Some of the highlights from my first time at Fuji Rock include:
All-Access Artist Pass
Being given the opportunity to experience the festival with an all-access, artist pass (Huge “THANK YOU” to my friend & Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats for hooking it up!!). Definitely something I could get used to (I’m not big on crowds).
Getting introduced to Zima cocktails:
The alcohol choices at Fuji Rock are fairly limited (mostly beer and low-alcohol mixed drinks). However, one drink that I discovered that I LOVED was Zima. The Zima booth had several different flavor options, but I went with the traditional Zima + Mint. It was SO good I walked over a mile (multiple times) just to get that drink (the only location was by the white stage). I guess Zima is/was available in the states as well, but that was the first I’ve seen or heard of it (and I haven’t seen it anywhere since). If you’re attending Fuji Rock and looking for an alcoholic beverage I highly recommend giving it a try!
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Headline Performance
One memory that will stick with me was standing back stage and watching Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats perform their last show of the festival. However, this wasn’t like the other shows they performed that weekend. They were headlining one of the outdoor stages (which, in itself, is pretty cool) and they were the last act of the night to perform on that particular stage. Being in a foreign country, I wasn’t sure what size of audience to expect; or if many people in Japan knew their music. Add to that they were performing at the same time as Kendrick Lamar, and — more problematic — it was POURING down rain (like, monsoon style rain), which made it FREEZING.
However, that didn’t deter thousands of Japanese fans from attending the show. Despite the rain, and the mud, and the cold, everyone in attendance was singing and dancing and having the time of their life. What stuck with me was watching a crowd of Japanese fans (most of whom don’t even speak english) brave the elements and sing every word to the songs the band performed — which could best be described as country music.
So, essentially, I was watching thousands of Japanese music fans tough it out through the rain, wind, mud and cold to sing country music at the top of their lungs in a language they don’t even speak. The irony and the beauty of it were not lost on me.
At the end of the set the band played their most popular song (S.O.B), and when the song was over and the band went backstage the audience kept singing the last line/harmony over and over (“OOOOO OOOO OOO OO O”.) Despite the rain and cold this “encore” singing went on for almost a minute before the band went back on stage to play another 1-2 songs. It was a cool thing to see and a great way to end the festival.
Monkeys!
Every now and then I’d catch a glimpse of some wild monkeys. When I first saw one, I panicked thinking it was a bobcat (I saw it from the back), but when I discovered it was a MONKEY I got way too excited. Evidently, there are quite a few wild snow monkeys (or Macacas) that live in the area and break into the hot springs during the winter.
Gondola
Taking a Gondola up to the top of the mountain to get a birds’ eye view of the gorgeous area. The lush green scenery was stunning and I pictured how gorgeous it must look in the fall (and how different the ski resort must look in the winter).