Fuji Rock is the biggest music festival in Japan, with between 100,000 and 150,000 people attending in normal years.
Held in a stunning ski resort (Naeba Ski Resort) about a 90-minute train ride from Tokyo, Fuji Rock has been running since 1997 and the international crowd had been steadily increasing over the years.
What to expect at Fuji Rock
Held mostly outdoors, you must be prepared for rain or shine, as you never know which way it will go. Maintaining its Japanese roots, there are hot springs you can soak in and nature walks, with a bit of a Glastonbury vibe (secret woodland gig anyone?), so go explore!
What time does Fuji Rock start and end?
Doors open at 9 a.m. every day and one-day-ticket holders are allowed inside the venue until 5 a.m. the following day. The festival ends officially at 5 a.m. on Monday, July 29. If you are camping, you can enter the campsite from 12 p.m. on Thursday till 12 p.m. on Monday.
How many stages are at Fuji Rock?
There are 12 stages at Fuji Rock, all representing different vibes and genres — and all but one or two are in the open air. The Green Stage is the main spot for headliners.
What is there to eat and drink?
There are seven areas to grab some food and drink at Fuji Rock, so you won’t be left starving. Glass bottles or cans can not be brought into the festival grounds.
Fuji Rock Lineup 2024
The first headliners have been announced for 2024! Techno-pop band Kraftwerk will be performing along with Ride, Rufus Wainright, Yussef Dayes, and more.
The lineup includes the following acts (among many others):
- Friday headliner:
SzaSza dropped out and has been replaced by The Killers - Saturday headliner: Kraftwerk
- Sunday headliner: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
- Other big names include Oliver Tree, Turnstile, Beth Gibbons, Peggy Gou …
Tickets for Fuji Rock 2024
Fuji Rock tickets are famously expensive. Buying tickets early can save a little yen, as does booking three-day tickets, which are cheaper than buying separate day tickets.
| Ticket type | First-round advanced sales (Feb. 9–Feb. 29) | Second-round advanced sales (Mar. 1–May. 30) | General sales (From May. 31) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-day ticket | ¥22,500 | ¥24,500 | ¥25,500 |
| 1-day Friday night ticket* | Not applicable | ¥16,000 | ¥16,000 |
| 3-day ticket | ¥52,500 | ¥54,500 | ¥60,000 |
*Friday night tickets give you access to the festival from 6 p.m. on Friday, July 26 to 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 27. You cannot buy parking with this ticket.
On the plus side, children aged 15 and younger can attend for free (with an adult), and adults between 16 and 22 years old get 1-day tickets for ¥18,000.
How to get to Fuji Rock Festival
Arranging transport and accommodation (be it tent or offsite) in advance is vital. The closest access point to Fuji Rock is Echigo-Yuzawa Station. From there, you can get a shuttle bus to the site (40 minutes) that costs ¥2,000. The return journey is free.
Worried about standing in line? There’s also a reserved shuttle bus one way for ¥3,000.
Shinkansen (bullet train) to Fuji Rock Festival
This is the quickest way to get to Fuji Rock — and the most comfortable. Get on the Jōetsu Shinkansen at Tokyo Station for 90 minutes to Echigo-Yuzawa Station. The journey costs ¥6,790 one way and may seem expensive, but works out better value than other options. Plus, you can book individual Shinkansen tickets on Klook easily from outside Japan, or take advantage of the Tokyo Wide Pass, which covers the journey.
Note: The last train from Echigo-Yuzawa Station is earlier than the last act.
Local trains to Fuji Rock Festival
If you’ve got more time to spare (and want to save some yen), then you can take local trains from Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa. The journey takes around four hours, costs under ¥4,000, and requires three changes: Tokyo Station to Takasaki Station (via the Ueno-Tokyo Line/Takasaki Line), Takasaki to Minakami (Jōetsu Line), and Minakami to Echigo-Yuzawa (Jōetsu Line).
Pro tip: Use the Seishun 18 ticket for more discounts.
Bus to Fuji Rock Festival
If you don’t have easy access to Tokyo Station, then it may be easier to book an official tour package, which includes bus transport from 19 cities in Japan. Some packages also include accommodation. The bus-only tours from Tokyo cost around ¥15,200 return (more expensive than the Shinkansen) and take a long time to get there (up to seven hours depending on traffic). Note that the reservation website is in Japanese only.
Driving to Fuji Rock Festival
Renting a car and heading to Fuji Rock is possible, but parking is a little expensive at ¥5,000 per car, per day for the cheapest parking spot away from the festival. You’ll also need to enter with at least one other person with a ticket.
Accommodation at Fuji Rock Festival 2024
You can sleep in your car and not set up camp. But if you lack a car, or still want to get the full festival experience, then simple camping costs ¥5,000 per day, per person.
A pricier option is the Moon Caravan auto campsite, which is only open to 3-day ticket holders and costs ¥20,000 per car or ¥10,000 per motorcycle, plus the daily, per-person camping fee.
The final option is booking into a hotel near Fuji Rock — but you’ll need to be quick to avoid the rush.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
