Fujirockers: The official fansite of the Fuji Rock Festival

words to live by

Being from Australia, one of my favorite foods is lamb. When I was a small child growing up in Sydney, even the smell of it in butcher shops made me dream of one day working in one of those emporiums of meat. So when I saw a food stall in the periphery of the culinary adventurous and usually rewarding Field of Heaven my visual and olfactory senses became instantly heightened and I went in for a closer look. Much to my disappointment, there was an extremely long line of people waiting to get their hands on a tasty chop and I didn’t have time to wait, so I can’t make any comments on how these chops actually taste. What I am pretty confident writing is that it was the first time I had seen a stall selling lamb chops at any festival in Japan, music related or otherwise. Just look at the effort these people went to making their offerings seem appetizing, even adding an unmistakably Japanese style cute hand-drawn picture and some incomprehensible yet completely captivating phrase to get you to purchase. How exactly life is like a lamb chop is open to interpretation but possibly the intended message was that after enjoying the nutritious, succulent and delicious piece of lamb meat, you are left to struggle with the remnants of what used to be something spectacular stuck to a hard and unforgiving bone. A rather distant but conceivable metaphor for the deterioration of our bodies (and for some people soul’s) as we age.

Good Karma from Osaka

Perhaps it is just because the Mojito is one of my favorite drinks but I have noticed in the last year or so that this rum based, fresh mint infus ed cocktail, originally from Cuba has become incredibly popular in Japan. Only a couple of months ago, rum maker Barcardi put out a version of it in a can which you can buy at most convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan. Some good friends of mine from Osaka told me about this bar set up in the Oasis area which is run by people from a real bar of the same name in Osaka. All the drinks were 500 yen and they didn’t mess around with their Mojitos, crushing up fresh mint and lemon juice right before your eyes. Here is a photo of my great friends from Osaka in front of the bar.

YES, IT IS A REAL LOAF OF BREAD

No Nukes. Gnarly.

So I thought for sure this massive loaf was papier mache or some shit. Nope.

It is a REAL loaf that the baker/artist sketched in NO NUKES, definitely the sub-theme political slant of the festival this year.

In the Field of Heaven this delicious bread vendor provides festival goers with delicious buttermilk on sliced wheat bread, raisin walnut loaves, or if you’d like a crispy alternative, little packaged rask packets or breadsticks you can take on the go.

The smell alone is worth 400 Yen, rivaled only by the wood-burning oven pizza guys on the other side of the field. Especially for us working the fest, after eating 3 days of mediocre bento lunch boxes with lukewarm and questionable fish and other unidentifiable oddities, a nice hearty loaf of bread washed down with a cup of coffee or 100% apple juice makes an excellent breakfast or filling snack. It was kind of my lunch, actually.

So, if you missed it this time around, put it on your gastronomical list for FRF 2013. Tear a loaf with some J-Hippies, hell get a glass, dip it in wine and commune together! Peace and Pan.

TASTY LAMBCHOPS ARE BEING EATEN!

The review. It was darn tasty, and a bit heavily seasoned for my liking. Definitely salty, and pre-marinated in some sort of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. It was a pity because I rather like the natural flavor of lamb, and only a pinch of salt and some pepper would do me fine. I wouldn’t get two lambchops because that would be a bit dear, but one is definitely worth it.

Swnka Shanka

Let’s not bury the most important information in this post – Swnka Shanka, near the Field Of Heaven stage, sells the best beer at Fuji Rock. Heiniken and Kirin are perfectly fine beverages, but for the exact same price (600 yen) you can get a cup of Tokyo Ale, an extremely tasty brew and easily the best drinking option I’ve seen at the festival. Disagree? Comments are down that way.

Anyway…Swnka Shanka fits in marvelously at the Field Of Heaven area, a place that has a bit more of an organic feel to it then the Red Marquee zone. The sign trumpets the fact they sell “fried bread,” and that might not sound like the most nutritious option but it is worth the extra 15 minutes at the gym. They stuff various delicious foodstuffs inside the fried bread…I see you, chorizo…but the best item actually sounds a little healthy. The vegetable taco features various, errrr, vegetables placed inside of the crispy bread, with a spicy sauce added to the inside. It brings to mind a puffy taco…a San Antonio delicacy…and is very yummy. The line for Swnka Shanka can get long, but before Fuji Rock closes for the year, make a trip to get some fried bread.

And sweet, sweet Tokyo Ale.

NOTHING BETTER THAN MEAT ON A STICK

I was lucky and spotted a new line forming for these tasty meatsicle’s at a vendor in the Gypsy Avalon area. Each one is 500 yen, and they only take a few minutes to cook on the grill because I suspect they have been pre-cooked. Hence, there was little wait before I put this yummy goodness into my belly.

DID SOMEONE ELSE SEE THIS CHEESE RUNNING AROUND?

If you see this cheese running past you, please oblige and get out of the way cuz the mice can be quite nasty and a little hungry to boot. You can see there are a few bite marks already! But if you take a closer look at the picture, there also seem to be alot of lipstick traces, meaning there are a lot of people who apparently love cheese!

SKA TOASTING AND OTHER FUNKY BEATS

Located in the World Court, Jim “Vinyl” Nasium’s stall is the location for the finest beats and rhythms from around the globe. At sunset, the record players come out and so do the microphones for a bit of improvisational ska “toasting.” This a musical form where the MC adds extra rhythm and sounds over the pre-recorded vinyl.

The live performance drew a largish crowd of 10-20 people who formed a dance circle.  Even Solomon, the owner of Queen Sheba, got into the act with some dancing and good time grooving.

Grab something to eat and drink and join in the jams. There’s a chance that Big Willy will be DJing here at 1AM on Saturday night.

Kick off the Olympics with some fish and chips

The London Olympics kicked off tonight with the opening ceremonies, which featured performances from Fuji Rock veterans The Arctic Monkeys, among others. Yet it’s likely that many people at the festival this weekend…in particular those roughing it in the camping area…haven’t had a chance to watch the highlights of the Olympic kickoff, and will miss the first few days of competition. Fest-goers can still enjoy the tastes of London…especially during a Fuji Rock soaked in Union Jack flags…and celebrate the Olympics at the same time. In the international-themed food area, located very close to the back of the Red Marquee stage, is a booth selling fish and chips, among other English items. For 700 yen, you get an impressive-sized piece of fish and some fries, which makes for a lovely meal at any time of the day. The stand offers up plenty of vinegar and salt to drizzle over your food, as well. And for 400 yen more, you can get a gin and tonic to try to beat the heat. Picture (poorly salted, sorry gang!) after the jump.

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The food at Fuji is cheap, plentiful and delicious. With choices from all around the globe, why go for western food? Well, when you’re promised a f**king yummy hamburger, you see if they’re delivering the goods, my friend. These guys definiately delivered.

With moderate responsibility come great perks. Or however that saying goes.

One of the best Fujirocker perks, (apart from being at Fuji Rock) is the toilets. Yes, real toilets. No lining up for a long row of what starts as decent enough port-a-potties, but graduates towards horrors of unimaginable smell and filth as the weekend progresses. Yes, even in Japan. Especially with the mud.

Anyway, now that I’ve put you off your food enough, time to talk about the real subject of this post – food. The variety of great food and stalls at Fuji Rock is a topic that has cropped up multiple times and it is indeed the best selection of amazing foods I’ve ever seen at a festival.

But back to the perks. As a Fujirocker you also get the choice of a bento for lunch and dinner as well. Some are great, some not so great. And since I can’t resist a freebie, I tried them all. Here’s the final ranking:

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Embodiment of enthusiasm

The food court behind the back entrance to the Red Marquee is always a great place to eat, drink and hang out in between acts. This year I noticed they also had a killer DJ playing lots of 70’s funk and reggae, which is right down my alley. I was lucky enough on the very first night to discover a place that primarily sells Chinese food but also wonderful cocktails. What caught my eye was their Mango juiced based drinks, something you rarely see in Japan. All it took was one taste of their rum and mango juice and I was hooked. At the end of a hard days writing for fujirock.com, there was no better place than here to enjoy a drink. The staff there too were incredibly friendly, asking my name and actually remembering it every time I came back. Continue Reading…

feast for the eyes

It seems like I am not the only one who thought these sausage sandwiches at the Russian food tent in the Orange Court were delectable. While I was browsing through the Japanese counterpart to this English site today, I noticed that one of the Japanese writers had also devoured one of these bad boys and been as equally as impressed. Seeing as this sausage was being sold at a Russian food stand, I guess that the translation of the Japanese katakana name was “kielbasa,” which seems to be a thick sausage common in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine. Anyway, this was the best food I ate at Fuji Rock and if you see this stall at the festival, please try one of these. Not only was the sausage amazing but there was a perfectly balanced spicy mayonaise sauce to go with it. Continue Reading…

DAMN, THAT WAS F#CKIN' YUMMY

On Saturday morning I walked by the “Japannize Style Handmade Hamburger Shop” that was located near the wristband pickup area.  When I saw their sign boasting that they made “Fuckin’ Yummy Hamburger!!” I knew that I had to try one at some point during the fest.

Feeling a little hungry late Sunday night, I decided to swing by the stand on my way to the Palace of Wonder.  Man, am I ever glad I did.  For 500 yen, I was served up a good-sized burger with cheese, egg, and bacon.  The cook used a mini blow torch to melt the shredded cheese on top of the burger.  How badass is that!

Sticking true to their word, the burger was pretty f#ckin’ yummy.  So much so that I ordered another one after stumbling out of the Palace of Wonder sometime after 6 am on Monday morn.  The second one was even better than the first!

Rib Dinner

I’m a big fan of The Simpsons “Homer the Great” episode and love Patrick’s Stewarts’ line, “In honor of this momentous occasion … we’re having ribs!”

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The worst thing about FRF 11 is the lack of pizza at the Field of Heaven. That place was not just the best grub at the festival (if you could handle the one or two hour wait), but it was a lifeline for vegetarians. Now it’s gone, and so has the veggie food stand in the Avalon field. Which leaves… not very much to eat. Here’s one option – in the World Food Court. Tofu in a pita with coleslaw. It’s not exactly high gastronomy, but it is food. For strict veggies, there’s also a pizza place in the Oasis area, and the Levain stand in the Field of Heaven. Anything else? I can’t find it. A bit poor for a festival with so many hippies.

ORGANIC GOODNESS

With so much fantastic food, it’s hard to resist trying it all. So I don’t.

One thing I’ve been on the hunt for though is some decent coffee. Yesterday afternoon I finally found some in the Field of Heaven. It’s organic and… decent. Not great, but better than most of the other stuff on offer for the same price. So if you’re looking for coffee, Heaven is a good place to look. (Or more specifically, Lotus Cafe.)

COFFEE HEAVEN?

FUJI ROCK FOOD STALLS = WIN

I suspect this may end up being the beginning of a beautiful and delicious series of posts.

It’s already been mentioned that there is a lot of excellent food on offer at the fest, and it seems that the rumour has been proved true. With so many stalls to choose from it’s almost impossible to decide what to try first.

I went with my gut instinct (=sweet tooth) and checked out hoccorie, purveyor of soft ice cream served with warmed croissants. Thumbs up for that one.

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