・ We met Taisho and interviewed him!

Did you realize that it's only 4 months until Fuji Rock? There is quite a bit of rumors and hearsay floating around on fujirockers.org and other FRF related BBS sites. We visited the Smash office on February 26th and heard what's going on with this year's festival. By the way, this interview with Taisho does not include any information regarding the line-up. Now I can completely understand why you want to know who's playing and who's not playing this year, but we should have a bigger scoop on the line-up next time,before the first lots coming out, supposedly, on the 1st of April on the official site, so keep an eye on this spot.

comment by ORG-master  (March 16, 2002)

 

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―To start with, regarding the 'Haya Wari discount ticket', how did you make it so cheap?

Taisho:
"I want to challenge whatever possible every year. We did not cut the basic budget as it has been real tight anyway, but I think we can make the best use of the Japanese distribution system bu cutting some rip off by companies in between. Remember, though, that the period these discounted tickets are on sale and the number available is limited."

―I suppose it is limited to 10,000 and should sell out very quickly.

Taisho:
"I don't think we will sell that many. I'm not sure how many, but my guess is around 3,000 to 5,000 people will buy the tickets. Well, if sold out, we would be loosing hell of a lot of money in a way, but then again the Haya Wari idea is just for fun. Every year, I think of a different idea to try to stimulate a market."

-So can we buy camping and parking tickets together with the Haya Wari tickets?

Taisho:
"I don't know. Ask Ishitobi working next door."

Mr. Ishitobi of Smash:
"It's the same as last year, which means you can order Haya Wari tickets and camping and parking tickets together. Please have a look at Smash's official site for more details."

―I heard that you will cut the price of accommodation as well.

Taisho:
"This is another challenge this year. I want a wider variety of people to make it this time around, so I want to make it easier for them to come. In my opinion, we need to make the travel cost and accommodation price cheaper. We cannot just ask hotels and guesthouses to reduce the price, so we did some research. We discovered that if the travel agencies organized and simplified their system, it could benefit everyone involved. Then, we thought about making the travel agencies compete with each other. This will reduce the margin for the agencies while the hotels and guesthouses don't get burned. My guess is that accommodation could be up to 20% cheaper.

As far as travel costs are concerned, we are asking travel agencies, JR (Japan Rail), and bus companies to make it cheaper."

―I heard a rumor that a Fuji Rock train will run from Osaka.

Taisho:
"It's still under consideration and I don't know if it will happen. What's going on for that, Ishitobi?"

Mr. Ishitobi:
"We're considering various sorts of tour plans. There will definitely be an air tour. A website for the tour center will open on March 16th, so please check that out."

Taisho:
"We're trying our best to make it easier for everybody to come, but it is you who have a choice. Maybe you can work together using fujirockers.org's BBS and figure out a better way to get to the festival cheaply. I'm sure that hitchhiking is the best way (joking)."

―How about the stages this year?

Taisho:
"I was thinking of leaving the Red Marquee tent out this year. I put forward the idea about two weeks ago. I might be alone on this one, but I was thinking that the tent would remain there with dance music at night, and there wouldn't be any music during the day, but suddenly a headliner of a main stage could start playing with only an announcement 30 minutes before as a warning. However, It's possible that there will be no changes to the Red Marquee. What do you think?"

―How about the circus?

Taisho:
"I've been thinking about many options. But someone wrote on BBS 'If there was no circus, the ticket price would be cheaper'. I was disappointed by the idea. Don't you think that the spirit of the festival suffers if we're only concerned about the price? I am trying to make it cheap, but what I am trying to do is balance how much money we can spend with our dreams of what the festival could and should be. There is the idea that if there's something exciting you want to see but you are not sure if you can afford it, then you have to decide whether you can go for it or not; that's completely understandable. But if the initial idea is 'the cheaper the better', that's very disappointing for me and there is no stimulus for anybody.

Many people compare Fuji Rock to Summersonic, but I've been saying from the start that it's different. Well, I don't like to compare them, but look at both events like marathons. Your running pace, a watering points, stamina and energy levels are quite different between a 10 kilometers race and a 42.195 kilometers full marathon. Not to mention what you get out of it, both physically and emotionally.Therefore, if people do not understand what I am saying, there is no way to explain it except by asking them to just come to the festival and see for themselves."

―There have been some requests to include pro-wrestling or Osaka's Yoshimoto comedy.

Taisho:
"Do 'Fuji pro-wrestling' by yourselves. I can give them some space. But if you give up halfway, there is no excuse."

―How about Yoshimoto comedy?

Taisho:
"I want to do a comedy, but not Yoshimoto. Something like that already exists somewhere else. I'm not saying that I don't like Yoshimoto. I will make a comedy stage someday, and I want someone radical and who can make us laugh in ways that TV won't broadcast. Comedy has so many patterns and dynamics. I'd like to hear more opinions like you saying you want unknown bands or comedians to play at the Fuji Rock Festival. This is because I'm doing this festival because no one did this before and this is also because I want the festival to progress and grow into something new."

―Is there anyone who has promoted themselves for Fuji Rock?

Taisho:
"Field Of Heaven's ANOYO is one of them. Yeah, there are others who have had the courage to contact us (laughing). Even without the courage, some people have connections and approach us. By any means, we are here to listen to them."

―I heard that you rode the Dragondola (the world's longest ski gondola that was opened recently in Naeba).

Taisho:
"Yeah, they built a great gondola. It starts from above the Oasis area, and you can see the Green and White stages, Avalon, and Field of Heaven on the right hand side. You will be blown away! On the top of the mountain, there is a huge restaurant and we can do a movie if we try to. However, there is a question of how many people will want to go that far and how we can get people to and from the gondola station."

―Someone asked for a larger space for barbecues at the camping site.

Taisho:
"There is simply no more space. You cannot make a fire on the grass, but maybe you could go to the fishing pond. Everything is ready for a barbecue there."

―How about the complaint about cold showers?

Taisho:
"Cold showers won't kill you (laughing). We're trying to warm the water up, but there are so many people using it and it doesn't get warm enough. The showers are only temprary structures, you know. "

―How about making urinals for the men?

Taisho:
"I'm thinking of it. But there are no men's temporary toilets for outdoors in Japan. I drew a plan and explained how to build it with a galvanized iron sheet with running water from above, I wonder what the public health center would say about that.

Well... I understand that there are many opinions, but please take it this way, "Luckier if it gets better". Try to enjoy some sorts of discomfort. What I'm saying is I'm not a cold person. Every place will have its advantages and disadvantages. You complain if you like. Perhaps you'll say 'Why have I come to such a place?' (laughing) What I'm saying is you will enjoy more than you regret. I'm not saying that I won't try to improve anything. I will try my best to address your suggestions."

――There are many complaints regarding festival merchandise.

Taisho:
"One of our staff suggested the idea of selling festival goods prior to the festival. There should be more that one way to tackle the problem of long lines at the merchandise booth. However, there is no more space left at the festival site. Compared to the festivals abroad, our merchandise booth is the biggest in the world. The reality is that they are selling goods and using money. I am trying to improve it, by the way. People line up for the stuff even when we build such a huge tent. We produce the appropriate amounts of goods according to the ticket sales, so I don't think they sell out so quickly. I hope the audience will be more flexible, for example, going to buy their band's T-shirt when fewer people are lining up."

―Do you have any new plans for this year?

Taisho:
"Yes, but I can't tell you yet. I want to improve the Oasis area and make it more fun. The snow needs to melt away before we start anything. And there is the laser show. Their first show was in Cairo, Egypt. Last year, I invited the leader of the show team for the festival. Also, there is a group of artists called the Mutoid West Company that use scrap cars and junk to create interesting sculptures. I haven't decided yet, but I hope I can ask them to do it for Fuji Rock."

―How about a casino, a haunted house and the Kids Land?

Taisho:
"I am thinking of doing it unless otherwise there is some reason for not doing it."

―Are you considering a cinema?

Taisho:
"There is no space for that. I wish we could do it at the main stage with its PA system. That would be thrilling, but people have to prepare the stage for the next day.

―Lastly, how can you think of so many ideas - one after another - and how can you be so powerful even though you are over 50?

Taisho:
"It has nothing to do with age. When I was a 20 years old, I thought 'Why people are so quiet?'. I just wanted to do something fun; that's all. When I travel, I hate planning the details beforehand. I don't think of what will happen. 'If I go, I'll manage somehow', I always say.

When you keep on doing something, you meet so many people at different points, and even if you start from zero, you will still be able to see some possibilities. It is no good only thinking of ideas in your room. It's better if you try rather than if you do nothing. Even if you fail as a result, you can restart from there. So, there is no secret origin of my vitality. I don't do what I don't want to do.

When I was a young, I'd punch those whom I hated, and I had so many things or dreams that I wanted to do. One of them was to go to jail. (laughing) I don't mean that I wanted to commit a crime; I mean something you try to do does not sometimes fit in the structure of society. I wouldn't mind staying in a prison for about three months. I could meet so many people there, not to mention hear some interesting stories. If I had to stay there for, say, one year, I would definitely try to escape. (laughing) though.... Well... I did actually run away from a hosipital, didn't I?"

Reported by ORG-nob and translated by ORG-yohei with a help of ORG-jason  (March 16, 2002)