As with previous festivals, the Green Stage is the main arena featuring the most mainstream acts. Oasis might have hit the peak of their fame in the late 1990s, but the release of Dig Out Your Soul last year earns them a place with younger acts such as Fall Out Boy and rock chicks from Lily Allen to the evergreen Patti Smith.

The White Stage is home to more indie-minded outfits, including New York hip-hop outfit Public Enemy, art rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and improv-electronica Canadians, Holy F***.

The Red Marquee is the last of the large arenas - this year's lineup features indie folk band Bright Eyes, London electronica duo Simian Mobile Disco and electro-clash muse Peaches. This area tends towards the 'indie rising stars' says festival pointman Johnnie Moylett, who has has been with Fuji Rock organisers Smash Corporation since the event started in 1997.

A memorable sight - and unique to Fuji Rock - is the tranquil practice of bon-odori, a centuries-old traditional Japanese dance. It's a surprisingly short meander from the high-volume areas of the festival.

Then there are the on-site hot springs and some of the most awesome festival dress-ups you'll see - robots on stilts anyone? Plenty of community areas for kicking back, impromptu jams and just eating or shopping add to the event's intimate feel - one of last year's new areas to make a comeback is the Stoned Circle with chill-out cafe, shop, and people making and playing percussion instruments.

This year's new venue is the Caf?De Paris area, where visitors can sample sophisticated French food and bop heads to French musicians. You'll also hear Mongolian folk rock band Altan Urag here. Fuji also has the distinction of being one of the world's cleanest, greenest music festivals.

The event 'has an atmosphere that is very Japanese', says Moylett, who was a founding member of New Wave band the Boomtown Rats. 'It's cleaner, safer, well-organised, things run on time and the audience is well-informed. Japanese like their comfort and expect to be well looked after.'

A ban on fliers, handouts, and promo giveaways also helps to keep the venue clean and prevents the festival from looking like some of the other corporate-logo-splashed events in Asia.

There's little evidence of sponsors, giving the festival the feeling of a much smaller gathering (Moylett uses the phrase 'musical camping weekend in the country').

The respectful vibe seems to emanate from organisers and audience alike; when a band finishes at, say, the Red Marquee, staff clean the area before the next show.

'It took years to educate the audience to keep their personal space clean and to tidy up,' says Moylett. 'We work to give the illusion that the festival is naturally clean. After years of this the result is that the audience really enjoys the fact that the festival is clean, and feel a responsibility to keep it that way. We taught by example.'

The event is unlikely to grow much further, says Moylett. 'We are happy and plan to stay at Naeba,' he says. 'The community depends on the festival for their livelihood, as for them, summer is a down time [in terms of tourism],' he says.

It's a fitting reason for what is the world's most respectful and responsible festival.

So how will Fuji evolve? 'We just strive to keep it the best weekend on the music calendar,' says Moylett. With this year's lineup dotted among the Naeba range, that doesn't seem too hard a sell.

The lineup

Green Stage

Oasis Franz Ferdinand Weezer Fall Out Boy Paul Weller Ben Harper Patti Smith Lily Allen

White Stage

The Neville Brothers Public Enemy Royskopp Clap Say Your Hands Say Yeah

Red Marquee

Simian Mobile Disco Dinosaur Jr Peaches Bright Eyes Ida Maria Maximo Park

Orange Court

System 7 Booker T Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 Shibusashirazu orchestra

The details

When

July 24-26

Where

Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata prefecture, Japan

Ticket price

Three-day ticket, 39,800 yen (HK$3,241); one-day ticket, 16,800 yen (10,000 tickets per day only); campsite ticket, 3,000 yen per person

Info

fujirockfestival.com