1- xiexie
This small Rookie a Go-Go band totally took me by surprise! I liked what I had heard of their stuff on Spotify but there’s some sort of magic that comes with live music. It was so fun to dance with the band members and the smaller stage just made for such an enjoyable experience.
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2 – Snail Mail
If you read my intro post, you’ve seen that I was most looking forward to Snail Mail’s set. And boy, did it deliver! I’ve been a fan of Lindsey Jordan’s work for years now and hearing Pristine live was everything 2018 Mika could have hoped for. I was also secretly hoping she would open with Valentine, so when she did I was PUMPED!
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3 – Asakura Saya
Asakura Saya was too dang cute. Her energy was perfectly matched with the Gypsy Avalon stage and the whole performance just brought a smile to my face. Her singing voice was so uniquely beautiful too!
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4 – Kaho Nakamura
It’s difficult to explain how amazing this set was. I was seriously blown away by Nakamura’s talent! She’s a fantastic performer who clearly put a lot of love and care into this festival. Calling her just a singer would be selling her far too short.
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5 – Dragondola / Day Dreaming
I loved getting to ride the Dragondola for all of its amazing views and getting a ropeway car to yourself is kind of awesome in the middle of a crowded festival. The Day Dreaming stage was relaxing, breezy and beautiful! Super worth it to go if you can swing it.
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Hopes for Next Year
I would love to see some of the artists that had to cancel at next year’s festival! Namely artists like YOASOBI, Say Sue Me and 八木海莉 were all on my festival bucket list but fate had other plans this year.

Thank you Fuji Rock 2022 for an unforgettable weekend! Until next time!

She began her set alone on the stage accompanying herself on the piano. Her performance was so consuming that the crowd was itching to applaud and show their love. There was no time for this however, as she jumped straight from one song into the next by bridging the songs together with some improvised vocalization. Once the first act finished the applause was uproarious. The rest of the band finally trickled out as things settled down. Nakamura collected herself before admitting that she had been focusing really hard during that whole sequence.

Nakamura continued to prove her genius artistry with the way she directed her band and backup chorus. It really was like watching a conductor rather than a solo artist the way she commanded different parts of the band. Although she was doing the most singing and performing, she stepped back to let other members of her crew shine. It was really amazing to see some of her very talented chorus take the lead on certain vocals. For example, one of the singers, Azumi Takahashi, took lead vocals to belt the finale of a song with a power Nakamura said she needed help with. Her drummer and bassist also got stand out moments where their volume was turned up in the speakers. For one piece, Nakamura pulled the chorus’ starting pitch out of thin air which was a very subtle display of talent. Given this and her incredible pitch accuracy I would not be surprised if Nakamura had perfect pitch. (For those who don’t know, perfect pitch is very rare and VERY impressive.)

With all of her talent, she still managed to come off as very humble and earnest. The audience was fully taken by her, laughing after each comment she made. Everyone was enraptured by her artistry and charm.

Everything in Nakamura’s set just seemed so tastefully done. It had the touch of a true musician to it all.

Though I originally thought it was a strange staging decision (his last Fuji Rock appearance was a prime-time Red Marquee spot), it all became immediately clear once I arrived at the top of the gondola that this was a dance party on a more personal level. A circle of 40-or-so people were huddled up near the decks and grooving their butts off to soulful disco-y tracks which were bookended by chopped up comical vocal samples from movies and TV.

Daft Punk’s “One More Time” appeared early on in its original form until DÉ DÉ MOUSE started teasing the crowd by playing with the levels and eventually morphed it into a whole new animal with horns and distorted bass. Likewise, “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music was playfully remixed as a hip-hop track that was soon deconstructed and blasted apart into a scatterbrained headbanger.

These elements added range to the set but it was DÉ DÉ MOUSE’s original material, namely the bouncy/poppy “Midnight Dew” and the catchy “Milkyway Drive” that proved to become the most memorable moments in the end. DÉ DÉ MOUSE really interacted with the crowd at every chance, coming out from behind the decks to pump everyone up, or lip synching the lyrics with animated facial expressions.

On paper, the set seemed most logical as a late-night Red Marquee jaunt, but somehow with it being on a mountain top in the crisp cool air, it felt like a backyard party with all your next-door neighbors letting it all hang loose.

Signed to Music and DJ collective tokyovitamin, LITTLE DEAD GIRL is both a DJ and producer. Their DJ style which is highly centered on bass music has attracted a fair bit of attention. Having grown up loving music since a young age, LITTLE DEAD GIRL skillfully integrates various experimental instrument sounds into their set.

Situated at Day Dreaming, LITTLE DEAD GIRL’s set was a great start to the day. While some people opted to dancing right in front of the dance floor, others lay horizontal on the grass, or situated in their foldable chairs (which I opted for), basking in the pleasant weather accompanied by LITTLE DEAD GIRL’s unique selection.

Their set was quite minimal, with elements of jazz mixed into it which is was really got people grooving on the grass.

In conclusion, I think LITTLE DEAD GIRL is a pretty awesome DJ. Their doing what they love and they look pretty great doing it.

Caravan, a one-man Japanese musician, played his folk-inspired set right before midnight. Many were sat on the grass or getting late night drinks at the moon and candlelit stage on the west end of the festival while winding down to his music that were lullabies to the ears.

He brought out his harmonica and talked with the audience between songs as if to tell bedtime stories, reminiscing on his childhood spent in Venezuela, and about the last few years of the world. He has wandered around the world and has been creating music as a solo artist since 2001, producing about one album per year for the first decade. In 2011, he even launched his own label, Slow Flow Music.

His set consisted of tales in spoken word and song, and brought on a guest singer to accompany him halfway through the set.

For anyone looking for a slower pace of fun at Fuji Rock, many artists featured at Pyramid Garden are a must, and Caravan was the perfect act to see before heading off to bed.