2025.05.16
Atomic Café at Gypsy Avalon
Fuji Rock’s Initiatives and Involvement in Social Movements
Atomic Cafe 40th Anniversary to be held at NEW POWER GEAR Field / Gypsy Avalon
Since its start in 1997, Fuji Rock has been promoting “coexistence with nature” and providing opportunities to think about environmental and social issues.
The festival has created an environment for introducing various social activities, such as stage presentations by NGOs involved in the environment, peace, and human rights, and the establishment of an NGO village, while also communicating important information about these issues. At the same time, Fuji Rock has promoted energy conversion and aimed for coexistence with nature through the introduction and practical application of clean energy sources such as biodiesel fuel and solar power generation within the festival.
Since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Fuji Rock has supported the “Atomic Cafe,” an anti-nuclear power event that has been held since the 1980s, by providing part of the NGO Village and Gypsy Avalon Stage within the venue to promote a movement that encourages people to think about social issues.
About Atomic Cafe 2025
Gypsy Avalon will host three days of talks and live performances, each with a different theme again this year.
| 7/25 (Fri) |
Theme: Nuclear Power Plants and DisastersOn January 1, 2024, an earthquake occurred with its epicenter in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. In Suzu City, Kansai Electric Power, Chubu Electric Power, and Hokuriku Electric Power had previously planned to build a nuclear power plant. However, after strong opposition from local residents, the plan was withdrawn in 2003. If the plan had proceeded, it might have led to a major accident. The first day of Atomic Café will host a talk session with Seiko Ochiai, a investigative journalist and writer who has authored books such as “The Town Where the Nuclear Power Plant Is Coming,” “Bad Dream,” and “The Old Story of a Man and a Woman,” and who was also involved in the anti-nuclear power plant movement in Suzu City. The talk will focus on the theme of “Nuclear Power Plants and Disasters.” The live event will feature Ryosuke Sasaki of a flood of circle.
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| 7/26 (Sat) |
Theme: Democracy and Self-GovernanceLocal autonomy is the foundation of democracy, and it is also the place where the opinions of local residents are most easily reflected. It is said that through participation in local autonomy, residents learn about the nature of democracy, making it a “school of democracy.” On the second day of Atomic Cafe, we will invite Ms. Satoko Kishimoto, the mayor of Suginami Ward, who is actively involved in the forefront of local autonomy, to discuss “Democracy and Autonomy.” The live event will feature singer-songwriter, poetry rapper, and producer Harune Muri.
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| 7/27 (Sun) |
Theme: World Affairs and Nuclear WeaponsOn the third day, we will welcome journalist Osamu Aoki to discuss various current events around the world, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the India-Pakistan conflict, and the Trump administration’s actions, while focusing on the nuclear issues underlying these events and looking ahead to the future of the world. Joining the live event will be Kyoto-based singer-songwriter Mayumi Kawaguchi, who is actively involved in citizen movements addressing issues such as nuclear power plant problems and the construction of military bases in Okinawa, and saxophonist MONKY.
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The general MCs will be Daisuke Tsuda and Joe Yokomizo. They will appear on the talk stage for all three days.
The Atomic Café
In 1957, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was established in the UK, and a peace symbol resembling a bird’s feet began to be used as an anti-nuclear symbol. In 1979, a concert featuring Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen was held under the banner of “NO NUKES” (anti-nuclear and anti-atomic energy), and in the 1980s, the peace symbol was displayed on the stage of the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, and the film “Atomic Cafe,” which compiled propaganda footage about nuclear and atomic energy, was released nationwide in the US. In Japan, amid this global rise in anti-nuclear and anti-atomic power awareness, in 1984, a group of musicians from the music industry organized an anti-nuclear concert titled “The Atomic Cafe Festival” at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall. Artists such as Hamada Shogo and Ozaki Yutaka performed to raise awareness about nuclear and nuclear power plant issues.
Two years later, in 1986, a major nuclear accident occurred in Chernobyl, and in addition to concerts, they began holding talk events to convey the risks associated with nuclear power plants.
After that, The Atomic Cafe temporarily suspended its activities, but made a comeback at Fuji Rock in 2011. Since then, it has been holding talks and live events every year at Gypsy Avalon, focusing on issues such as anti-nuclear power and energy shift, as well as various other social issues such as the environment and peace.