Travel Information

Designed by architect Hiroshi Hara, the building was unveiled in 2003 as a place for an exchange between people, products, and information. In conjunction with the ETAT2012, the building was renewed as the current Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE. The museum serves as a gateway to the Echigo-Tsumari region with artworks inspired by this area and representing its topography, history, villages, fields, closed schools and abandoned houses, and cuisine.

The Matsudai NOHBUTAI is a base facility designed by Dutch architect group MVRDV. Approximately 40 works of art are scattered in a 2-km area of satoyama from Matsudai NOHBUTAI to Matsudai Castle at the top of the mountain, and the entire area is called the "Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum.

As part of the 2018 program, MAD Architects was invited to revitalize the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel – a historic, 750-meter passageway that cuts through distinctive rock formations, offering panoramic views over one of Japan’s three great chasms. Drawing on the ‘five elements’ of nature (wood, earth, metal, fire, water), MAD’s scheme transforms points along the historic tunnel through the realization of several architectural spaces and artistic atmospheres.

※ The museum is closed during winter: from end of November to end of April
A walk-in picture book created by Seizo Tashima in 2009 in a former elementary school. The story behind this museum is based on the last three students of the school and visitors can physically experience the picture book as they walk through the museum. The space is filled with objects made of driftwood picked up in Izu Peninsula and from the Sea of Japan, reshaped to represent students, teachers, and even monsters.

A 10-minutes drive from Matsudai Station, Kyororo is a natural science museum that provides deep insights into the ecology of the local area and its characteristic natural landscape of terraced rice fields, beech forests, and thatched roof houses.

This history museum is a renovation of approximately 140-year-old Keyaki Minka (traditional Japanese house made of zelkova trees) which represents typical structure of the region with heavy snowfall in winter and displays tools and documentations of lifestyle of Matsudai area.

At the Echigo-Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo, we invite you to enjoy fresh vegetables, "sansai" (wild mountain plants), and locally-cultivated rice while overlooking terraced rice field landscapes. The restaurant serves a unique menu inspired by local traditional recipes passed down over generations - but with a modern twist.

【Closed on winter season】Housed in an old thatched-roof minka (traditional Japanese house) built over 80 years ago. Visitors can enjoy home-cooked meals made by local women using seasonal produce and served on plates and bowls made by famous Japanese potters.

[ Closed during winter season] Open in July 2021 in conjunction with the renovation of MonET, the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari.

[Closed on winter season] Cafe and restaurant space located within the Hachi & Seizo Tashima Museum of Picture Book Art. The chairs and tables used in the cafe are remade of those once used at this former elementary school. The cafe serves food and original desserts only using produce from the Echigo-Tsumari region.

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.

The House of Light is a work of art created by James Turrell, renowned globally as "an artist of light". At this experimental piece you can experience the artist's world of art, is an architectural structure unparalleled elsewhere in the world. It was conceived as a guest house for meditation, as Turrell found this concept in Junichiro Tanizaki's essay "In Praise of Shadows". He came up with the idea of incorporating his work on light into the intimate light of a traditional Japanese-style house.

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 artwork by Marina Abramović which provides guests with a unique opportunity to reflect upon themselves by dreaming overnight. Guests are invited to "participate" in the artwork directly through wearing a special sleeping suit, sleeping in a unique bed, and keeping notes of their own dreams, which will be contributed to the house's "Dream Book".
※Available reservation period is limited. Please check the information section for details.

Shedding House is a renovated 150-year old minka house. By carving every surface of this abandoned house, Junichi Kurakake and volunteers of Nihon University College of Art Sculpture Course opened up the enclosed space and helped it "shed" and turn into a work of art. We invite you to enjoy the special experience of staying in an artwork in this farming region.
※ Available reservation period is limited. Please check the information section for details.