Concert Posts

Heard that Summer Sonic is THE hottest event in Kansai? It is—and not just because it's held in mid-August, which is known to be scorching somewhat warm. The music festival is a two-day party like none other, featuring big (and not so big) names from all sorts of genres and countries. We're talking four stages, 50+ artists, and thousands of fans, with a bunch of awesome art and food to boot. The madness doesn't just take place in Osaka—there's a Tokyo leg that happens simultaneously, with performers shuttling between the two cities. Here, though, our focus is on how to have a smashing cheapo time at Summer Sonic Osaka. Cheap tickets to Summer Sonic Osaka First things first, let's take care of the entry passes. Tickets to Summer Sonic in Osaka are priced at for one day, or for both days. It's always a two-day event, and in 2018 it takes place on the 18th and 19th of August. When you get to the venue (Maishima Sonic Park—more about that below), you'll exchange your ticket for a wrist band. No matter how itchy it gets or how much you want to see if you can pry it off, don't. Lose the band, and you'll miss out on all of the bands. The line-up, and lining up This year, the line-up includes, among many others, Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Chance the Rapper and Shaun Mendes. Previous editions of Summer Sonic have featured the likes of Radiohead, The Offspring, Jay-Z and even The Pixies. The show's a pretty big deal. The stages (or, learn to plan ahead) There are four separate stages at Summer Sonic Osaka: Ocean, Mountain, Sonic and White Massive. Performers do their thing on different stages, at the same time—meaning you'll need to work out who you want to see before you roll into the venue. Scout out the fastest route between the stages so that you can dash back and forth between shows. The gates open at 10am, and the music starts an hour later. The merch and the melt Yeah, there's merchandise to be had, but it'll cost you. Budget at least for a t-shirt, and buy it when you arrive—they sell out fast, leaving only stacks of sweat towels for sale. If you're going to splash out on a shirt, make like the other festivalgoers and don it for the day. CDs and all the rest can be left for hometime. Next, festival fuel. You can take in bottles of water (no, not vodka; it's gotta be H20), as long as they're plastic. Pack a few, because it's sweltering and mostly outdoors. Food-wise, you can try to smuggle in a rice ball or two (we can't guarantee they won't make you munch 'em before you enter the venue though), or buy nosh from the myriad vendors on the day. Getting to Summer Sonic in Osaka Maishima Sonic Park, aka Maishima Sports Island, is just across the bay from Universal Studios Japan. To access the venue, you have two options: ride the train to Universal City Station on the JR Sakurajima/Yumesaki Line and then take a shuttle to the venue; or head to Cosmosquare Station on the Chuo and Nanko Port Town Lines and take a shuttle from there. If you want to board the shuttle at Universal City Station, you'll need to shell out for a bus ticket in advance (and in Japanese). If you're happy hopping on the bus at Cosmosquare, you can buy a ticket for the shuttle on the day (we recommend this option). The bus ride takes around 15 minutes. Accommodation: Should you stay or should you go? You can't camp at or anywhere near the Summer Sonic venue, so if you're planning on rocking out both days, you'll need to head back into Osaka proper for the night. Hotel Sunplaza, down south, is dirt cheap, while Hotel Mystays in Sakaisuji-Honmachi is central with a few more notches of class. You can also look through our Osaka hotel listings for other accommodation ideas. While you're in Osaka, you might want to do some other fun (and cheap) things, like visiting Osaka Castle, and snapping a selfie in front of the neon Running Man in Dotonbori. This article was updated in May, 2018.

Concert Posts

Summer Sonic: The Lowdown on Kansai's Hottest Music Festival