It’s finally here! Summer’s biggest event: FUJI ROCK.

2016 is a special year for the annual festival as it marks its 20th year run. FUJI ROCK hosts a gargantuan line-up of incredible artists who are leading the music industry today, as well as rarer artists who boast immense popularity that continues to elevate – all of this in one place. Have you already checked out who will be attending this year? Great music that makes you feel good – check. A huge location that has you overflowing in a feeling of freedom to enjoy – check. Whether with your friends, your lover, your family or your colleagues – no, even by yourself – the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL will be enjoyable without fail. Those feelings are synonymous with the name “FUJI ROCK”.

Ask any Japanese person about a festival and it’s likely that a lot of them will mention FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL. Every year, over 200 artists from both within Japan and outside attend the event to play on both small and big stages from which the entire world can hear them. The idea for FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL came about from the Glastonbury Festival, an enormous annual music festival held in the UK. Naturally, then, the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL is a huge scale music event. It’s not just a big name festival, it’s a place where you can truly enjoy the real pleasure of witnessing artists with a strong passion for what they do. It was initiated by wanting to show artists perform on stage, so it receives a lot of attention and garners plenty of popularity because of it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the artists appearing on stage shows the kind of status they have, as this is a chief festival of Japan with a high position. So far, FUJI ROCK has given birth to many legends, and its influence has been significant not only in Japan but all around the globe.

The Best of the Best: Amazing Artists One After the Other

BABYMETAL have become well-known even in Japan in recent years, and they have made thorough preparations to descend onto the stage at FUJI ROCK. Their world tour is on par with the most well-known heavy metal bands to date, and they have even ranked in the charts on Billboard in America. It is this vigour that has created the whirlwind that is BABYMETAL. MAN WITH A MISSION are a band who lead the world of traditional Japanese music, and this will be their second time appearing at the festival. It seems their tremendous popularity will pave the way for them to grow even more overseas. Suchmos are an outstanding young band with a lot of strength who you won’t be able to take your eyes off. Inspired by a wide range of genres including soul, acid and hip-hop, you will no doubt become addicted to their songs from only one listen. There’s a huge variety of other bands that will be performing too. You are sure to find yourself saying “There was such an amazing band like this in Japan?!”

Crossing the Seas: Genreless Music Gathers in Naeba

The many performers from overseas are sure to heat us up yet again this year with their brilliant performances. Out of all of them, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are the stand-outs. They were the headlining act back in 2006, and they will be headlining the festival again this year. VANT will also be performing, an up-and-coming indie rock band from the UK. Anticipating is also building for SIGUR RÓS who will be performing at FUJI ROCK for the first time in 11 years. From big name bands to rookies, the excitement will only increase as we draw closer to the diverse and chaotic line-up of this year’s FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL.

Attending FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL will without doubt be an experience you will never forget. Early Summer — take a step out of reality. You will be so engulfed in the excitement and sense of fulfilment that you will forget about the heat. You are sure to have made plenty of wonderful memories and have cooled down by the end of it. Enjoying the short summer nights while reminiscing in the lingering memories of the event is sure a luxury, is it not? I urge you to try finding out for yourself how much fun you can have – there isn’t only music to enjoy, but there’s the festival food, the signing sessions, the merch. Be moderate, and have the best festival experience with everyone.

Original Text = Chikako Irimatsugawa

◼︎ Event Details

“20th Anniversary FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’16”

Date: Friday July 22^nd, Saturday July 23^rd, Sunday July 24^th

Location: Naeba Ski Resort, Yuzawa, Niigata

Time: Open 9:00 / Start 11:00 / End 23:00

◼︎ Line-up

Friday July 22^nd – Day 1

■SIGUR RÓS

■JAMES BLAKE

■ROUTE 17 Rock’n’Roll ORCHESTRA (feat. Aki Yashiro, Reichi “CHABO” Nakaido, Tamio Okuda, Tortoise Matsumoto)

■JAKE BUGG

■BIFFY CLYRO

■BOREDOMS

■DISCLOSURE

■FLIGHT FACILITIES

■illion

■THE INTERNET

■Suchmos

■KOHH

■LA GOSSA SORDA

■The Birthday

■THE BAWDIES

■COURTNEY BARNETT

■LÅPSLEY

■TRASHCAN SINATRAS

■LUCKY TAPES

and more…

Saturday July 23^rd – 2^nd Day

■BECK

■WILCO

■TRAVIS

■MAN WITH A MISSION

■TOM ODELL

■WANIMA

■SQUAREPUSHER

■TORTOISE

■EGO-WRAPPIN’

■THE HEAVY

■ZAINICHI FUNK

■VANT

■THE COLLECTORS

■KULA SHAKER

■The Cro-Magnons

■LOOK PARK

■Seiko Oomori

■THE ALBUM LEAF

■avengers in sci-fi

■Homecomings

and more…

Sunday July 24^th – Day 3

■RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

■BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS

■Ken Yokoyama

■STEREOPHONICS

■2CELLOS

■MARK ERNESTUS’ NDAGGA RHYTHM FORCE

■Denki Groove

■BATTLES

■Explosions In The Sky

■BABYMETAL

■ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT

■SOIL&”PIMP”SESSIONS

■DEAFHEAVEN

■BO NINGEN

■YEARS & YEARS

■JACK GARRATT

■THE AVALANCHES

■TROYE SIVAN

■DMA’S

■SLOT MACHINE

■SABANNAMAN

and more…