Japan's summer festivals plan for a final party before Olympic fever hits
As Yo La Tengo once sang, "summer's what you make it," and that's especially true in Japan this year. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are likely to throw a major wrench (or should that be hammer?) in the works for next summer's festival ...
Rock in Japan focuses on the experience of an eternal afternoon
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 ...
Dragon Ash, Chara impress at Rock in Japan's first weekend
The first thing you're greeted with when walking into the gates of Rock In Japan Festival is a large sign with a list of rules titled, "7 Things Rock In Japan Wants to Tell You." Some of the list was fairly standard Japanese festival affair, ...
From Björk to Kyary, festival season has arrived
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 ...
