It's 9 a.m. and the gentle rolling piano intonations of the Rajio Taiso theme start up. A man stands at the foot of a hill on a small raised platform and begins the count: "Ichi, ni, san, shi . . ." The hill is covered with tents from which several thousand people slowly emerge. They twist sideways, bend down and stretch up -- obeying the commands of our PE instructor this sunny Sunday morning in the foothills of Mount Fuji.
And as soon as he's finished, we crack open the beer.
Asagiri Jam is not your regular music festival. It's more like a school outing or a family get-together. And the kids obviously love the informal vibe because all 8,000 tickets sold out in this, its third year.