| English | Japanese |
News & Notes
Nigh Magazine




























































2026.6.29 update



rural

2026



A
Field
of
Serendipity







Sound, light and moving images intersect at rural 2026, returning to Inawashiro for four days from July 17.





Built around a commitment to high-quality sound, rural has long cultivated experiences in which time itself is carefully shaped and woven into the festival. This year, the festival expands its scope further with the introduction of its first-ever open call for art and installation works, broadening the landscape where sound, light, moving images, and the natural environment intersect. Through long-form sets that gradually transform the atmosphere, B2B performances charged with dialogues that can only emerge in the moment, and unexpected encounters with artworks scattered throughout the site, scenes opened through sound will once again unfold at nowhere CAMP in Inawashiro.

The OPEN AIR STAGE will once again feature the Void Acoustics Incubus system, a signature element of rural. Delivering immersive, three-dimensional sound that retains its clarity even across the festival’s expansive outdoor setting, the system brings a profound sense of immersion to the highland landscape. The programme itself also reflects rural’s distinctive sense of time: while Jane Fitz gradually builds the dancefloor from dusk, gently easing listeners into her unfolding narrative, Willikens & Ivkovic will guide the closing hours with a six-hour set that promises a journey-like experience. Alongside them, artists such as Al Wootton, Volodymyr Gnatenko, Spekki Webu B2B OCCA, and MANISDRON embody this year’s vision for rural, traversing techno, house, and experimental music while gradually transforming the space over time.





OPEN AIR STAGE: DAY2, 18 Sat. July
YELLOWUHURU
Al Wootton
Volodymyr Gnatenko
Atsushi Maeda
Spekki Webu B2B OCCA
OPEN AIR STAGE: DAY3, 19 Sun. July
Jane Fitz
MANISDRON
YAMA
NDRX
OPEN AIR STAGE: DAY4, 20 Mon. July
YAMARCHY
Willikens & Ivkovic
OPEN AIR STAGE: TIMETABLE




The INDOOR STAGE will once again feature Danley Sound Labs, upgraded this year to a four-point configuration. Open from the DAY1 pre-party through to the morning of DAY4, the space will host artists including Vladimir Ivkovic B2B Yadin Moha, Chhabb, Akuma no Numa, and RS Tangent, whose explorations of unfamiliar sonic terrains gently alter the perception of time while unfolding immersive sound worlds.





INDOOR STAGE: DAY1, 17 Fri. July
SOUKI
Herbalistek
Al Wootton -Live-
Nao
Lena Willikens
Jane Fitz B2B Dr. Nishimura
INDOOR STAGE: DAY2, 18 Sat. July
Carpas Wiño Klint
Enantiomorphs
LAP -Live-
APEPA
Chhabb
Akuma No Numa
LEVOLANT
YuY
INDOOR STAGE: DAY3 & 4, 19 Sun., 20 Mon. July
Toner
Kiss Nuka -Live- Ambient set
Vladimir Ivkovic B2B Yadin Moha
KAPI
dj sniff
RS Tangent
DJ mew
SAMO
suimin
Kyomi
MITAYO
INDOOR STAGE: TIMETABLE




The inaugural art and installation programme will feature five artists selected from 253 submissions. Works will be presented throughout the site, including David Ryan’s video installation Jejemon 2026, created using 20-year-old Nokia mobile phones and CRT televisions; SOL materia’s Swaying Reflections, an installation of iridescent film that shifts with the wind; Unicorn Image by Dokaku Hoso-shitsu (Unicorn Broadcasting Room), which proposes a perceptual journey through moving images; works by Fukushima-based sound artist Hifumi Higashiyama; and Yuki Anai, whose practice is guided by the idea that “nature is media.” Encountering these works while moving through the festival grounds—and pausing unexpectedly along the way—may become another defining aspect of this year’s rural experience.





David Ryan
SOL materia
Unicorn Image
Hifumi Higashiyama
Yuki Anai




Another summer of unexpected encounters awaits on the highlands of Inawashiro.









Overview

rural 2026
ruraljp.com

Date: July 17 (Fri) – 20 (Mon, National Holiday), 2026
Venue: nowhere CAMP
Venue: 2864 Numajiriyama Ko, Koyō, Inawashiro-machi, Yama-gun, Fukushima
Venue: www.numajiri-lodge.com/nowhere

Tickets: 4-Day Pass (Category 5): ¥25,000
Tickets: └ U25: ¥14,000 (*includes one camping ticket)
Tickets: └ Tohoku Resident Discount: ¥15,000
Tickets: 3-Day Pass: ¥22,000
Tickets: 2-Day Pass: ¥18,000
Tickets: On-site Parking Pass: ¥9,000
Tickets: Off-site Parking Pass: ¥4,000
Tickets: Camping Ticket: ¥5,000 (per tent)
Tickets: Auto Camping Ticket: ¥21,000 (1 vehicle + up to 2 tents)
Tickets: └ Additional Parking Pass: ¥9,500
Tickets: └ Additional Tent Ticket: ¥6,500

Ticket Information: ZAIKO https://ruraljp.zaiko.io/e/rural2026
Ticket Information: Resident Advisor https://ra.co/events/2289803

<LINE UP (A to Z)>

DAY 1 (7/17)
Al Wootton - Live
Herbalistek
Jane Fitz B2B Dr.NISHIMURA Lena Willikens
Nao
SOUKI

DAY 2 (7/18)
Al Wootton
APEPA
Atsushi Maeda
Carpas Wiño Klint (midori & yodel) - Live Chhabb
Enantiomorphs (adak7 x olevv) LAP - Live
LEVOLANT
Spekki Webu B2B OCCA Volodymyr Gnatenko - Live YELLOWUHURU
YuY
Akuma No Numa

DAY 3 & 4 (7/19 & 20)
DJ mew
dj sniff - Live
Jane Fitz
KAPI
Kiss Nuka - Live - Ambient set MANISDRON - Live
MITAYO
NDRX
RS Tangent
SAMO
suimin
Toner
Vladimir Ivkovic B2B Yadin Moha Willikens & Ivkovic
YAMA
YAMARCHY
Kyomi








Map



All images © of their respective owners.


Advertisement