Surviving through "Invention" and "Ingenuity. The past and future of the outdoor festival "THE CAMP BOOK.
THE CAMP BOOK is an outdoor festival that will be held on June 8 and 9, 2019 at Fujimi Kogen Resort. The festival has been held annually since 2017, gaining popularity for its euphoric worldview that can be enjoyed by families and friends. In fact, this festival has a rather special background. . The festival was originally started as a new business venture of Repair Corporation, a company that handles remodeling and renovation of homes and stores. The two organizers of "THE CAMP BOOK," Mr. Hiroki Higuchi and Mr. Tatsuya Watarai of Repair Inc. will talk about the concept of the festival, how to enjoy the 3rd festival, and their "invention" and "ingenuity" for surviving in the "warring states" of festivals that are mushrooming all over Japan. They also talked about their "inventions" and "ingenuities" to survive in the "festival warring age" that has swept across Japan.
Born in 1983 in Kanagawa , Japan. Favorite artist is TURTLE ISLAND.
Tatsuya Watarai General Remodeling Division, Design and Building Division, Repair Co.
Born in Yamagata , Japan in 1983. . Favorite artists are BLACKFLAG and Unsane.
Differentiation from others in the demand for festivals in the crowd.
Today, Japan is in the midst of a festival warring age, with so many different festivals taking place in such a chaotic environment. In such a situation, it is quite an extraordinary feat to celebrate the third year of the festival. What is the concept behind "THE CAMP BOOK"?
(mouth of a) gutterAt the core of our mission is to "learn and play together. We want to create a place where adults and children can enjoy themselves while also experiencing mutual growth. I think the great thing about spending time together outdoors is that you get to see parts of each other that you don't normally see.
ferryThat's right. It is a rare opportunity to discover a new side of a person, such as a child who did nothing last year but help set up the tent this year, or a child who cries when his father listens to music.
(mouth of a) gutterI hope that people will learn, play, and have fun in the extraordinary space of "THE CAMP BOOK," and that they will take the experience back home and apply it to their daily lives.
ferryI think it is important to continue to do so. The word "BOOK" in "THE CAMP BOOK" is a symbolic reference to the idea of writing down memories among family and friends in a "book.
You are very passionate about it. In addition to music, "THE CAMP BOOK" has a wide variety of contents that both children and adults can enjoy, don't you think? I wonder if this is also a manifestation of that spirit.
ferry. yes, like RC radio-controlled cars or kick-bike time trials. . These are already very popular with the kids. We also use local building materials to make musical instruments, hammocks, jungle gyms, and so on. There is also a climbing wall for children. There are also many other activities, such as a parent-child rhythm program in which children's songs, children's songs, folk songs, etc. are performed by Takemai-san of Turtle Island, who plays them live with parents and children.
(mouth of a) gutterOf course, it is most important for the children to have fun, but we also want the adults to enjoy themselves as much as possible. Since last year, we have been having DJs during the evening hours. When we went to events with our own children, we felt we wanted to have that kind of time.
To continue to transmit the DIY spirit.
I see, so it reflects your actual experience. Do you also show some of your strengths as an architectural firm in the venue?
ferryYes, that's right. What makes THE CAMP BOOK different from other festivals is that most good festivals have outside decorators who are in charge of decorating the venue, but our company staff does all the work. Since we can mobilize all the skills we have cultivated so far, I think we are able to create elaborate and unified decorations.
(mouth of a) gutterMost festivals are usually organized by a committee. Also, I forgot to mention in the concept section earlier, but I wanted THE CAMP BOOK to be a festival that would make people feel a sense of euphoria. Since the festival is run by a single company, I think it is very easy for us to express our own ideas. Artists, sales, workshops, and other contents are all combined to create a single, euphoric worldview. I hope that people can feel that.
ferryWe start with the concept of the overall décor and the stage design. I can't say too much, but this year, we are trying to create an "exotic" atmosphere.
(mouth of a) gutterWe want our festival to reflect what we see and feel with our own eyes. Therefore, restaurants are one of the main attractions of the festival, but I think there are far fewer of them at "THE CAMP BOOK" than at other festivals. . That's because we want the restaurants that we usually go to and the local restaurants that are good to eat at to appear at the festival. Thankfully, we have received many requests to open a booth at THE CAMP BOOK. We are grateful to receive many requests to open a booth, but for now, we are only asking for what we can afford.
ferryThe restaurants and sponsors have been very cooperative with us in terms of decorations, and we have designed all of the logos and signs to create a sense of unity.
The best location and supreme music.
As you mentioned earlier, you have decided on Fujimi Kogen Resort as the venue for this year's event. Could you tell us about the attraction of this location?
ferry. Anyway, it is a great place to camp. It is at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains , and you can see the Southern Alps and Mt. . It is surrounded by forest, and in June, the greenery is deepening and the flowers are blooming. It's like heaven! It's a place like that (laughs).
(mouth of a) gutter. and the sunny rate is very high. The weather rate is over 80% throughout the year, and the accessibility is very good. It takes about 2 hours from Tokyo without taking the Chuo Highway. It is also about 2.5 hours from Nagoya, so people from the Kanto and Chubu regions can visit us.
I would like to talk to you about the booking as well. Regarding the music aspect, what was the concept you decided on this time?
(mouth of a) gutterThis year, we have asked artists to perform who can make us feel the "euphoria" that is at the root of the festival and immerse us in the afterglow of the music, while following the trend of the first and second years. We put emphasis on live performances, and asked for artists who could entertain the audience from the bottom of their hearts. We actually go to various live performances and book people that we think are "wonderful.
When you decided to have the festival, were there any artists that you were sure you wanted to invite?
(mouth of a) gutterYes, that's right. We ask all of them with enthusiasm, but in the first place, many of the people involved in this festival are well versed in punk and hardcore (laughs). . We were happy to have TURTLE ISLAND perform at the festival in its first year. . If we were going to have a festival, we definitely wanted to ask this band to play.
ferryIn the first concept of the festival, there was a keyword "let's make my father's mosh memorable". It disappeared in the middle of the festival (laughs). But I think the spirit of the festival is definitely there.
(mouth of a) gutterBut as a whole, I was thinking, "Let's make the booking genre-agnostic. There are hip-hop artists, techno DJs like Takkyu Ishino, guitar players, and psychobilly bands. I don't have any grandiose desire to promote artists that no one knows, but I do want the children who come to the event to be exposed to a variety of music.
ferryWe have had another interesting booking this year. I'm happy to say that the music industry has been very positive about us. They say, "You're following us to a great place! (laughs).
(mouth of a) gutterOne of Yoshimoto's comedians even said to me, "You're crazy, ......, this festival! (laughs). This year, I would like you to see the exotic Soi48 and a band called MONAURAL MINI PLUG.
How do you plan to develop THE CAMP BOOK in the future?
ferry. I think it is important that we continue to do so without changing our thoughts. The festival is run by a company whose main business is construction, so of course profits are important (laughs). . We can think in lines instead of looking at it in dots. I want to work hard to the point where other festival staff members will say that the decorations in THE CAMP BOOK can't be beat.
(mouth of a) gutterAs I mentioned earlier, it is really tough to survive and coexist in the midst of various festivals. Ingenuity and invention are absolutely necessary. Going back a bit, the reason I wanted to start "THE CAMP BOOK" was because I went to a festival called "World Music Festival under the Bridge," which was organized by TURTLE ISLAND.
ferryIt's the best.
(mouth of a) gutter. that festival is really full of ingenuity and invention. Admission is free, and the bookings are made by people in the know, and bands are invited from as far away as Jakarta and Mongolia. The venue decorations and stages are unique, with live performances starting in a grassy field. The way the event was run was totally punk, and the sound was always playing, destroying the concept of a timetable (laughs).
It's a great festival.
(mouth of a) gutterBut since it's free, people from all walks of life really come. Some are boys in school uniforms , some are older. Next to them, there was a view like punks with their whole bodies covered in studs and tattoos running amok. It was really wonderful. I hope that we can be a festival where such inventions and innovations come to fruition in a good way. I think we will continue to add new ideas to the festival, but I would like it to be a festival where people can enjoy the concept of "THE CAMP BOOK" itself.
