I have been in Japan for 15 years, and this was the first time I attended the institution that is Fuji Rock Festival. Until now, I’d contented myself with smaller gigs in Tokyo at smoky, cramped and sweaty venues. Fuji Rock seemed like the polar opposite, except for the sweat.
Spanning a whopping 13 stages over the course of three days, some 200 musical acts performed to a cumulative 96,000 spectators. I was tasked with shooting the bands, which meant maneuvering through a litany of regulations and restrictions — some explained, some not. It was enough to make even a Nagatacho bureaucrat throw their hands up in frustration.
Luckily, what’s happening on stage is really only part of the Fuji Rock experience. Whenever the music died down, I turned my lens on the community. Held at the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture, the setting is beautiful. This year, the weather largely held out, too. Apart from a few scattered showers, the humidity was low, and there was enough shade — if you sought it out — to keep the sun from being too punishing.