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Arlo Parks – For the Love of Words
- May 21, 2022 ● Bands, From Fujirockers.org
British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks is first and foremost a poet. Words are her anchor and her love for them shines through in twelve songs on her 2021 debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams. In the very beginnings of the pandemic, she rummaged through her collections of writing, from poems to journals that she’s written from the age of 13, and there, she began to piece together what would later be the heart of her debut album. READ MORE
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Get Pumped with the Official Spotify Playlist
- May 18, 2022 ● Bands, Experiences, From Fujirockers.org
Search for the official Spotify playlist under the title “FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ’22”
Did you know that an official playlist gets released every year in preparation for Fuji Rock?
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Dinosaur Jr. – A Band 65 Million Years in the Making
- May 14, 2022 ● Bands, From Fujirockers.org
Lou Barlow, J Mascis and Murph… Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. is one of those bands that most people have heard of, but fewer have really gotten deeply into. The name is familiar, maybe you remember the video for Feel the Pain when it was in heavy rotation on MTV, or their close relationship with bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, or in Japan perhaps from the YouTube algorithm quirk led popularity spike of 1994’s Over Your Shoulder in 2019 (strange, but true). If you fall into this ‘I know the name’ category, I highly recommend you spend the majority of your free time between now and Fuji Rock listening to lots and lots of Dinosaur Jr. so we can all enjoy what may prove to be the festival’s most earnest, most beautiful and presumably loudest shows together.
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Festival Fashion: How to Dress for Fuji Rock
- August 18, 2021 ● Essentials, Experiences, From Fujirockers.org
Hey there, Nina here reporting on Fuji Rock’s fashion trends. READ MORE
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Shintaro Sakamoto – Steel Guitars and Phantoms
- August 15, 2021 ● Bands, From Fujirockers.org
Shintaro Sakamoto is a true artist. And unlike many artists entering their 4th decade of performing, he shows no signs of slowing down creatively. His Friday Fuji Rock performance will no doubt prove him an artist still in his prime.
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The Rising Star “4s4ki” Makes her Fuji Rock Debut!
- August 13, 2021 ● Bands, Experiences, From Fujirockers.org, Interviews
Having started producing her own music at an astonishingly early age (in grade five or grade six, by her recollection) 4s4ki released her first full album in 2020, and makes her Fuji Rock debut this year. I caught up with her via Zoom, to get a feel for where she is headed. READ MORE
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Prophylactic Measures – To Keep Everyone Safe
- August 1, 2021 ● Essentials, From Fujirockers.org
We gather this year to protect and conserve a legacy that we built together; a movement of aficionados gathering from far and wide, each year. And, just as important as gathering is to the protection of our “culture,” security measures are put in place, to make sure all see next year. Anyone disregarding public safety may be asked to leave, or may be refused entry. READ MORE -
Welcome to Fuji Rock 2021 – A Brand New Experience?
- July 31, 2021 ● From Fujirockers.org
Photo Credit: Laura Cooper
With nineteen days left before this year’s concerts, I welcome you to a whole new experience! My name is Laurier Tiernan, and – in addition to being a broad-spectrum artist – many years of music journalism have led me to leading the official English bloggers team this year. READ MORE
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Int’l Clash Day Friday Feb 7
- February 4, 2020 ● Experiences, From Fujirockers.org
Friday is International Clash Day, a celebration of the life, work, music, and politics of “The Only Band That Matters“. Begun seven years ago because of a “listener request”, Seattle’s KEXP enlisted 110 radio stations around the world to host special broadcasts and live events ala “Radio Clash” from London to Uruguay.So lift your jug like Clash front-man Joe Strummer, who is pictured here outside the Fuji Rock entrance way back in the day. And here’s a fun fact, Joe Strummer’s birthday, August 21, coincides with the start of this year’s festival. Call it synchronicity or happenstance, but you gotta believe their will probably be a few covers and on-stage tributes as well as many t-shirts and Mohawks championing The Clash’s anti-hate, anti-racism message.
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F@king at Fuji Rock!
- July 24, 2019 ● From Fujirockers.org
Photo Credit: Andy Jones
F@king at Fuji Rock!
Music can serve as a powerful aphrodisiac, and live music even more so. Perhaps no events are more iconic of this phenomenon than the Summer of Love, and the legendary festival that followed soon afterwards; Woodstock. However, as your own pheromones start flowing at this weekend’s festival, consider these factors before getting your love on.
STD’s
Many recent articles in the print media proclaimed that Japanese people – especially the younger set – are having sex less than their predecessors. This may create the illusion of a decreased risk of STD’s. However, anyone buying into that delusion would be sadly mistaken.
A Japan Times article from January of 2018 reported that new cases of syphylis – an STD nearly eradicated in Japan years ago – had surged in 2017, to more than double those of 2015.1 Syphilis can be transmitted not only through vaginal and anal sex, but also through oral as well. The latter sometimes leads to infection in a person who assumes the risk of an STD is low due to the lack of intercourse during a given encounter. The international appeal of the Fuji Rock festival also increases your risk of infection; with music fans from around the globe flying in for the festivities. In Alberta, Canada, cases of gonorrhoea are reported to have doubled between 2014 and 2018, and cases of syphilis have gone up nearly tenfold.2 Another news story in the Washington Post from May 9th of this year, reveals that cases of gonorrhoea being spread through kissing are also on the rise, particularly in the demographics of gay and bisexual men.3 A good rule of thumb is to use a different condom before every sexual activity; oral included, if you want to be as safe as possible. And, the truest of truths is that you are never perfectly safe. However, as always, being informed lets you minimize the risks.
Legalities
An official from the Minami Uonuma Police Station in the province of Niigata (where Fuji Rock is held) would like to warn you that, while there are no specific laws prohibiting you from f@king while camping, if someone should contact them complaining about the noise (etc.), then charges may be filed. Our source informs us that this is part of Niigata’s “anti-nuisance ordinance”; against disturbing the peace. He also said there is a zero-tolerance policy for public nudity in Niigata. His final words on the subject of sex-related crimes are that sexual contact with minors is strictly illegal in Niigata. This brings us to the following point.
Consent
It’s not just for medical forms anymore. To paraphrase a recent viral British video likening it to tea, “just because you made some (tea) for someone, doesn’t mean they have to drink it. People can ask for tea and then change their minds. And, most importantly, remember, unconscious people do not want tea”. When in doubt, a good rule of thumb may be the F.R.I.E.S. acronym; (consent is) Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific.
In Conclusion
Observing the aforementioned tips can help keep you free from diseases, and can also help keep you out of jail. Whether enjoying an amorous encounter with a partner who comes with you, or one you meet at the festival – like a good flight attendant – this author wishes you a safe and pleasant journey.
See You in the Field of Dreams,
Tiernan
N.B. Author Laurier Tiernan is both married and monogamous, thus will not be f@king at Fuji Rock.
1 Japan’s dramatic surge in syphilis cases, with particularly high incidence in Tokyo, puzzles experts
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/29/reference/japans-dramatic-surge-syphilis-cases-particularly-high-incidence-tokyo-puzzles-experts/#.XTGH-y2B3Vo2 ‘Alarming rates’ of syphilis and gonorrhea continue in Alberta
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/gonorrhea-syphilis-alberta-rates-increase-strong-1.5122463
3 Got gonorrhea? It may have come from French kissing, study says.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/05/09/got-gonorrhea-it-may-have-come-french-kissing-study-says/?utm_term=.8874efb23ce0
