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.
When you get off the bus, you will see the former Makigo Elementary School, a 55-year-old pink wooden school building surrounded by greenery in the mountains. Since the school is located in a closed elementary school, the playground, school building, pool, gymnasium, back mountain, and other large spaces are used as places for expression, and you can have fun while watching the schedule and moving around. Masu. You can also see artists creating their works live in the schoolyard.
There were so many food stalls lined up that it was hard to decide what to eat. Among them, the paella at PePe, a Vietnamese food stall, made in a large frying pan, was so popular that it sold out as soon as it was ready. The balance of the flavor of the ingredients and the doneness of the rice was excellent, and it was delicious.
The Satoyama Area, which overlooks the schoolyard from behind the stage, is also recommended for a short break after the concert. There are a few people eating and chatting 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.
And the venue where the sun was gradually setting. Since the event was held in autumn this year, a bonfire was prepared, and the conversations around the fire were 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 great thing about a 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 menu of sandwiches and drinks looked delicious, but I guess it's bar time at night. It has an adult atmosphere that makes it hard to believe that it is a former classroom.
And finally, the climax. As night falls, the ``light'' that is synonymous with the Hikari Festival begins to decorate the venue, contrasting with the darkness of the night. When I look at the candles of ``mugen candle'' and the light production of the art group ``MIRRORBOWLER,'' I feel a sense of regret at the end of the day.
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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