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.
REPORT

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!
REPORT

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!
REPORT

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.
REPORT

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.
REPORT

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.

As their name suggests, Superorganism is a large group with five members: Orono Noguchi, Harry, Tucan, B and Soul. Each member takes on a number of different roles depending on the song and performance. To complete the biological theme, Superorganism’s backdrops followed nature themes with videos of things like water droplets, space, and foliage.

Superorganism’s music is conducive to a good time. The classic verse/chorus structure is easy to follow and the repeated lines throughout each chorus can be picked up even by first time listeners. Their sound is largely psychedelic pop with some indie and electronica influences. The electronica side of their sound was very evident in their opening number World Wide Pop. A filter was put on Noguchi’s vocals to make it sound like her voice was heavily autotuned. Mixed with Noguchi’s style of speak-singing, their songs have a certain feeling of ease to them.

What made Superorganism’s concert super memorable was their closing performance of Something For Your M.I.N.D. With a little bit of extra time in the set, Noguchi called members of the audience and crew to join the band on stage to dance and sing with them. She began by calling up particularly enthusiastic audience members, then calling up people with Superorganism’s merch while making a joke that merch sales would suddenly go up. Finally she looked for a harmonica player in the audience with little success. We didn’t hear a harmonica part in the final song so it may well be that it was irrelevant, but we will never know.

An incredibly personal performance, Superorganism made their audience want to see them again and again.

The star of her show was the vocals. She began the set acappella using her unique singing style that combined modern techniques with old time Japanese style. Namely her strong vibrato gave her songs a very emotional feel to them. Another stylistic choice she made was the transition from her chest to her head voice. Her break was very prominent, yet very clean. The notes don’t falter at all. She also made great use of dynamic variability. It was really beautiful how she created a push and pull with every phrase she sang.

Audience members greatly enjoyed the dance demo she gave for one of the songs of her set! Truly just like your favorite teacher, she thoroughly showed us the catchy moves with a beaming smile on her face. Everyone had a great time dancing along and it was a very cute moment.

In general her music has a warm feeling about it with themes of home and love. One song talks about how her hometown and the city she currently lives in (Tokyo) are all under the same great blue sky. To an audience full of people who no doubt live and work in bustling cities, her message was really impactful.

Her most recent album was released with the goal of making listeners feel happy to be alive. People like her certainly make the world seem brighter and more inviting.

Between the Gypsy Avalon and Field of Heaven stages there is Primal, which offers poutine, pulled pork and yes, Cuban sandwiches. The perfect combination of roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard pressed on a roll is just what the doctor ordered if you are getting a bit peckish.

Don’t miss your chance to have one this year. Or two. And don’t forget the fries!

Although we don’t recommend eating the piece you’ve been chipping away at, you can still get candy if you win! Well, actually you still get one even if you fail, so there are no losers! The prize candy is a glossy, pastel colored hard candy on a string. Delicious and pretty!

Do you think you’ll win?

Try something a little different this weekend and give this food stand a visit! The entrance to this area can be easily found across from Red Marquee.

But worry not! There are charging booths right outside of the main entrance into the festival. Both a Nanaco Card-specific booth and a Suica charging booth that is also an ATM (provided by Seven Bank) are available at this station. Since there is only one ATM machine for the whole festival, lines may get long so be sure to go early.

Opening hours: 11:00AM – 8:00PM
Number of ATMs/Top up machine: 1
Number of Nanaco Card machine: 2

Fuji Rock sells their own branded set of ear muffs that come in three colors: pink, blue, and yellow. For ¥2,500, these comfortable ear muffs also come with branded bags to keep them safe in. They are sold at the merchandise tent so get a set for your kids – it’s not too late today, or for events in the future!