As you are no doubt aware, the Fuji Rock Festival takes place in mid summer. Mid summer in Japan means rain. Just like early summer. And late summer, for that matter. A bit like spring. Maybe autumn too... Come to think of it, it always rains in this country!

And Fuji Rock is not immune to precipitation. In fact, one could say it gets more than it's fair share. I remember Dave Grohl commenting that it had rained EVERY year the Foo Fighters had played there, and that is many indeed! Shawn even found a snowman one year, though the jury is still out on how it got there...

So, the upshot of this is, bring your gumboots! They are the single most useful article of clothing you will have there. Don't bother with an umbrella. Bring a rain jacket if you must. But don't forget your wellies!

For the ladies, this doesn't mean leaving fashion behind. In fact, as several of the FRF staff have been made well aware, I have come to believe that gumboots are in fact one of the most appealing pieces of pedestrian protection you could pull on... These colourful numbers above were spotted on the streets of Shibuya this weekend past at the not too bad (though not to great) price of ¥3990. A little hunting around will net you something as flash for a lot less cash. Or you could go more upscale and blow ¥10k plus if you had to. Whatever your budget there is a boot waiting out there for you!

Just don't leave them behind when you leave, they'll serve you well again next year!

Report by Dom.