Principles
Ten principles
These are less a rulebook than a way of living in this city. The Japanese text is the association's short reading of each principle. Larry Harvey's canonical English stays on burningman.org. What is here is that reading, set on a ranch in Japan.
The 10 Principles at burningman.org
New people are welcome, and they are owed respect. No title is required to come in. This is not an order to accept every act. The practice is to pause before shutting someone out on a first impression, listen, and then keep your own boundary. It does not oblige anyone to accept an act the other person does not want.
A cold drink, a small object, a hand with a tent, a song played together. It is not barter and it is not a ledger. A bad experience is not a gift. Offer, and hand it over only after the person says they want it.
Money, merchandise, and promotion turn the pasture back into the default world very quickly. There is no commerce on site. The event runs on ticket income and volunteers, and it has not sought sponsors since 2012. Handing things out under a brand is advertising, not a gift.
There is no shop, no kitchen block, and no drinking water on tap. Beyond toilets and a thin medical post, you live on what you brought. First-timers are allowed to be imperfect. Volunteer Camp is the official path when you do not have the gear. Arriving with a plan to live off other people is a burden, not a gift.
Nobody scores the work. A first piece and a small gift sit at the same table as a large installation. You also do not trample someone else's expression. Anything illegal, anything that harms the village, and anything the other person does not want does not get through by calling itself art.
From a small favor to building a theme camp or an artwork. Center Camp, the phoenix, and the temple are not one person's product. If someone is stuck, speak to them. And you can ask, too.
Japanese law, the event's rules, and respect for the ranch and the village. Cannabis, MDMA, cocaine, methamphetamine and the rest are illegal to possess, use, or give. There is no exception on site. Walk the toll-road shoulder wrong and the event can end that night. A careless fire is a wildfire. The edge only exists if the event survives it.
Trash, ash, greywater, glitter, stake holes, and tire ruts all have to leave with you. What you carried in, you carry out. Any water that is not clean goes home in a container. Do not burn trash. Do not put cardboard on a fire. The last day is LNT Day. The day after is DBK Day, when the ranch is handed back. This is not a mood. It is why the event can return.
There is no booked lineup and no food court. If it is your first time, look, receive, and help the neighbors put a tent up. You might join a theme camp, make art, take a volunteer shift, or bring firewood for the burns. There is more than one way in.
While you are here, let the calendar and the notifications drop a level. The thing itself is the direct experience. Phones are useful, and they also get lost. Do not use one as your light or as your only battery. Wear a headlamp.