One of the posts received 2,200+ engagements (sum of likes, comments and shares), which is the highest result Jarman International has achieved since the start of social media promotions several years ago. 

Moving forward, we hope to continue to spread the word about our clients, not only in an effective but also meaningful way.

Next year in 2025, Earth Celebration will be held from August 22nd to 24th. I hope you join us!

Photo credit: Maiko Miyagawa

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In a partnership with Earth Celebration’s team, Jarman International is sending five media and travel professionals to help spread the word about the event, as well as develop tour ideas for next year. You can learn about each member below.

Ruth Marie Jarman – Jarman International CEO

The team’s trip to Sado Island will be led by Jarman International CEO, Ruth Marie Jarman, who will be joining Earth Celebration for the second time. 

“I feel that Japan has come into an era of true internationalization. If we think in terms of surfing, we saw the wave approaching from around 10+ years ago and now we are on that wave, trying to get enough balance to stand up and actually ride it. More companies are looking at how they can create better lines of communication between increasingly diverse teams. Regions and towns are going into much more detail about how to express their great worth to every visitor, and the concept of Kuleana (the Hawaiian word for ‘a sense of responsibility’) in tourism is gaining ground. I hope that Jarman International can support the fundamental changes going on in Japan with kindness, laughter and effective strategy. Japan is a very exciting place right now and it will surely stay that way for the foreseeable future.”

“As for Earth Celebration, I am extremely excited about visiting Sado after about five years. I still remember being in complete awe when I caught sight of Sado’s towering mountains from the ferry for the first time, and feeling speechless by Kodo’s dynamic performances. The beat of the drums and the community vibe of love that permeates the island during the festival are two of the biggest draws for me. This time, I will be taking my orange car named Mikan to help me explore this place in a way I have never done before.”

John Daub – Creator and producer of the ONLY in JAPAN YouTube series

Creator and producer of the ONLY in JAPAN YouTube series (630,000+ total subscribers across two channels), John Daub, will also participate in Earth Celebration for the second time. After his first visit, John released an episode on his main channel, capturing the inspiring story of Kodo’s drummers. You can watch it HERE. 

As a former NHK World reporter from 2008 to 2023, John has now lived in Japan for 25+ years with a YouTube career spanning over 15. He is also an inbound tourism contributor to TBS Hiruobi, having worked with a numerous companies including LIXIL, JTB, etc. 

During the pandemic, John crowdfunded 100,000 dollars with his community to help family-run firework companies hire workers in Akita, Niigata and Nagano prefectures when summer festivals were getting canceled nationwide. 

“Knowing how Earth Celebration was challenged over the pandemic without a regular audience, it will be the first event at full strength with tourism back at 2019 levels. Kodo’s music has always brought people together, collaborating with sounds from around the world. This weekend is going to be a smash hit!”

Laura Pollacco – Freelance writer and photographer

Through her experience living in Japan for over four years, freelance photojournalist, Laura Pollacco, has published articles in a variety of media including the Japan Times, Tokyo Weekender, Metropolis and more. She has offered her insightful, positive, and fun writing abilities on a variety of Jarman International projects, from posting on the Yonezawa ABC social media pages to revamping our newly-owned Deep Japan website (currently in the works). 

“My role in Japan is to share the stories of people, places and experiences that aren’t often seen. It is an immense privilege to help bring attention to these stories, and through my small contribution, I hope I can increase awareness on just how much there is waiting to be discovered here. I want to spread awareness as authentically as possible, finding true joy in the stories I cover so that if I recommend it, you know it’s because I believe in it.”

“I’m excited to head to Earth Celebration and explore an area of Japan I have never visited before. I am particularly looking forward to joining in with the festivities, listening to the music, and taking part in the workshops. For me, festivals in Japan create an atmosphere of joy and wonderment, allowing anyone to take part and learn something new. I am thrilled to be joining Earth Celebration this year!”

Sébastien Duval – Business development manager and experienced tour guide in Japan

As a business development manager and consultant for the media and travel agency, Japan Travel KK, Sébastien helps Japanese ministries, prefectures, cities and businesses in the event, tourism and hospitality industries based on 20 years in Japan and stays across 20 countries. The goal is to help revitalize local economies and fight depopulation through job creation, and promote long stays to internationals.  

“I love Japan for its fascinating culture, outdoor hot springs, diverse hiking grounds (from arctic Hokkaido to tropical Okinawa), and I’m particularly grateful to the incredible artisans and farmers who have taught me so much. I value diversity, inclusivity, sustainability, regeneration, and plant-based lifestyles.”

“Years ago, I attended Earth Celebration on my own, and those sets of concerts remain my top event memory in Japan. The music was amazing, but I was even more impressed by the traditional costumes, community vibe and overall energetic atmosphere. This year, I am looking forward to the aspect of Earth Celebration that I think makes it very special: the guest musicians. It will be very fun to experience the Ugandan group play an instrument I’ve never seen or heard before.”

“Regarding the trip to Sado Island itself, I am eager to try the water activities, including night kayaking and riding the tarai-bune (traditional wash tub boat). These new experiences will make the trip a real adventure!”

Swastika Harsh Jajoo – Manager for F-ATRAs (Futaba Area Tourism Research Association)

Swastika has been in Japan for the last six years, spending her time mostly as a student, enrolled first in a short-term exchange program in Fukuoka Women’s University and later in a Master’s and PhD at Tohoku University. She is still part of the PhD program, working towards a degree in Linguistics, while also working as a manager for F-ATRAs (Futaba Area Tourism Research Association) in inbound tourism, marketing and translation. You can read more about her story below. 

“In 2021, I had the opportunity to visit Futaba in the coastal region of Fukushima, a town I only knew of as a ‘disaster-impacted area’. The event that I took part in was called the ‘Town Story Walking Tour’, a specially-curated tour based on the interviews of hundreds of townspeople. It helped to humanize the area for me, and as a poet and storyteller myself, telling stories of people that occupied these towns before the evacuation orders were passed was as important as talking about the disaster itself. My attention was drawn to how we frame narratives when we talk about disaster resilience, and I was fortunate to be offered an internship with F-ATRAs.”

“After interning here for 3 years, I started working full-time for the organization from October 2023, which is also when I decided to take a temporary break from my PhD program. It is my sincere hope to be able to engage in community-building here by being honest to my story and the stories of people I meet.”

“My biggest motivation to move to Japan was Japanese–I started studying the language for the first time as part of the short-term exchange program in Fukuoka, and noticed how learning a new language that was so different from my own helped me rediscover my own self. I’ve moved cities and schools so many times in India that I think I was able to build a real sense of stability for myself only after moving to Japan.”

“Currently, my goals are to work on inbound tourism in Fukushima and also try to complete my PhD degree. Alongside, I want to keep experimenting with poetry and food, the two defining elements of my life. I also had the opportunity to teach Japanese to international children, and want to stay engaged with language education. I think all of my efforts, whether it be regarding tourism or language, are centered on sharing what I love with the world.”

“I think it’s really cool that Earth Celebration is organized by the taiko drumming group Kodo. In Futaba, we have a taiko group called Shineha Sendan Daiko that managed to stay together despite being forced into evacuation, so I’m generally in awe of the sense of unity that taiko groups display. I also find it very inspiring how the festival focuses on environmental awareness and sustainability, and also seeks to combine local, traditional art with international forms. I’m very excited about the drumming workshops and ‘Shukusai: Sunset Finale Harbour Concert’! This is going to be my first time on Sado Island so I’m ready to just take it all in.”

Photo credits of Kodo photos by Maiko Miyagawa and Takashi Okamoto.

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What is Fuji Rock Festival?

Fuji Rock Festival is a three day music festival that has been held annually since 1997, and this year it will be on July 24-26. The festival’s name comes from the famous Mt. Fuji, from the base of which the first festival was held, although after that first year it has been held at Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa Niigata, with up to 100,000 people attending. The festival site has seven main stages with more minor ones dotted around, showing a mix of Japanese and international acts ranging from underground artists to behemoth superbands.

Who is playing Fuji Rock Festival 2015?

2015 will really put the ‘rock’ into Fuji, particularly on it’s opening day. 90’s pop punks Ash are followed by Japanese teen favorites One Ok Rock. After garage rockers Royal Blood come noiseniks Motorhead and headlining are the undisputed giants of the festival world, Foo Fighters. Saturday takes it down a notch in the ‘rawk’ stakes with Japanese duo Glim Spanky bringing the feminine scuzzy riffs and Scottish indie evergreens Belle and Sebastian bringing the twee. Canadian producer Deaudmau5 will be upping the prog-house stakes, and the headline act is Muse who have perhaps the best live show in the world right now.

Sunday is for those who like their rock with a distinctly Brit Pop flavor. Johnny Marr, of The Smith fame, will perform solo, and dirty Brit rockers The Bohicas will no doubt tear up the stage. Perhaps the most anticipated act of the weekend are the newly reformed shoegazers Ride, and then headlining is the Oasis guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds.

The Fuji Rock Festival experience

Tickets can be purchased for either individual days or the full weekend, meaning you can do as much or as little as you like. For those wanting the full experience there are plenty of accommodation options, with many of the local ski lodges, ryokans and minshuku welcoming the summer custom.

For those on a sticker budge or wanting to stay close to the action the best option is to camp along with the 17,000 others who share one of the three camping areas on the nearby golf course. This being Japan, most people will be prepared with camping stoves and the like, so do not surprised to find semi-professional kitchens sprouting up. If you aren’t so well stocked you can shop at one of the many food stalls, but be sure to recycle any rubbish to help the festival in its aim to be the greenest of its kind in the world. The festival site itself is large and varied, and some of the trails between stages can be long, but often beautiful. The view from the Daydreaming stage at the top of the mountain, accessible from Dragondola, the longest gondola lift in the world, is staggering.

How do I get to Fuji Rock Festival?

Shinkansen is the most advisable way of getting to the festival, and it takes one hour and 20 minutes to get to Echigo-Yuzawa station from Tokyo. Shuttle busses run to the festival site from there. You can organize a special shinkansen reservation plan by calling the JR Reservation Center on 03-3843-2001. There are also plenty of official tour operators organizing trips to the festival. You can find many of them here.(Japanese)

Fuji Rock Details

Where: Naeba Ski Resort, Yuzawa-cho, Niigata Pref.
When:  Fri, July 24, Sat, July 25, Sun July 26, 2015
Price: 3 Day Ticket 39,800 JPY; 1 Day Ticket (Per Day) 16,800 JPT plus camping/parking costs
Website: http://fujirock-eng.com/index.html

To continue to read a full story for other summer music festivals, please click Japan Info Swap: Fuji Rock Festival 2015.

This article is brought to you by the H&R Group.
Who is the H&R Group?

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