Matsudai - Travel Information｜Echigo-Tsumari Art Field

Travel Information

Matsudai Area

Brief introduction

Abandoned houses transformed into artworks as well as closed schools are available for staying overnight as accommodations.

History

Hub facilities are great spots to visit as you explore artworks.

Artworks in this area

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays *Closed for New Year holidays: 12/23 (Tue) – 2026/1/8 (Thu)

Autour du Feu, Dans le Desert

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays *Closed for New Year holidays: 12/23 (Tue) – 1/8 (Thu)

The Artist’s Library

Former Soviet Union／USA

Ilya & Emilia Kabakov

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays

Matsudai History Museum

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays *Closed for New Year holidays: 12/23 (Tue) – 2026/1/8 (Thu)

The Palace of Projects

Former Soviet Union／USA

Ilya & Emilia Kabakov

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays

Milutown Bus Stop

Josep Maria Martin

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays *Closed for New Year holidays: 12/23 (Tue) – 1/8 (Thu)

Kawaguchi Tatsuo

Open all year / Closed on Tue ＆ Wed except holidays *Closed for New Year holidays: 12/23 (Tue) – 2026/1/8 (Thu)

10 Albums, Labyrinth

Former Soviet Union／USA

Ilya & Emilia Kabakov

Facilities in this area

Echigo-Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo

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.

This limited-time café is open only on Saturdays and Sundays from 3 Aug (Sat) to 1 Sep (Sun). Nagoya Institute of Technology students will take the initiative in creating a place where they can interact with the local community. Enjoy the events that will be held in conjunction with the café's operating period!

TSUMARI KITCHEN (only for tour in 2024)

Limited to tour participants!
Following the previous exhibition, Chef Yonezawa Fumio has created an original menu for TSUMARI KITCHEN.
The chef, who has frequently visited Echigo-Tsumari and is deeply involved in the culinary culture of the region, has created a course meal that can only be enjoyed by tour participants.

Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum (Collective name for multiple facilities and artworks)

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.

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.

Matsudai History Museum

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.

NUNAGAWA Campus

Nunagawa Campus opens its doors for anyone who is looking to learn and deepen their knowledge and wisdom of living through food, playing, and dancing to discover one's own confidence and strength. The tutors at Nunagawa Campus are artists and supporters of Echigo-Tsumari Art Field as well as local experts.(Opened irregularly)

Other restaurants

There are many other places to eat in Echigo-Tsumari and around area. If you want to explore other places in this area, please directly contact information desk at local tourism associations.

Other accommodation facilities

There are many other places to stay in Echigo-Tsumari and around area. If you want to explore other places in this area, please directly contact information desk at local tourism associations.

Events in this area

^1/24SAT ‐ ^3/8SUN

[Date] 1/24 (Sat.) - 3/8 (Sun.), 2026 *Closed on Tue & Wed except national holidays.

Echigo-Tsumari Art Field Winter 2026

Enjoy Echigo-Tsumari in winter with artwork and activities that take advantage of the charm of snow! Special Exhibition and mini-events are held according to the characteristics of the facilities and artworks. We also recommend the official tour where you will be welcomed with hospitality by mothers and enjoy local cuisine unique to this area of heavy snowfall.

^1/24SAT ‐ ^3/8SUN

【2026Winter】Matsudai “NOHBUTAI” Field Museum　

Enjoy the snow and winter satoyama of Echigo-Tsumari, one of the world's heaviest snowfall areas, with all your senses! In addition to new artworks and outdoor artworks, snow tubing and "Snow play ground" will surely warm you up by playing in the satoyama with heavy snowfall!

^1/25SUN ‐ ^3/22SUN

Tanaka Nozomi "Sealing the Seasons, Unfolding the Harvest"

The artist conducts research on the region, focusing on preserved foods—a craft that is becoming increasingly rare—and presents an exhibition exploring seasonal connections and diversity centered on daily life and livelihoods.

^4/3THU ‐ ^3/8SUN

Ayumi Tsuchiya "Roundelay Circle" "Path of Sound"

Special exhibition at NUNAGAWA Campus: Ayumi Tsuchiya's artworks "Circular Singing Circle" and "Path of Sound"—performances where wooden balls are rolled across xylophones to create melodies!

^1/24SAT ‐ ^3/8SUN

NUNAGAWA Cumpus

NUNAGAWA Campus: "：Fragmentary anecdotes" Ohmura Yukino

This exhibition features paintings depicting the nightscape of Echigo-Tsumari and urban night scenes, presented as an immersive installation by Ohmura Yukino. Through the accumulation of countless round stickers, Ohmura renders clusters of light that reveal the distinct atmospheres and memories of night across different places.

^2/21SAT ‐ ^3/8SUN

Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum Event

［NOHBUTAI Field Museum Exhibition］Kano Tetsuro “Abstract maps, Concrete territories”

The exhibit will be displayed in the woods in the Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum and near the facility, and fruits, flowers, and stones will be added to the works by the artist and participants during workshops.

The Six Areas

Tokamachi is located on the east side of the Shinanogawa River and has been developed through agriculture and the textile industry. Over ten elementary schools have closed inthis area due to depopulation and one of the closed school has transformed into the "Museum of Picture Book Art" by Seizo Tashima.

Kawanishi is located on a 50m-high hill on the western side of the Shinanogawa River. Visitors can enjoy a visit to "House of Light" by James Turrell, and "Berry Spoon", a blueberry farm run by local residents.

Nakasato is surrounded by Shinanogawa River, Kiyotsu River, Kama River, and Nana River, this area is florished by water. The westeland by the river bank of Kama River which was once a place for locals to play was returned to a beautiful parkland by Finnish architect practice, Casagrande and RIntala.

Matsudai is a hilly area surrounded by mountains that stretches along the Shibumi River, one of the branches of Shinanogawa River. The "Shedding House", a renovation of the old minka house is close to the famous terraced rice fields in Hoshitoge villaget and is available to stay overnight.

Matsunoyama Area

Matsunoyama is a mountainous area approximately 200 to 600 meter above sea-level and is located on the border of Niigata and Nagano prefectures.The greeny Daigonji Highland is locatedon on 700m above sea-level.

Tsunan is located at the southern tip of Niigata prefecture on the border of Nagano prefecture. Lots of ruins from the Jomon Era (14,000 – 300 BC) have been discovered in this area. The accmmodation, Katakuri House using the wooden elementary school is also located in this area.

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