In the past ten years, artists likes Arrested Development, James Brown, Weezer, Green Day, Beck, Marilyn Manson, Air, Guns ‘n Roses, The Offspring, No Doubt, Blur, The Doors, Radiohead, The Strokes, Lee Scratch Perry, Oasis, TV on the Radio, Arcade Fire and many more have helped sell out the event while also giving it the name of the biggest getter of outside talent—the scale of its success was felt the moment I got off the hour-long train ride from the heart of Tokyo.

The doors to the train slid open and I, along with hundreds, thousands of other people arriving from different areas of Tokyo, got off, lined up like sardines in a can to file through the ticket booths, passed scalpers, convenience stores, and office spaces and proceeded to make the impatient shuffle into the main area—a massive hangar-like warehouse that looked to normally house aircraft. The cold tarmac now adjusted for food and alcohol vendors, casinos, rest areas, stages, marketing stores representing icons such as Paul Smith, Alfa Romero, Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola; this was not just a massive three day music festival, it was a microcosm of how big and how marketable the music industry is. But, with over 150 quality musicians playing throughout the three days (along with a bmx half-pipe, a beach stage, four main stages and a massive arena, DJs, an organized and clean venue, flowing beer, and spirited atmosphere), it was easy enough to leave everything behind, indeed forget where you are, what time it is, and enter a world completed dictated by musicians and the music they create.