Music Aug 3, 2017

Your Fuji Rock

The 2017 edition of the Fuji Rock Festival boasted one of the more eclectic lineups the long-running gathering has had in recent years. It was also one of the wettest ones on record.

Music Jul 26, 2017

Be prepared before you head out for a weekend of music

by Elliott Samuels

With Fuji Rock happening this weekend, it's time to start making sure you've got everything you need to make the festival an unadulterated success. Here's a list of essential items you should consider trying to squeeze into your bags: Footwear: You're likely to need rain ...

Music | Sound Off May 18, 2017

Taicoclub's role in Japan's electronic music scene will be missed, so catch it while you can

by James Hadfield

When I interviewed Taro Yasuzawa this time last year, he didn't let on that he was about to pull the plug on the event he'd been organizing for the past decade. A few weeks later, it was official: Taicoclub, the plucky all-night music festival ...

Music | STRANGE BOUTIQUE Jul 26, 2015

Rock in Japan focuses on the experience of an eternal afternoon

by Ian Martin

If the lackluster response to Fuji Rock Festival's lineup announcements and the closure of at least one of its stages suggests looming trouble for Japan's festival scene, there is one rival that has gone from strength to strength: the domestically focused Rock in Japan. The ...

Music Jun 7, 2013

From Björk to Kyary, festival season has arrived

by Mike Sunda

Summer means a lot of things in Japan: stifling heat and humidity, fireworks and the Bon holidays, nagashi-sōmen noodles and chilled barley tea. For music fans though, the season brings a different kind of to-do list: booking cheap train tickets in advance, stocking up ...