Fuji Rock's weekend of surprises was one of its best yet
Attempting to squeeze through the packed crowd in front of the main stage was nearly impossible, as thousands of punters crammed together to see one of Japan's most celebrated artists perform at the country's premier summer music festival for the first time ever.
He didn't disappoint. Yamashita delivered a show more than worthy of Fuji Rock. The audience hollered early on when he played the opening riff of his 1982 song 'Sparkle.' They bopped around to his old-school funk during an extended take on the '70s cut 'Silent Screamer.' They became delirious when, midway through 'Plastic Love,' Mariya Takeuchi — Yamashita's wife and a beloved singer in her own right — stepped on stage to join a rendition of one of J-pop's most defining songs in recent history.
Yamashita's set became the centerpiece of this year's Fuji Rock Festival, held in Niigata Prefecture's Naeba Ski Resort from July 25 to 27, and the mammoth crowd underscored just how busy the festival grounds were all weekend. The line for the shuttle bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station to the grounds took upward of 90 minutes to get through, while long queues for food stalls often seemed to move at a glacial pace.
Tatsuro Yamashita's Fuji Rock set included performances of 'Sparkle,' 'Silent Screamer' and 'Plastic Love,' delighting the packed crowd. |
Junichiro Nomi
Thousands of people crammed together to see Tatsuro Yamashita, one of Japan's most celebrated artists, make his Fuji Rock debut at the main Green Stage on Saturday night. |
Johan Brooks
Based on figures provided by organizer Smash, this year's event attracted a total of 122,000 visitors, including the Thursday night kick-off. That's a significant increase from last year's 96,000.
Those numbers, coupled with the generally positive vibes enveloping Naeba, served as a big boost of optimism for Japan's festival industry at large, which has faced myriad challenges recently, ranging from a lack of legacy acts as headliners to extreme weather. Such problems still remain — the heat in Niigata was sauna-like at times — but this year's edition was a strong reminder of just how much Fuji Rock has to offer.
Marquee shake-up
One of this year's standout developments was a new approach to the headliner structure. The three names technically at the top of the marquee weren't necessarily obvious choices: English electronic artist Fred Again on Friday, Michigan funkers Vulfpeck on Saturday and New York sophisti-rock band Vampire Weekend on Sunday. The Japanese names just beneath them — J-pop rising star Vaundy, Yamashita and long-running band Radwimps — seemed more likely to drum up headliner-level excitement and deserving of top billing.
Friday night revealed how well this new formation could work, however. Vaundy's penultimate performance on the Green Stage drew a huge crowd, with attendees ranging from Gen Z punters to parents with little children enjoying his anthemic song 'Kaiju No Hanauta.' As it turned out, it became the day's de facto closer in a way — Fred Again's set was delayed nearly two hours due to generator trouble.
Yet this proved to be great for the club-ready set Fred Again delivered. The text 'I think it is maybe the most surreal honour of my life to get to play Fuji Rock' appeared on screen behind the artist as he launched into a rollicking performance where he showed off his dexterity on keyboards, samplers and more.
The crowd went wild, and Fred Again felt less like a day-ending act and more like a grand start to Fuji Rock's all-night block, while offering a nice contrast to Vaundy's rock.
Moved by Radwimps' forceful performance, the audience turned on and waved their smartphone lights, giving the Green Stage field an ethereal glow |
Johan Brooks
Saturday headliner Vulpeck faced a greater challenge. Going on after Yamashita, the weekend's biggest draw, must have been daunting. Still, the band offered a complementary set, getting the crowd up on their feet and hooting only an hour after belting out Yamashita's 'Ride On Time.' The nonstop upbeat energy could be a little much at times, but mostly offered up lots of fun that kept the positive mood flowing.
The combination of a big Japanese name leading into a rising foreign one seems like a sustainable headliner model for the future (though finding a Yamashita-like figure every year might be a challenge). It didn't quite work Sunday, though, as Vampire Weekend's performance came off as ho-hum, save for lead singer Ezra Koenig busting out a sax — the instrument of the Green Stage this year — for one song.
Their set may have suffered from following Radwimps, who delivered a particularly forceful performance. Fuji Rock marked one of the band's first major shows since becoming a duo, following the departure of founding member Akira Kuwahara late last year. (Full disclosure: I have written English press materials for the band in the past.) Radwimps brought an extra jolt of energy to the Green Stage, with lead singer Yojiro Noda especially animated — screaming, emoting and fully throwing himself into the performance. The crowd added to the spectacle, waving smartphone lights that gave the entire field an ethereal glow.
This year's Fuji Rock attracted a total of 122,000 visitors, a significant increase from last year's 96,000. |
Johan Brooks
Homegrown sound
This year's Fuji Rock thrived thanks in part to Japanese acts who have helped spread the country's music internationally overseas in recent years, whether via anime tie-ups or algorithm-powered interest in city pop (a blend of 1970s and '80s funk, disco and fusion). Rock band Hitsujibungaku used lighting and visuals to make its Sunday night performance on the White Stage all the more evocative, while hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts relied on pure exuberance to get the Green Stage hopping to global hits such as 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' and 'Otonoke.'
'Eleven years ago, the two of us played Fuji Rock ... the Rookie A Go-Go stage,' the group's rapper R-Shitei said, referring to the festival's launchpad for emerging artists. 'Now, we've made it to the Green Stage!'
Less globally known yet critically acclaimed acts also shined. The Red Marquee stage usually houses thunderous rock acts, which were well-represented in 2025 via domestic highlights such as Tjiros and kanekoayano. It also served as space, however, for singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba to enchant her audience with a hushed acoustic performance Friday afternoon, using only her guitar, piano and voice to deliver a standout session.
Creepy Nuts rapper R-Shitei reminded the Fuji Rock crowd at the main Green Stage that the hip-hop duo first performed at the festival on the Rookie A Go-Go stage 11 years ago. |
Johan Brooks
Far rowdier was Haru Nemuri at Gypsy Avalon Saturday afternoon. The genre-blurring artist walked on stage holding a flag that said 'No Racism,' a week after catching heat online for releasing a rap diss aimed at far-right political party Sanseito. Dashing around the field in the middle of a rainstorm, Nemuri gave one of the weekend's most politically charged performances, while also distributing more flags to the audience and, at one point, setting off a pink flare.
Foreign flair and Fuji surprises
Alongside all the Japanese acts, performers from abroad shined, too. Fuji Rock returnees Haim delivered a confident White Stage closer on Sunday night, while Swedish rockers The Hives returned to Fuji Rock after nearly two decades for a frantic set at the Red Marquee.
Newer names made their mark, as well. New-York-based artist Mei Semones charmed the Red Marquee midday Sunday with a jazz-tinged set of rock, with the crowd shouting 'Mei-chan' constantly between tunes. U.K. rapper Little Simz — sporting a Samurai Japan soccer jersey with 'Simz' printed on the back — commanded the Green Stage later that day, getting everyone on the field to raise their hands to almost every song.
Rock band Hitsujibungaku used lighting and visuals to make its Sunday night performance on the White Stage all the more evocative. |
Johan Brooks
The most emphatically received new foreign act was Argentinian duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso. Taking the Green Stage by storm on Saturday morning in oversized inflatable suits — part David Byrne, part Violet Beauregarde — the pair delivered a high-energy, EDM-dappled set, with their raunchy Spanish lyrics boldly translated into Japanese on the screen behind them. It was the rave of the weekend, leading to a second appearance late at night at the packed Crystal Palace stage.
And yet, what really defined Fuji Rock 2025 as one of the strongest editions ever were the special moments, the sort of only-in-Naeba happenings that will be mentioned for years. Saturday, in particular, overflowed with surprise collaborations.
Takeuchi's appearance during Yamashita's set — including her stint with the backing chorus for much of the show — was the night's biggest shock, but far from the only one. Japanese singer-songwriter Mei Ehara came out to join American performer Faye Webster for one song, prompting the most 'aw'-inspiring moment of the day when Webster rested her head on Ehara's shoulder while the latter sang. God-level mascot Kumamon joined kid-friendly group Keropons in the morning in what surely was the Takeuchi-Yamashita equivalent for the hundreds of children in attendance.
South Korean music collective Balming Tiger wowed at the White Stage on Saturday. |
Johan Brooks
On Saturday, South Korea's Balming Tiger pulled off the biggest surprise. Back in 2023, the unpredictable rock-meets-rap-meets-pop whirlwind wowed at the Red Marquee. This time, the group took things to another level on the larger White Stage, bringing a louder sound, more flair and a bit of serendipity — during the climactic number 'Trust Yourself,'fat raindrops started falling, turning the mosh pit into a euphoric, rain-soaked frenzy.
Even before the weather joined in, Balming Tiger's set was already shaping up to be a 2025 highlight — especially when the group brought out J-pop wildcards Atarashii Gakko!, catching the crowd completely off guard. The audience erupted as the two acts performed their collaborative single 'Narani Narani' live for the first time, complete with playful yet perfectly synchronized choreography. It was one of many standout moments during a weekend full of them, cementing this year's festival as one of the all-time greats.
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