Check Out All Our Summer Events!

Echigo-Tsumari is currently hosting “Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 2026,” the year-round program of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field. From July through September, we’re offering a wide variety of events—not just Special Exhibitions, but also satoyama walks, workshops, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field Day, and exercise classes—that you can enjoy with family and friends. Please feel free to visit as often as you like to refresh yourself each day.

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[July 18] A Day to Enjoy the Summer Satoyama

During the day, participants will split into three groups—grass cutting, wildlife observation, and vegetable harvesting and cooking—to fully enjoy summer in the satoyama. Whether working up a sweat in the The Rice Fields and vegetable patches, searching for wildlife, or savoring freshly harvested vegetables, each activity offers a chance to experience the nature and way of life in Echigo-Tsumari. In the evening, enjoy a barbecue while watching the spectacular fireworks launched right before your eyes.

This event is organized by the “Matsudai Rice Fields Bank,” but non-members are also welcome to participate.

[July 18–September 27] Infinite and Finite Stacks / Flexible Stacking

Dates & Times｜Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from July 18 (Sat) to September 27 (Sun), 2026, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission｜Free (for the workshop only); 1,500 yen per item (if you take your creation home)

[Workshop with Artist Tetsuro Kano]
Dates & Times｜① Sunday, July 26; ② Sunday, August 9; ③ Monday, September 21 (holiday) – 11:00 AM–12:00 PM each day
Fee｜1,500 yen (includes taking home one piece of artwork)

[July 18–September 30] Summer Mystery-Solving Field Museum Notebook 2026 — Discover the Mysteries of the Satoyama Through Art —

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[June 4–Late September] Satoyama Buffet

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[September 20] Echigo-Tsumari Art Field Day 2026

People from all over the world will gather to join the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field Day. It’s a multifaceted event packed with fun—featuring competitions, cheering contests, music, colorful banners, and a lunch break. “Echigo-Tsumari Art Field Day” aims to create an even more diverse and vibrant event by inviting a large number of international participants to this traditional Japanese sports festival, where artists, musicians, and even non-professionals can showcase their unique talents.
Date & Time | Sunday, September 20, 2026
Reservations | Registration is scheduled to open on Peatix in early August (advance reservation required). Participation fees will be announced when registration begins.

[Through Nov. 8] Ayako Fudamoto, “Sponge to Salmon (Nunagawa)”

We are hosting a Special Exhibition 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 and preserved foods of Echigo-Tsumari.
Dates | April 25 (Sat) – November 8 (Sun), 2026 *Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except on national holidays
Admission｜Adults: 800 yen; Elementary and Junior High School Students: 400 yen; or Common Ticket

■ “Moshasu” Workshop
Join the artist in creating three-dimensional clay sculptures that look just like real food!
Date & Time｜Saturday, August 1, 1:00 PM–
Fee｜800 yen *Museum admission fee required separately

All Five Senses in Full Swing! Artist Workshop

In a society where we can access a wide variety of information online, opportunities to interact with real materials and objects are steadily decreasing. Even in this environment, the NUNAGAWA Campus is hosting workshops in collaboration with artists, where children—who will shape the future—can develop a sense of physical awareness through their five senses and experience the inherent appeal of the materials themselves.

Artist Workshop

◇Sekiguchi Kotaro Workshop: “Let’s Make and Play with Newspaper and Duct Tape”
Saturday, August 8, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM

◇Tsuchiya Ayumi “Spinning Xylophone Craft” Workshop
Saturday, August 22, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM; Sunday, August 23, 10:30 AM–12:00 PM

◇Kinukawa Yasunori “Kitchen Lithography with Chocolate and Coke” Workshop
October 31 (Sat) 10:30 AM–12:00 PM, 2:00 PM–3:30 PM

Kurakake Junichi + Nihon University College of Art Workshop

◇Sculpture Workshop
August 15 (Sat) and 16 (Sun), 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. each day

◇Let’s Dance Together! A Mind-and-Body Dance Workshop with Dancers
August 15 (Sat), 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

◇Performance: “Weaving Time”
August 16 (Sun) 16:00–16:20

◇Let’s Make an Anime with Chalkboard Art
August 17 (Mon) 10:00–15:00

[July 18–August 30] Kawamata Tadashi, “KAWAMATA PROJECT DOCUMENT VIDEO 2”

The Tsumari Archive Center is presenting “KAWAMATA PROJECT DOCUMENT VIDEO 2” by Kawamata Tadashi, who has had deep ties with the center since 2009 and maintains a studio there. Kawamata, who has developed his artworks through a “work-in-progress” approach, will screen the latest project footage, including scenes from his exhibition held at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in February 2026.
Duration｜Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from July 18 (Sat) to August 30 (Sun), 2026, 10:00–17:00
Admission｜Individual admission: Adults 600 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 300 yen, or a Common Ticket

[August 15–16] Used Paper Market

Over the past 10 years, the Tsumari Archive Center has been collecting materials related to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field and local projects. We are pleased to present these flyers and materials from various art projects at our “Used Paper Market.” This is a rare opportunity to take home materials that are now difficult to obtain.
Date and Time｜August 15 (Sat) – August 16 (Sun), 2026, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission｜Individual admission: Adults 600 yen / Elementary and junior high school students 300 yen, or a Common Ticket

Tanokura D.I.Y House iju

[August] Cafe Iju

A limited-time café open on weekends from Saturday, August 1, through Sunday, August 30, excluding Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16. Led primarily by students from Nagoya Institute of Technology, the café aims to create a space for interaction with the local community. Be sure to enjoy the events held during the café’s operating period!

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[August 10] Create a New Species! Let's Make a Plastic Model Insect

Join Hashimoto Norihisa, an artist participating in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, as we use model kit parts to create our very own new species of insect. Let’s give our insects names and come up with some fun ways they might live!

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[Through Nov. 8] Enjoy Hiking in Akiyamago: Plan Includes Rice Balls

In Akiyamago, which spans Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture, you can enjoy climbing Mt. Naeba (one of Japan’s Top 100 Mountains), Mt. Torikō (one of Japan’s Top 200 Mountains), and Mt. Saburyū (one of Japan’s Top 300 Mountains). This package includes dinner and breakfast, as well as rice balls to take with you on your hike. We hope you enjoy the rugged yet beautiful mountains of the secluded Akiyamago region.

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[July 18–August 30, September 5–November 8] Special Exhibition: Toby Crispy & Mire Yu, “STiTCH OUR iNNER LAND (艹 田 人)”

Hong Kong, teeming with hustle and bustle, and Tsunan town, enveloped in silence. These two distant lands each possess distinct climates, landscapes, and rhythms of life.Centering on the theme of “people,” the artist traveled between these two places, gathering 49 stories that delicately reflect the land, memories, and daily life. Through the art of embroidery, the artist has woven a collective memory that transcends regional boundaries, creating a dialogue between the city and the mountain village while interweaving the past and the present.
Visitors are invited to pick up a strand of washi thread and sew the character for “person” onto the displayed net, thereby adding their own footprints to the artwork. Please join us in creating this piece of art!

[July 18–20, 25–26] Opening and Networking Events

To coincide with the opening of Hong Kong House in 2026, we will be hosting an opening ceremony, as well as numerous exchange events and workshops organized by two Hong Kong organizations, on weekends in July. All events are free to attend, so please feel free to join us. Let’s enjoy interacting with our friends from Hong Kong!

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[July 18–August 30] Restaurant Kamigo Clove Theatre

This is a theater-style restaurant featuring local mothers and women from Tsunan in the lead roles. While enjoying a course meal made with an abundance of locally sourced ingredients, you can experience the women’s performances and hospitality, and fully appreciate the charm of the region.The menu features salted rice balls made with Tsunan-grown Koshihikari rice, soup made from freshly picked corn, and roast Tsunan pork. We serve nutrient-rich rice and vegetables—nurtured by the meltwater from this heavy-snow region—with gentle seasoning that brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients. Please enjoy this one-of-a-kind experience, where the local women bring you the culinary culture nurtured by this heavy-snow region.

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[June 27–August 31] Echigo-Tsumari MonET Special Exhibition Series, Vol. 11: Ryosuke Higo, “Cancer Queen”

[August 2] Related Events

“The Ruler of Imagination: Let’s Measure the Distance to Cancer”
A “light-year” is a unit of distance used to measure the distance from us to the stars. When we’re dealing with distances so astronomically vast that we can only imagine them, we need a new unit of measurement rather than existing ones.That’s right—units are tools we use to imagine the distance between things. In this workshop, we’ll imagine the lengths of objects around us and create our own rulers. Together, we’ll decide on a unit of measurement for these rulers and let our imaginations wander to the distance to Cancer.
Date & Time | August 2 (Sun) 1:00 PM–
Venue | Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET Entrance Hall
Admission | Free (Museum admission fee required)

[July 18–November 8] MonET Waterfront Festival: From Rice Balls to a Giant Maze

This is a hands-on exhibition that everyone—from children to adults—can enjoy. It’s packed with fun activities for the whole family, including festival games designed by the artists and a giant maze. At night, the illuminated displays create a different atmosphere from daytime. In addition, workshops led by the participating artists are scheduled to take place.

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

Koji Suzuki, one of Japan’s leading picture book authors and artists, has captivated countless readers with his vivid colors, bold lines, and unique worldview born of creative ideas that transcend time and national borders.This exhibition will feature not only the original illustrations from the picture books *Dome Tales* (Tamagawa University Press) and *Denden Train* (Kotsu Shimbunsha), but also the three-dimensional clay and paper sculptures he is currently creating with great enthusiasm, as well as a stunning display of his monumental paintings.

[Through Nov. 23] Hachi Café & Kusamura Bookstore

Dates & Times｜April 25 (Sat) – November 23 (Mon, closed on holidays) *Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except on holidays
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. starting in October) *Last order 30 minutes before closing time

◇Hachi Café
The signature lunch item is the “Special Vegetable Curry”
Price｜1,400 yen (includes a drink)
*Available from 11:00 a.m., limited quantities; served on weekends, holidays, and during the Obon period

◇Kusamura Bookstore
We carry a selection of Tashima Seizo’s picture books, artwork collections, and essays, as well as original products from Topelatoto and Shizuka the Goat. Products related to artists associated with the Museum of Picture Book Art and the Museum of Woodland Fruits are also popular.

[September 19–November 23] An Exhibition of Books by Nobuo Onishi and Tashima Seizo That Even They Themselves Find Surprising

To coincide with the release of Tashima Seizo’s visual book this fall, we are holding a special exhibition featuring related artworks and works by photographer Nobuo Onishi, who handled the photography for the book.
Dates | September 19 (Sat) – November 23 (Mon, holiday)
Admission | Included in the general admission fee

[September 23] Wildlife Observation Workshop 2026

We will be holding our annual “Living Creatures Observation Workshop” at the Museum of Picture Book Art. We’ll be joined by biotope expert Hiroyuki Terada (KOKOPELLI+) to observe the many living creatures that call the museum home.
Date & Time｜September 23 (Wed, National Holiday), 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Fee｜Free (Admission fee applies separately if you wish to tour the museum)
What to Bring｜A change of clothes, a water bottle, a towel, a spare pair of sneakers or rubber boots, and a hat (*Beach sandals and Crocs are not permitted)

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[July 18–November 8] Ubusuna Set Meal—Tsumari Pork and Seasonal Vegetables—

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Our annual forest school program, which has been very well-received every year, is back this year! This year, we’ll be holding a total of four sessions, each with its own theme. Participants will stay at an overnight facility—a repurposed closed school with Artworks with Accommodation—where they can enjoy viewing the artworks and participating in nature-based activities. Other major highlights of the program include local cuisine made with seasonal ingredients and warm interactions with the local community. We look forward to your participation. (Details and registration information will be updated as they become available.)

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The “FC Echigo-Tsumari Exercise Class” will be held again in fiscal year 2026. Sessions will take place twice a month, primarily on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. at the NUNAGAWA Campus. Aimed at improving physical function and “enhancing life performance”—the foundation of daily life—the classes will be led by FC Echigo-Tsumari players. We’ll focus on building health in a way that’s enjoyable and sustainable. Everyone is welcome to join us.

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