Weatherbeaten and remote, the fishing port of Ogi hardly seems like a cultural magnet. Yet the unassuming little community on the southern peninsula of Niigata Prefecture's Sado Island has achieved worldwide renown as the site of Earth Celebration, a music festival with a twist.
While most other summer festivals pull out the stops to entertain largely passive audiences, Kodo's annual salute to rhythm is one of those events where what you get out of it depends on what you put in. Kodo, the globe's best-known taiko drummers, wouldn't have it any other way. The give-and-take exchange they seek extends beyond artist and audience to include the host community and even the island as a whole.
Now in its 20th year, the three-day event, to be held Aug. 17-19, gives new meaning to audience participation. The action isn't just on stage, but all around you: workshops, exhibitions, arts and crafts, bus tours, cycling, swimming, impromptu jam sessions — the list goes on. Perhaps that's why organizers have managed to increase attendance while also reducing the number of performers.