In an industry that devotes itself with ever more granular precision to the art of serving you what its research says you want, music and events that demand you meet them halfway are ever more precious.

With that in mind, it became clear to me this summer that the Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata Prefecture is the best music festival in the country because it has something that none (Hokkaido's Rising Sun a possible exception) of the other major festivals has: an ethos.

We might roll our eyes at the way Fuji Rock clings to hoary old hippy cliches (perennial opening act Route 17 Rock'n'Roll Orchestra don't need a drummer anymore — roadies can just mic up the creaking joints of its members), but the event brings with it a cheerful sort of inclusiveness that doesn't compromise its own sense of identity.