Travel Information

A hub facility for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Filed. The building was designed by Hara Hiroshi＋ATELIERΦ, the firm behind the Kyoto Station Building. It features 15 permanent artworks by artists from Japan and abroad, on display year-round, and hosts Special Exhibitions each season. A museum shop is also on site. The facility underwent a major renovation in 2021, with a significant overhaul of its permanent collection, and reopened to the public.

The Matsudai "Nobutai," a hub facility designed by the Dutch architectural firm MVRDV. Approximately 40 artworks are scattered throughout the roughly 2-kilometer stretch of rural landscape between the Matsudai "Nobutai" and Matsudai Castle at the mountaintop; this entire area is known as the "Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum Matsudai NOHBUTAI."

Set in the former Nunagawa Elementary School, the "Children’s Five Senses Experience Museum" offers an experience that engages not only sight but all five senses, including hearing and touch. We also regularly hold workshops that encourage children to focus on artworks and the materials used in everyday life.

One of Echigo-Tsumari’s most iconic landmarks, the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel, has been renovated to incorporate artworks. The 750-meter-long tunnel is conceptualized as a submarine cut off from the outside world, with artworks displayed throughout the interior—including four observation decks that serve as periscopes offering views of the outside.

This hot spring is located in the heart of Tokamachi city. It’s about a 10-minute walk from Tokamachi Station, making it convenient for visitors arriving by train. The same building houses the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET, and the Roadside Station Cross Ten Tokamachi is right next door, so you can enjoy art, dining, and shopping for souvenirs.

A former elementary school opened in 2009 as an interactive “spatial picture book” museum created by artist Tashima Seizo. Featuring the school’s last three real-life students as the main characters, the museum uses the space to recreate the school in a picture-book-like layout, bringing to life not only the students and teachers who once attended the school but even the ghosts that haunt it. (Closed for the winter from late November to late April)

Located within Matsudai’s “Nobutai,” this space serves as both an art gallery and a restaurant. Enjoy the artistic ambiance while savoring the “Satoyama Buffet,” featuring a selection of dishes inspired by Matsudai’s local flavors and home-style cooking.

Located about a 10-minute walk from Tokamachi Station, this hot spring facility features a café area and an entrance hall with interactive art installations. Even if you don’t plan to bathe, admission to the entrance hall, café, and shop is free. The same building houses an art museum, and there is a roadside station next door, so you can enjoy viewing art, dining, and shopping for souvenirs.

Located in one of the rooms of the Museum of Picture Book Art is "Hachi Café," where you can savor the lingering atmosphere of the "Spatial Picture Book." Please relax and unwind while taking in the beautiful scenery of the mountains surrounding the elementary school. We offer a selection of sweets and drinks made with carefully selected ingredients.

A traditional Japanese farmhouse with a thatched roof, built about 100 years ago. Here, you can enjoy seasonal home-cooked meals prepared by local women, served on tableware crafted by one of Japan’s leading ceramic artists.

Opened in July 2021 to coincide with the renovation of the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET. It serves as both a café and a venue for the artwork "Two River" by Massimo Bartolini feat. Lorenzo Bini. Time flows slowly and peacefully within the space.

Katakuri House is an accommodation venue housed in a renovated former school from the 19th century. Located in the hidden scenic area of Akiyamago, the school was the educational hub for local children for 108 years before its closure in 1992. The local staff members at Katakuri House who are enchanted by the abundant nature and history of Akiyamago look forward to welcoming you with its comfortable rooms and delicious cuisine.

A artwork by light artist James Turrell. Conceived as a guesthouse for meditation, it was modeled after the Hoshina Residence, a traditional local dwelling designated as an Important Cultural Property. Turrell drew inspiration for this concept from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s *In Praise of Shadows*, blending the intimate light of traditional Japanese architecture with his own light-based artworks. *Satoyama Shokudo’s takeout service for breakfast and dinner*

Sansho House is a unique accommodation space, renovated from a 50-year old former wooden school building. We invite guests to sleep in hand-crafted wooden beds arranged in the former classrooms of the school. Local staff members eagerly await your visit to share their stories and thorough knowledge of the local region.

This former minka house built in 1924 is reborn as a museum of potteries. On the ground floor, distinguished Japanese potters have reimagined a traditional cooking stove, washbasin, and bathtub. Visitors are welcome to enjoy local cuisines and delicacies cooked by local women and served in plates and bowls created by these potters. Three tea rooms on the upper floor also serve as a gallery space.

An immersive artwork by Marina Abramović, created from the wish that people “dream in order to connect with themselves” amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life. This artistic experience involves sleeping in pajamas designed by the artist, recording your dreams, and compiling them into a “Book of Dreams.” *You can take advantage of Satoyama Shokudo’s takeout service for breakfast and dinner.

This farmstay (entire house rental) is housed in a 150-year-old traditional Japanese farmhouse that has been renovated into an artwork in its own right. Kurakake Junichi+ Nihon University College of Art Sculpture Course transformed this house—which had become a hollow shell due to the passage of time and changing eras—by carving into its structure. Through this process, they expanded the interior space, allowing the vacant house to shed its old form and experience a REBIRTH as an artwork. Please enjoy a rare experience that blends art and rural life, available only here.*You can take advantage of the takeout service for breakfast and dinner at Satoyama Shokudo.