The Appeal of the Summer and Rock Festival “OTODAMA ~Onsendamashii~”
OTODAMAIt is an outdoor rock festival that has been held every year since 2005 at Osaka Izumiotsu Phoenix.
This time, I’d like to share the appeal of OTODAMA with everyone.
What is OTODAMA?
Since OTODAMA is an event organized by Shimizu Onsen, it’s full of puns playing on “onsen” (hot spring): for example, tickets are called “bathing tickets,” and the performance order is referred to as the “bathing order,” among other clever touches throughout the event.
OTODAMA’s stages have uniquely hot spring–themed names like Left Bath, Right Bath, and Super Open-Air Bath.
The left and right baths and the super sento-style bath are located apart from each other, but since the venue is spacious, it seems you can move between them without it getting surprisingly crowded.
Every year, OTODAMA features a lineup that anyone can enjoy—even those not very familiar with music—ranging from bands that call themselves comic bands to comedians, DJs, and buzzworthy rock bands.
The origins of the humor sprinkled throughout the event
At OTODAMA, in addition to the performance order and stage names I mentioned earlier, they set a different theme every year—such as pro wrestling, history, or supermarkets—and run the event with a thorough sense of humor.
What kind of intentions lie behind hosting events with such a strong sense of humor?
The origin lies in FUJI ROCK.
Before OTODAMA began, a representative from the organizer Shimizu Onsen attended FUJI ROCK and was deeply impressed by the sight of people spending three days living amid a great natural setting filled with mature music. That experience led to the creation of OTODAMA.
Whatever the form, it all began with the desire to create an event that could only exist here.
What I finally arrived at was “the Kansai性 (sei).”
So that’s where the event production begins, but while we have the music we love, the Izumiotsu Phoenix venue doesn’t have the great natural setting you find at FUJI ROCK...
That's when they arrived at the idea of incorporating elements of humor and comedic asides.
It was an idea devised so that everyone who had come all this way could have a laugh—so they could enjoy elements beyond just the music.
A stage by SET YOU FREE
Another charm of OTODAMA is the stage presented by SET YOU FREE.
On this stage, the event SET YOU FREE—which holds over 150 shows a year—handles tasks such as booking.
On the stage presented by SET YOU FREE, up-and-coming acts and bands whose popularity is beginning to catch fire will perform, delivering must-see live shows every bit as captivating as those on the main stage.
It’s a stage that gives you a great deal: if you go to OTODAMA, you can enjoy SET YOU FREE as well.
Access to the venue
At OTODAMA, there’s a shuttle bus from the nearest station, Izumiotsu. A key feature is that while the bus departs from Izumiotsu Station on the way there, on the way back there are three options: Izumiotsu Station, Namba Station, or Umeda Station.
On the way home from a festival, it’s common to find the nearest station so crowded that you can’t get on a train right away, or you end up having to squeeze into a packed one—crowds often make it hard to get home.
However, if there are several return destinations, would that help disperse passengers and reduce congestion?
Many people are probably tired and want to get home easily and quickly, but in that context, this is a very thoughtful consideration that’s greatly appreciated from the perspective of festival participants.
In addition to the shuttle bus, there are paid parking lots, and bicycles and mopeds up to 50cc can use the bicycle parking for free (motorcycles over 50cc require a fee).
Event Overview
May 4 (Sat)–5 (Sun), 2024 OTODAMA ~Onsen Soul~
OTODAMA, organized by Shimizu Onsen every year, features a lineup ranging from staple fan-favorite bands to up-and-coming acts generating major buzz! It’s a can’t-miss event for Japanese rock fans!
| Name | OTODAMA ~Sound Spring Soul~ |
| Schedule | Sat, May 4–Sun, May 5, 2024 |
| place | Izumiotsu Phoenix, Izumiotsu City, Osaka Prefecture |
| SNS |
Lastly
Were you able to get at least a bit of an idea of OTODAMA’s atmosphere and what the day was like?
At OTODAMA, rather than intense shows with moshing or stage diving, it feels like there’s more music you can listen to while swaying your body or even dancing a little.
In that sense, you could say it's a somewhat more low-key, grown-up kind of festival.
In addition, there are plenty of features beyond music for attendees to enjoy, making it an event that even first-time festival-goers can have fun at.