The Urada district of Echigo-Tsumari, home to Australia House, is known for its heavy snowfall, so we expect lingering snow on the day of the event, but we will still hold our annual spring gathering. We will remove the wooden panels that protected Australia House from the snow during the winter and, together with artists Yutaka Kawaguchi and Kaori Naito—creators of the garden artwork “Gardening project”—we will also tend to the surrounding plants.We will carry out this work collaboratively with local residents of the Urada district and adults from the general public. Additionally, an artist dispatched from the Australian arts organization “Parramatta Artists’ Studios” is currently in residence! We plan to work alongside them.

After the work is completed, we will host a simple program where you can get a closer feel for Australia using experience kits that introduce Australian culture, accompanied by tea and sweets. Let’s spend a fun time fostering cultural exchange between Japan and Australia at Australia House!

■Event Overview

■ Highlights from Past Spring Gatherings

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About Australia House

Located in the Urada district, this house boasts a history of approximately 150 years. Having watched over Urada since the late Edo period, the house began a new chapter in 2009 as a permanent hub for exchange between Australia and Echigo-Tsumari. With the full cooperation of the Australian Embassy and the Australia-Japan Foundation, the project was realized through the visit of a curator and three Australian artists.As people spent enjoyable evenings together at social gatherings and barbecue parties, the bond between Australia and Urada deepened. However, “Australia House,” which began as a hub for Japan-Australia exchange in 2009, was completely destroyed in the March 2011 Northern Nagano Prefecture Earthquake. An international design competition, chaired by Tadao Ando, called for a building that was “small, sturdy, and inexpensive.”Selected from 154 entries, this project serves as both a symbol of recovery from the disaster and a vision for the future of architecture.

Funding: Australian Embassy, Australia-Japan Foundation, Niigata Prefecture
Sponsored by: Association for Cultural Exchange with Overseas Countries
Garden Design: Yutaka Kawaguchi and Kaori Naito, “Where the Garden Is Born… And Then”

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Accommodations

[Reception Period]
May 30, 2026 (Sat) – November 8, 2026 (Sun) *Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
[Rates]
Facility fee: 12,000 yen + Adults: 3,000 yen, Elementary and Junior High School Students: 1,500 yen, Preschoolers: 1,000 yen
[Capacity]
Up to 6 guests (Limited to one group per night; entire building rental)

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Artist

Kawaguchi Yutaka, Naito Kaori

[Books, Articles, Collections, etc.]
2006 *60 Container Garden Styles by Yutaka Kawaguchi* (published by the Agricultural, Mountain, and Fishing Village Culture Association)
2002 *Yutaka Kawaguchi’s Eco Garden* (published by the Japan Broadcasting Publishing Association)
2000 *Yutaka Kawaguchi’s Gardening Lessons* (published by Yama-to-Keikoku-sha)

[Major Artworks, Exhibitions, Projects, Workshops, etc.]
1999 International Rose and Gardening Show, Garden Division, Seibu Dome, Tokyo

[Awards and Grants]
2005 International Rose and Gardening Show, Garden Division, Award Winner
2003 International Rose and Gardening Show, Balcony Division, Runner-up
2000 International Rose and Gardening Show, Garden Division: Grand Prize