Food hits at Japan’s Fuji Rock music festival: fried chicken, soft-serve ice cream and the best soba noodles I’ve eaten this year
- Japan’s Fuji Rock festival, which takes place at the Naeba ski resort, is known for more than the music and the scenery; the food also rocks
- The quality of food was generally high, although it was less diverse than previous years, according to festival veterans
“Soba, so good”, I thought to myself as I dug into my first meal at Fuji Rock, the long-running annual music festival that takes place every summer in Naeba, Niigata prefecture (not in the foothills of Mount Fuji, as many believe, apart from its debut in 1997).
By that time I’d been running on approximately three hours of sleep, having woken up at dawn to catch a train from Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa, followed by a winding car ride to Naeba Ski Resort.
I’d also just spent the best part of an hour on my feet taking in the majestic stage antics of the sensual Sudan Archives, a Los Angeles-based violinist whose music is a riot of electronic dance, R&B and rap. Oh, and there was a 10-minute downpour, prompting everyone to don their raincoats and wellies.
My first proper meal of the day was glorious chilled soba (buckwheat noodles) in a bonito broth, with umami-packed wild mushrooms, seasonal mountain vegetables (sansai in Japanese) and the slippery cooling grated fresh mountain yam.
Wandering around one of the many food courtyards at the festival, my eyes were drawn to one particular sign: fish on a stick.
Palm-length ayu – also known as sweet fish – a seasonal treat in this part of the world – were skewered and grilled to smoky perfection. I was invited to select my fish from the hearth.
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Welcome to festival food in Japan.
There were typical offerings of burgers and pizzas – the former, represented by Kakamura’s The Factory, one of the festival heavy hitters, commanded lengthy queues.
There was a nod to the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan options, too, with plant-based burritos and snacks like mushroom tempura and vegan ramen from 6889cafe.
Fried chicken (karaage) is a mainstay, while iced treats such as milky soft serve ice cream and shaved strawberry ice with Hokkaido cream are very Instagrammable and satisfying.
While in the mosh pit waiting for the now controversial diva Lizzo to perform, a friend got into a conversation with a couple who swear by the oysters – a choice for daredevils only, I’d say. The Portaloo situation is miles better than in previous years, I’m told, but it’s a hard pass for me, anyway.
Returning Fuji Rockers were excited to see Nagaokaya’s grilled lamb chops back this year.
Not everything was a hit – one friend’s yakisoba from the Yellow Cliff food section was described as sad and lukewarm, while my “taco rice” (an Okinawan speciality) was stodgy and overwhelmed by miso paste, a far cry from the original.
Despite the fact that one of the festival’s sponsors is – yawn – Heineken, there were plenty of stalls selling craft Japanese beer, sake and even wine.
For those who need caffeine to keep them going, a few coffee stands dotted around the festival were godsends – particularly Acid Coffee from Tokyo, which had the commendable set-up for pour-over single-origin coffees as well as quick hit espresso-based drinks.
What’s potentially missing? With food festivals around the world becoming so much more elaborate, there’s a great opportunity to tap into more big names in the dining scene and bring the food offerings up another notch. Or how about cocktails from Japan’s myriad award-winning bartenders?
Oh, and can we please bring back the fabled noodle maker churning out noodles on stage while shout-singing “Udon is rock! Udon is rock!”?
