I went to the 11th Hikari Festival , held for three days from November 1st (Saturday) to 3rd (Monday) in the former Fujino Town, the westernmost part of Kanagawa Prefecture. On the last day of the three-day weekend, I was blessed with a pleasant autumn sky and warm sunshine as I made my way to Fujino Town. I was rocked to the venue on a retro shuttle bus.
As you get off the bus, you will see the 55-year-old pink wooden school building, the former Makigo Elementary School, surrounded by the greenery of the mountains. As it is a former elementary school, the playground, school building, pool, gymnasium, and the mountain behind it are all places for expression, and you can move around while checking the schedule and have fun. You can even see artists creating works live in the schoolyard.
There were so many food stalls lined up that it was hard to decide what to eat. The paella at PePe, a Vietnamese food stall, is made in a big frying pan and is so popular that it sells out as soon as it's ready. The balance of the flavor of the ingredients and the doneness of the rice was excellent, and it was delicious.
The "Satoyama Area," located behind the stage overlooking the schoolyard, is also recommended as a place to take a short break after a live performance. There are also people eating and chatting here and there while listening to the cheers of the live performance coming from below.
I found a biodiesel generator next to the stage. It is an eco-friendly and clean recycled fuel that uses cooking oil. There are also Fujino Electric Power solar panels all over the place, including behind the school building. Hikari Festival is known for being 100% self-generated, which is no surprise. By the way, the cups used at the venue are not disposable, of course.
The sun gradually began to set at the venue. Since the event was held in autumn this year, a bonfire was prepared, and chatting around the fire was also a valuable experience.
Every year, artists from a variety of genres, from reggae to rock, Latin, and acoustic, perform on the Hikari Festival stage. (Pictured is " T-Jiros ").
Also, when I went to the poolside at night, I found live music and fire dancing taking place around a collaborative piece by MIRRORBOWLER , an art group that creates spatial works of light and reflection, and VJ WANBON , who creates spatial effects with live projections and installations of light and video at various festivals around the country, and I was able to experience another luxurious space.
The good thing about this former elementary school is that it has a school building as well as an outdoor area. The photo shows Bambi Cafe on the second floor. The sandwiches and drinks on the menu looked delicious, and I guess it's bar time in the evening. It has such an adult atmosphere that it's hard to believe it was a former classroom.
And finally, the climax. As night falls, the "light" that is synonymous with the festival begins to color the venue, contrasting with the darkness. Looking at the candles from "mugen candle" and the light displays by the art group "MIRRORBOWLER," you will feel nostalgic for the day to end...
And there is a gate designed by BROWN DOOR , a second-hand clothing store in Setagaya Ward. Pass through this to return to the real world.
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