitely clean festival site. If anything the festival suffers a little too much from its own conscience. It’s not the place to go wild and burn stuff, but a year-on-year stellar line-up near guarantees a good time.
2009 boasts crowd pleasers Basement Jaxx alongside art rockers Franz Ferdinand and Baltimore sonic experimenters Animal Collective. Away from the main stages, the food village is the festival’s communal hub, with over 100 different thicknesses of noodle to try. The camping site, pitched between the fairways and bunkers of Naeba golf course, is pleasant but you’ll be competing for a flat pitch. If you need a moment’s reflection you can board the Dragondola, the world’s largest Gondola lift, to hoist you to the top of Naeba Mountain and gaze on the festival from afar.

Ticket Price: Yen 39’800 (£286 + booking fee)

Accommodation: A campsite pass costs Yen 3’000 (£21) and is the only place you can pitch tents. As the festival is set in a ski resort there are all sorts of hotels nearby where prices vary.

Site Opening: Camping areas are open from noon on 23rd July to noon on 27th July.

Capacity: 130,000

Stages: Green Stage, Red Marquee, Field of Heaven, White Stage, New Power Gear Stage, Crystal Palace Tent, Rookie A Go-Go, Orange Court, Day Dreaming, Naeba Shokudo, Mokudu Tei.

Travel: It’s a couple of hours drive from Tokyo or 1.5 hours on the Shinkansen Bullet Train.