At first glance, the biggest thing happening in Makuhari last weekend was the sale at the local outlet mall. No banners. No bullhorns. No hype. Just a silent, eerie cityscape of hotels and empty family restaurants. In short, there was nothing to indicate that Summer Sonic, Japan's second-biggest music extravaganza, was taking off, except for the small clusters of festival-goers navigating a maze of overpasses and pavement.
Taking in the view outside Stage One at Chiba Marine Stadium, it didn't seem as if they had found it. Swarms of security personnel (easily outnumbering the crowd 20-to-one) and a rigid ticketing system that divided the crowd into separate areas of the arena made it more like Narita airport's immigration section than a rock festival.
The scene at Stage Two, at Makuhari Messe, was equally enervating. Organizers had attempted to make the space more inviting with cafe seating and food stalls, but it still couldn't cover up the aircraft-hanger ambience. Away from the festival hall, the corridors were dark and empty, leeching energy like a black hole.