INDEX
The Journey of Developing a Trailblazing Festival in Japan
–Prior to “S2O JAPAN,” you were involved in organizing water-based events?
KIUCHI: “S2O” is a unique event that goes beyond the typical use of effects like fire or water. So, I thought that we, with our expertise in organizing water-based events, might be the only ones capable of hosting “S2O” in Japan. When Japan’s “Water Run” reached its second year, I had a DJ friend who had moved to Thailand. I had them translate our “Water Run” proposal and sent it via direct message to the organizers of “S2O” in Thailand. That was our initial action.
-What challenges did you face in making it a reality in Japan?
Although I had experience in event planning, I had no knowledge of organizing an event on the scale of “S2O.” It felt like I was hitting a wall every day. As expected, the preparation period means zero revenue [laughs]. However, since we wouldn’t earn anything if we didn’t do it, I was focused on pushing forward through trial and error.
Later, I found out that it’s quite rare for small to medium-sized enterprises to create a project from scratch and obtain a license. Apart from Kenji Kobayashi, who brought 『ULTRA JAPAN』 to Japan, I seem to be the youngest in the country to take on such a task. There weren’t any mentors to teach me, and the entertainment music industry is quite specialized, making it something you can’t do unless you have substantial funding. It felt like a constant cycle of hitting walls and making incremental progress, much like a game of Dragon Quest.
-You mentioned “ULTRA JAPAN.” Were there any events that you referred to when bringing “S2O” to Japan?
KIUCHI: I focused solely on the original “S2O” in Thailand. If there is a model, you can replicate it. For “Water Run,” there were no existing examples, so I had to figure out things like how to source 3,000 water balloons for the event from scratch.
