Echigo-Tsumari is hosting a variety of events unique to early summer!

There’s a wealth of events unique to early summer in Echigo-Tsumari, including rice-planting experiences, walks through the satoyama, workshops, Special Exhibitions, and exercise classes. Why not experience the charm of Echigo-Tsumari through activities that everyone from children to adults can enjoy? Please see the event information below for details.

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Matsudai Farm Stage Field Museum

[Through June 7] Spring Field Museum Stamp Rally

Explore the various facilities within the Field Museum while searching for spring flowers and wild edible plants. Collect stamps and solve puzzles to receive an original postcard! Combine your stroll with the chance to discover the culture and local history of the Matsudai area. We hope you’ll join us with your family.

[June 6 & 7] Rice Planting Event 2026

This year, the Matsudai Rice Fields Bank will once again be hosting three farming events. The first of these is the “Rice Planting Event.” This event is open to both members of the Rice Fields Bank and the general public. Spending time in the rice paddies, working with your own hands, is a special experience unique to this place. We hope you’ll join us.

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Echigo Matsudai Satoyama Restaurant

[Through June 1] Wild Vegetable Buffet

We’ve prepared our popular buffet lunch featuring a selection of wild mountain vegetables brimming with the bounty of spring. Using an abundance of seasonal wild vegetables—such as butterbur buds, fiddlehead ferns, and udo—we’ve created a buffet featuring the Echigo Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo’s signature wild vegetable dishes, which are based on local cuisine but given a modern twist. Please enjoy the unique seasonal flavors of this region while taking in the spring scenery of the satoyama.

[Starting June 4] Satoyama Buffet

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Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET

[May 30–31] "MonET ARTIST Workshop Series" Vol. 3: Kurita Koichi, "Let's Create a Soil Library Together: Comparing Soil Colors"

A workshop where you can explore the diversity of soil and regional differences. Let’s use the soil we’ve all collected to sift it and compare its natural colors.

[June 7] "MonET ARTIST Workshop Series" Vol. 4: Hara Rintaro + Hara Yu "My Favorite Things: Let's Make Flat Sculptures!"

I turn the things I cherish—whether they’re everyday objects, distant landscapes, or invisible ghosts—into two-dimensional sculptures.

[Through June 14] Echigo-Tsumari MonET Special Exhibition Vol. 10: "Ryo Miyasaka: ART at 75"

[Starting June 27] Echigo-Tsumari MonET Special Exhibition Vol. 11: Ryosuke Higo, “Cancer Queen”

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Katakuri House

[Until June 28] May–June Special: "Wild Vegetable Cuisine Special Plan"—Experience Spring in Akiyamago

We recommend this to anyone who wants to fully enjoy fresh wild mountain vegetables that are only available during this season.Wild vegetables from heavy snowfall areas are said to be milder and easier to eat because they grow beneath the snow, resulting in less bitterness and a milder flavor. We use wild vegetables harvested from nearby mountains—such as fiddlehead ferns, butterbur shoots, wild wasabi leaves, Japanese angelica, dogtooth violets, bracken, wild garlic, and bent bamboo shoots—to prepare wild vegetable tempura, simmered dishes, and tsukudani.

[May 31] Rice Planting Experience at "Ketto's Ishigakida"

The “Matsudai Terraced Rice Field Bank,” a terraced rice field conservation project spun off from the art festival, and “Katakuri House” in Akiyamago’s Ketto Onsen will begin working to preserve the “Ketto Stone-Walled Rice Fields” in Akiyamago starting in 2026. As part of these efforts, we are hosting a rice-planting experience. We also offer a package that includes an overnight stay at Katakuri House the night before the event.

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Hachi & Tashima Seizo: Museum of Picture Book Art

[Through August 31] Spring/Summer Special Exhibition: "Koji Suzuki: Clay Caravan"

Koji Suzuki, one of Japan’s leading picture book authors and illustrators, has captivated countless readers with his vivid colors, bold lines, and unique worldview born of creative ideas that transcend time and borders.This exhibition features not only the original illustrations from the picture books *Dome-gatar* (Tamagawa University Press) and *Denden-densha* (Kotsu Shimbunsha), but also a stunning display of large-scale paintings, as well as three-dimensional objects made of clay and paper—works he is currently creating with great enthusiasm.

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NUNAGAWA Campus

[Through Nov. 8] Ayako Fudamoto: "Sponge to Salmon (Nunagawa)"

We are hosting a Special Exhibition at the NUNAGAWA Campus featuring Ayako Fudamoto, an artist known for her three-dimensional artworks modeled after food and ingredients. Fudamoto, who visualizes the intersections and unexpected connections between food and the society in which we live, will present artworks inspired by the local cuisine of Echigo-Tsumari.

[Through Nov. 8] Rinko Matsumoto’s “Hoppe” Coloring Book Eco-Bags, Pouches, and Lunch Bags

Why not try painting pouches, eco-bags, and lunch bags featuring “Hoppe”—the cat who also appears in the artwork *The Planet TOLARIS in Nunagawa Campus*—in your own original colors? Turn everyday items into your canvas and enjoy creating your very own coloring art.

[Through Nov. 8] Yukino Omura’s “Round Sticker Art” Workshop

You can enjoy a hands-on workshop where you’ll create round sticker art inspired by “Tori-oi,” a traditional event in Echigo-Tsumari.

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Official Tour

[Every Saturday] Echigo-Tsumari Course [Satoyama Lunch]

A highlights tour of the masterpieces of Echigo-Tsumari. This tour is perfect for first-time visitors to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, as well as anyone who wants to see many artworks without having to drive. Join our guide and enjoy the artworks while taking in the view of the lush green countryside.

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Accommodations

Dream House

“Dream House” was established in 2000 following the renovation of a house over 100 years old, located in a rural mountain village in one of Japan’s heaviest snowfall regions. At “Dream House,” guests can enjoy a unique overnight experience designed for dreaming: they prepare for their dreams, don a “dreaming suit,” and fall asleep in a “dreaming bed.”

Australia House

Australia House was built in 2012 as a symbol of recovery from the earthquake and a testament to the exchange between Echigo-Tsumari and Australia. During periods when artist-in-residence programs are not taking place, the facility is now open to adults for overnight stays.

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FC Echigo-Tsumari

Gymnastics Class 2026

The “FC Echigo-Tsumari Exercise Class” will continue in the 2026 fiscal year. Classes will be held twice a month, primarily on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. at the NUNAGAWA Campus. Led by FC Echigo-Tsumari players, the program aims to improve physical function and enhance “life performance”—the foundation of daily living. We focus on building health in a way that is both enjoyable and sustainable. Everyone is welcome to join us.

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