"Truly Pathetic" No Masks and Shouting... Thousands Gathered at Japanese Music Festival

Thousands Gather at Hip-Hop Festival in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Maskless, Close Contact, Loud Cheers Violate Quarantine Rules
"Selfish," "Trampling Medical Staff Sacrifices," Japanese Citizens Outraged

Scenes from the music festival 'Namimonogatari 2021' held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from the 28th to the 29th / Photo by Twitter Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A large-scale music festival with thousands of attendees was held in Japan, where COVID-19 infections are severe with over 10,000 new cases daily, sparking controversy. It was reported that many of the festival-goers did not follow quarantine rules, such as removing masks and shouting loudly.

According to Japanese media including NHK and Asahi Shimbun on the 30th (local time), the music festival "Namimonogatari 2021" was held over two days from the 28th to the 29th in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture.

Namimonogatari is Japan's largest hip-hop festival. The organizers initially announced quarantine rules in advance, including mandatory mask-wearing inside the venue, maintaining a 1-meter distance, and banning shouting. However, it was reported that almost no attendees properly followed these rules on the day of the festival.

Photos and videos posted on social media (SNS) and Japanese online communities after the performance show many young people densely packed together, removing masks or shouting cheers.

Most of the audience at the festival reportedly did not follow quarantine rules such as wearing masks and refraining from shouting. / Photo by Twitter Capture

Additionally, spectators were so close that their bodies were in direct contact, and scenes of people moving their bodies as if riding waves to the music were captured.

According to the organizers, about 6,000 tickets were sold by the 29th, and including 2,000 tickets provided to sponsors, a total of 8,000 tickets were distributed.

Aichi Prefecture limited the number of attendees at the venue to a maximum of 5,000 people or 50% of the facility's capacity. However, since nearly 8,000 tickets were distributed, it appears that the actual number of people at the venue exceeded the limit.

Regarding this, the organizers explained, "More than 8,000 spectators came on the day of the event," and "social distancing was not maintained, resulting in a very crowded situation."

Local netizens who saw the photos expressed outrage. Criticism arose that some irresponsible citizens acted carelessly amid the serious spread of COVID-19.

On the morning of the 28th, young people lined up in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, to receive lottery tickets for COVID-19 vaccination. / Photo by Yonhap News

One Japanese Twitter user said, "I clicked thinking this happened in the US, but it was our country," and criticized, "Medical staff and citizens are suffering under the COVID-19 state of emergency, yet this is such a selfish act."

Another netizen expressed frustration, saying, "This is truly a pathetic situation," and "I wish there were laws that would deny medical support to those who get COVID-19 due to their own negligence."

Hideaki Omura, Governor of Aichi Prefecture, issued a protest letter to the company that organized the festival, strongly criticizing it as "an act that tramples on the efforts of medical workers."

As the controversy grew, the organizers posted an apology on their official website, stating, "We caused much inconvenience and concern to the local community, the music industry, and the event industry supporters," and "We sincerely apologize."

Meanwhile, according to NHK, as of the 30th, Japan recorded 13,638 new COVID-19 cases. Since the 3rd, the number of new cases in Japan has exceeded 10,000 daily, and from the 19th to the 21st, it surpassed 25,000 for three consecutive days.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.