Let's Play All Winter Long! On-Site Report from the “Snow Play Expo”

“Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 2021 Winter SNOWART: The Home of the ‘Echigo-Tsumari Art Field’” is currently underway. On Saturday, January 23, the “Snow Play Expo” kicked off at the outdoor venue of the Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art [Kinare].The “Snow Play Expo” is a Special Exhibition designed to let visitors enjoy winter in a snowy region through hands-on artworks by artists centered on the themes of snow and winter. Starting Saturday, February 20, it will also open at the Matsudai NOHBUTAI outdoor venue. Here’s a glimpse of the program highlights from each venue. First up is Kinare!

The main artwork at the Kinare venue, Ishi Okato’s “Under a Large Kotatsu” (top image; Photo by Yasuhiro Takagi).This artwork evokes nostalgic memories of curling up under a warm kotatsu on a cold winter day. The brightly colored fabric serving as the “quilt” for the large kotatsu is organza dyed by the artist herself. It is adorned with vividly colored fabrics, including kimono fabrics from Tokamachi. The view outside is visible through the fabric from the inside, softly blurring the boundary between the interior and exterior.

Inside, 18 electric kotatsu are lined up overhead, their heaters casting a warm red and yellow glow throughout the space. Visitors are free to turn the kotatsu on and off as they please. On weekends, visitors can enjoy the “Mochi Bar,” where they can roast and eat mochi on mini charcoal grills under these large kotatsu, or try their hand at making chinkoro, a traditional lucky treat made from rice flour.

When you step outside the “Large Kotatsu,” you’ll find Fukasawa Takafumi’s “Kotatsu Car Museum of Modern Art.” The “Kotatsu Car” is a unique vehicle where you pedal a bicycle inside a kotatsu to keep warm.The “Kotatsu Car” is a popular attraction every year, but this time, set against the “Museum of Modern Art” backdrop—which differs from previous years—it has been transformed into an exhibit where visitors can ride the Kotatsu Car to tour the artworks. First, an explanatory panel appears, inviting visitors to reflect on the concept of “modernity.” Then, weaving through the “Torso of a Snow-Clearing Tool,” visitors admire the “Model of an Abstract Painting on a Snow Wall.”

The snow dumpers and snow pushers, now transformed into pure white “torsos,” were apparently chosen from among relatively new models. They offer a glimpse into the history of regions prone to heavy snowfall. The children, skipping right over any historical analysis, are having a blast exploring them as if they were a circuit of artwork!

One of the fun activities to enjoy out on the snow-covered plaza is “Snowboards” by Kurakake Junichi. Last year, we couldn’t hold the event due to light snowfall, but this year we were able to set up a course. Participants stand on wooden boards—similar to snowboards—and slide down the slope. It might be a little scary at first, but the trick is to shift your center of gravity forward. The children get better and better with each run. They’re full of energy and seem to be having a great time.

And starting Saturday, February 20, the “Snow Play Expo” venue at the Nohbutai will open. Artists and the Matsudai Scarecrow Corps are already working together to set up the snow play area! A “giant snow slide,” where visitors can enjoy sliding down on sleds made from various materials, is scheduled to make its debut.“Kome-gu-san,” made of straw, along with last year’s hugely popular “Giant Makio” and the Mountain Sled Team, will all gather to create a festival grounds on the snowy plains surrounding the Nōbutai stage. (Participating artists: ReBuilding Center Japan, Michika Isozaki, Yuma Matsumoto, Snow Art Niigata Unit; Matsudai Scarecrow Troupe, Horikawa Michio + Mountain Sled Team)

The “SNOWFIELD TABLE” reaches the perfect height when snow accumulates. Last year, there wasn’t enough snow to actually try it out, but this year, there was so much snow that we had to dig it out. You can enjoy baking “anbo” (rice flour buns), a traditional winter treat, right on the table.

Although the Official Tour has unfortunately been canceled, you can still enjoy the tour’s signature “Yukimi-Gozen” meal at the Echigo Matsudai NOHBUTAI Satoyama Shokudo restaurant inside the Nohbutai complex.

The nearest stations to the “Snow Play Expo” venues—Kinare and Matsudai NOHBUTAI—are Tokamachi Station and Matsudai Station on the Hokuhoku Line of the Hokuetsu Express Railway (the train ride between Tokamachi and Matsudai takes about 10 minutes). Parking is also available. Once you purchase a ticket for either facility or the “Combined Passport,” you can enter as many times as you like during ETAT.You can hop between Kinare’s “Snow Slides” and the Matsudai NOHBUTAI’s “Giant Slide.” You can also try various flavors at the “Mochi Bar” or relax at the café in the Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Shokudo. We hope you’ll enjoy all your favorite activities to the fullest. Please come visit us as often as you like.

NPO Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Collaborative Organization
Yumi Shibayama