“Echigo-Tsumari is blessed with the bounties of nature, but the site for this building was in the town, and special conditions applied. My aim was a building with attractive spaces and architectural characteristics able to attract visitors in their own right. Furthermore, I believe that the structure must enfold nature, which I chose to represent with a pool. As for the surrounding space, I chose a pure geometric shape, the square, more beautiful than any other form. It would function to bring new order to a jumbled and messy town-space. Exposed concrete and lavish use of glass would give a quiet appearance to the building, separating the peaceful interior from the noisy outside. Inside, rooms are nested inside each other, a traditional form in Japanese architecture, found in sacred places such as temples and shrines.” (by Hiroshi Hara)

Initially the Echigo-Tsumari Exchange Centre, KINARE in 2003, the building was renovated and reopened as a new museum, the Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE in July 2012, and the museum will be renovated again in 2021. At the same time, the museum was renamed “Museum on Echigo-Tsumari”（MonET） and reopened.