Summertime in Japan means festival season, from local cultural events to large music festivals of international acclaim. Fuji Rock, set in the foothills of Mt Naeba (30 July – 1 August), and Summer Sonic, which takes place in Tokyo and Osaka (7-8 August), are two of the best music events and can be experienced to the full through expertly-designed packages from InsideJapan Tours – including the option to take in both during one trip.
Having moved from its original location at the base of Mt Fuji, Fuji Rock has grown in size and popularity since its inception in 1997, attracting some of the biggest names in world music from Coldplay to Eminem. The line-up for 2010 so far includes Muse, Massive Attack, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, John Butler Trio, Scissor Sisters, Them Crooked Vultures and Roxy Music, amongst a whole host of Japanese bands, DJ’s and performers.
One of the cleanest and greenest music festivals in the world, Fuji Rock is also perhaps the only music festival with a cable car to the top of a mountain giving an impressive bird’s-eye view of the action below. And it offers festival luxury with all-night natural hot spring baths and excellent food reasonably-priced. There are no queues to buy drinks and no rubbish to speak of either.
InsideJapan Tours’ seven-night Fuji Rock Festival 2010 package includes three nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, three-day festival tickets, camp site ticket, tent and sleeping mats (delivered to site), all transfers by train within Japan and InsideJapan Tours’ invaluable Info-Pack, for £776 pp. Excludes international flights which can be booked through InsideJapan Tours from £760 with Alitalia. InsideJapan Tours can tailor a trip around the festival to take climbs up Mt Fuji.
Held in stadia in the middle of Tokyo and Osaka, Summer Sonic offers contrasting locations to Fuji Rock but the line-up for 2010 is also brimming with big name performers including Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Pendulum, A Tribe Called Quest and even the unparalleled A-Ha. With a metropolitan atmosphere, Summer Sonic is a buzzing event held in two of Japan’s greatest cities.
For an all-out festival experience, InsideJapan Tours offers a two-week trip combining attendance at both Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic, in Osaka, along with some of Japan’s classic sights. This includes time at your leisure to explore the former Imperial capital of Kyoto and bustling Tokyo.
The package includes 13-nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast (two nights in Tokyo, an overnight stay in Kanazawa, three nights in Kyoto, three nights in Osaka); three-day Fuji Rock festival tickets (including campsite ticket, tent and sleeping mats); two-day Summer Sonic tickets; all transport between destinations and InsideJapan Tours’ Info-Pack, for £1,400 pp. Excludes international flights which can be booked through InsideJapan Tours from £760 with Alitalia.
Tailor-made festival packages are also available.
For more information call InsideJapan Tours on 0117 314 4620 (www.insidejapantours.com).
As a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO), InsideJapan Tours holidays come with 100% financial protection.
ENDS – May 2010
NOTE TO EDITORS: Launched in 2000, InsideJapan Tours is a small, dedicated team of specialists, all of whom have first-hand experience of living, working and travelling in Japan. The company offers a range of original, affordable packages for small groups and independent travellers. InsideJapan Tours has offices in the UK and Japan. It is a member of AITO, and is fully bonded via AITO Trust and ATOL.
PRESS: For more details, please contact James Mundy, PR Manager, tel. 0117 314 4620, email james@insidejapantours.com. Issued on behalf of InsideJapan Tours by Travel PR, tel. 020 8891 4440, email s.ockwell@travelpr.co.uk or i.bradley@travelpr.co.uk.
British Travel Awards Small Tour Operator of the Year Silver Award Winner 2009