Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival (フジロックフェスティバル, Fuji Rokku Fesutibaru) is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. In 2005, more than 100,000 people attended the festival.
Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is named so because the first event in 1997 was held at the base of Mount Fuji. Since 1999 the festival has been held at the Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa, Niigata.
Accommodation[edit]
Although Naeba, being a ski resort, offers a number of accommodation options such as hotels, ryokan and minshuku within walking distance of the festival site, competition for these is fierce and they tend to book out very quickly. Many festival goers find accommodation in nearby ski resorts such as Tashiro, Asagai and Mitsumata – the free shuttle bus linking JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station (in the town of Yuzawa to the festival site can be used for these areas which are en route. Some even find accommodation in the numerous options available in Yuzawa itself. The shuttle bus takes between 40 minutes to an hour each way and runs until 2am each night.
Alternatively, there is a campsite on a golf course next to the festival site which costs ¥3,000 (2011) (equivalent to ¥3,162.49 or US$29.01 in 2019)[1] for the weekend (2011), complete with toilets, showers and food stalls. About 17,000 festival goers choose to spend their nights here every year. The campsite is hilly in many places and flat spots are taken quickly, however, the manicured putting greens, which are the flattest areas are generally out of bounds to campers.
In previous years many took the option of sleeping rough – a relatively common practise amongst young Japanese during the warmer months thanks to a low crime rate – in the vicinity of the site and Echigo-Yuzawa Station, however this is now prohibited.
Access[edit]
The festival is a free 40–60-minute shuttle bus ride from Echigo-Yuzawa Station (越後湯沢駅) in the town of Yuzawa, on the Jōetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線) line which link it to Tokyo Station (東京駅) in about 90 minutes. JR Shinkansen ticket, Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa is ¥6,490 (2008) (equivalent to ¥6,680.7 or US$61.29 in 2019)[1] one way (for a reserved seat). Car parking also available for ¥3,000 (2008) (equivalent to ¥3,088.15 or US$28.33 in 2019)[1] per day at the festival site area.[2]