I’ve been labelled a ‘Festival Queen’ in my time. I’ve traipsed across the globe in search of the newest, biggest, best and quirkiest… Coachella, Roskilde, Exit and Global Gathering. I’ve raved on the Great Wall of China. Don’t get me wrong, they are all incredible festivals, but Japan’s Fuji Rock is something else.

Day 1

As I sipped on a can of Asahi from the 7 Eleven, the scenery slowly changed. From the smog and high-rises of Tokyo to the slow pace and misty mountains of Echigo Yuzawa, Fuji Rock was just a few steps away. The mini-bus rolled down the hill and a colourful checkerboard of tents was revealed on one side of the mountain… but nothing more. The rest was yet to be discovered. Fuji Rock was a giant theme park, an adventure land of endless surprises and a million smiles, of futuristic ponchos, of remarkable orderliness and politeness, of clean portable toilets, of giant sculptures made of metal… okay I’ll stop there.

I listened to Bloc Party’s set while setting up my tent and I think I heard the wail of Wolfmother in the distance. By the time I made it into the arena it was the beginning of Kasabian’s set. The sun was still shining brightly and the band were clearly thrilled to be on the main stage. Grandmaster Flash’s performance was not what I was expecting – at all – but it was fun all the same. It seems that even he has succumbed to allure of cheesy hip hop – or more the allure of the crowd liking cheesy hip hop. Because boy, did they like what Grandmaster Flash and his side kick MC were doing.

During Grandmaster Flash the crowd actually got so boisterous I had to move towards the back (and it wasn’t just my petite-ness that was the reason). Flash was avoiding playing his own classics, which I (and some of the other members in the crowd) were really hanging for… but finally, after a few panicked moments, he pulled out ‘White Lines’ right at the end. I noticed lots of the kids weren’t singing the way they had been earlier. Unfortunately this was more of an; ‘I’ve seen Grandmaster Flash, tick!’ than an; ‘I’ve seen Grandmaster Flash and he ruled!’ kind of show.

I was really looking forward to seeing Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, and true to form they ROCKED. It was a clever, well thought out and humorous show. Their song ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ was a highlight – instead of the usual band names, (“The Beatles – just a band, Led Zeppelin – just a band…”) they substituted bands who were playing at Fuji Rock, and even had big photos of each band that they held up! Brilliant and hilarious.

Day 2

Australian wunderkid Gotye did it again – and this time he was completely solo. Jumping between his laptop, drum kit and keyboard, Wally was mesmerising and held the crowd in the palm of his hand. To top it all off, he spoke Japanese! It sounded fluent, it probably wasn’t, but the kids loved it. His visuals were really special too. It’s difficult not to be jealous of this guy. An absolute festival highlight.

The mystique that surrounds Tricky is certainly accentuated in his live performances – but it’s a bit of a pity he doesn’t reveal more of himself. The darkened ‘elusive’ stage became a bit annoying – it would be nice to actually see the band you are listening to. He sort of hovered in the background enveloped by smoke. Great music but not a great deal of stage presence. The Zutons played a chilled set, perfect for the afternoon sunset. This group from Liverpool came complete with live sax. The white stage was completely chockers for them.

Primal Scream took over the main stage on both Saturday and Sunday, and the crowd was absolutely massive. They played a whole collection of hits and reinforced their Brit rocker status. Not often do I go and ‘set up camp’ at a stage hours before an act is due to come on. For Underworld, I did. Prime position too – with a perfect view of the stage, right in the centre. They were as spectacular as you would expect. Their set made me realise how long they’ve really been around for and how many sounds they have pioneered. The visuals were, as expected, world class, especially the video of the Underworld boys assembling giant blow up pylons – which then happened in ‘real life’ on the stage. Giant balloons filled the stage and then floated freely out into the crowd.

Erol Alkan is one of those cheeky, oh-so-cool Brits who can be relied on for moving the dancefloor and playing the latest greatest hits with his Alkan twist. He’s always a pleasure to watch, to listen to more importantly. He played ‘Kids’ by MGMT and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. Erol got pretty excited behind the decks too – and even jumped up onto the table at one stage. Switch was a great warm up for Richie Hawtin – lots of banging techno and fun, danceable stuff. What kind of superstar DJ crowdsurfs at Fuji Rock? Richie Hawtin, that’s who. Richie was another Fuji highlight, without a doubt. Skolling champagne from the bottle in true Hawtin style, Richie did, oh, about five encores, until he was eventually asked to leave the stage (politely of course!) At around 8am I stumbled back to my tent, content I’d made it through another day at Fuji.

Day 3

The final day started off slowly, with a journey across the festival site on the magic chairlift, to a stage right across the other side of the mountains called ‘Daydreaming’. Richie Hawtin had played an early morning set here (which I’m still upset about missing!) and everyone was kicking on. This stage was completely magical – people dressed in panda costumes, guys playing ukuleles, the mist of the mountains surrounding the DJ stage. Its name is perfectly fitting.

CSS were the only Fuji disappointment! It was probably something to do with the fact that I trekked from one end of the festival to the other (about a 30 minute walk) and they just didn’t sound very… in tune. The Red Marquee was packed for them, though, so I wonder if other people noticed this. Later that night I saw an absolutely breathtaking performance by Rodrigo Y Gabriela, and it was a big surprise for me. Although a few people had recommended them I had no idea what to really expect. It was hard to believe there were just two people on the stage with the range of sounds they made. Rodrigo y Gabriela have an amazing energy and connection on stage, they are such enthusiastic performers and it completely rubs off on the audience. Incredible!

Lee Scratch Perry is another incredibly charismatic and likeable performer. Preaching to the crowd about drugs and booze, he said proudly “the only thing I drink now is water and all I smoke is incense!” Another interesting performer, if haven’t heard of these guys, check out Free Tempo. The lead singer is a drag queen, their energy is insane and they are lots of fun.

Gan Ban is THE party stage. Set on a hill in a little corner of the festival, it’s the place to go when you feel like you need an energy injection… or at the end of a morning when nothing else is open. Gan Ban is a label and promoter in Tokyo and this is a showcase of the stuff they do. It’s open all night, and lots of the festival’s acts play secret shows here after their main set – I saw Erol Alkan play a banging set, but there was also lots of crazy Japanese DJs like Taku Hayashi, and bands making the crowd jump.

And, of course, this is just the music. Fuji Rock Festival is about that first and foremost, but it’s also about the hidden worlds between the stages. There’s the disco ball forest, the magic chairlift that carries you across the whole site right to the last stage. There’s the crazy circus tent that never seems to close, the one man band who plays every instrument under the sun, the massive light show beamed onto hundreds of pine trees, the endless food stalls… This is Japan, this is the Fuji Rock Festival. You will never experience anything else like it!