9:10 [Day 1] Iiyama Station: Reception Begins

9:30 Departure from Iiyama Station

9:45 Togari-Nozawa Onsen Station: Meet/Depart

9:50 Echigo-Yuzawa Station: Reception Begins

10:15 Departure from Echigo-Yuzawa Station

11:00 "Tunnel of Light" by Ma Yansong / MAD Architects

Enjoy Art and Snowy Scenery at the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel

Kiyotsukyo Gorge is considered one of Japan’s three great gorges. Here, you can experience the fusion of the gorge’s ever-changing beauty—from the fresh greenery of spring, the deep green of summer, the autumn foliage, to the snowy landscapes of winter—with art.
*Please note that the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel may be closed due to heavy snow. In that case, we will make a stop at another artwork instead.

Tunnel Kiyotsukyo Nature and Art Scenery Through the Seasons

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1:00 PM [Lunch] Echigo Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo, Matsudai NOHBUTAI

A rich, savory flavor made with plenty of locally grown vegetables

Enjoy your lunch while taking in the view of the snow-covered Satoyama landscape spread out before you. (Photo for illustrative purposes only)
*The menu varies depending on the date of your visit.
Guests visiting on January 8–9: The “Satoyama Meal”—a set meal featuring small bowls of side dishes and all-you-can-eat rice—plus a drink made with carefully selected ingredients
Guests visiting on January 10–11: The “Satoyama Buffet,” which includes a cheese fondue featuring seasonal vegetables

Lunch Locally Sourced Food The Rice Fields

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A hub facility where the entire building is composed of art

In addition to the permanent collection—which includes artworks by Ilya&Emilia Kabakov, two of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field’s most representative artists—artworks are displayed throughout the museum, from the restrooms to the restaurant and everywhere in between.

Base Facilities Agriculture

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3:15 p.m. Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET

Experience a museum dedicated to one-of-a-kind site-specific art

At this leading art museum in Echigo-Tsumari, visitors can view artworks that engage with the region’s unique environment and pieces that allow them to experience the passage of time and the changing landscape. The museum shop offers original products from the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field.

Base Facilities Corridor

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5:30 p.m. Katakuri House

Staying at a Former Elementary School in the Remote Akiyamago Region

Akiyamago is a region where a unique way of life and culture have flourished amid a harsh natural environment. A wooden schoolhouse that watched over the local children for 108 years has been transformed into a guesthouse.
Experience a special moment where you can soak in the history of Akiyamago while being rejuvenated by natural hot springs and mountain village delicacies. Enjoy a stay unlike any other—a unique experience woven from history, art, and the region’s abundant nature.

Closed School Local Production for Local Consumption

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Dinner

At Katakuri House, you can experience the traditional way of life in this snowy region—passed down through generations—through our cuisine. Our dishes, which make the most of ingredients nurtured by the region’s preservation traditions—such as wild mountain vegetables and mushrooms—are unique local delicacies packed with the wisdom of people who have lived alongside heavy snowfall.
Based on local traditional dishes and recipes taught to us by the mothers in our village, we prepare handmade, creative dishes—from sauces and pickles to desserts. Please enjoy the unique flavors of this region to your heart’s content, paired with delicious rice and local sake, both nurtured by the pure waters of this secluded area.

A Campfire on the Snow

After dinner, we’ll have an outside bonfire in the snow. Why not relax under the clear winter night sky with a warm drink in hand? *Participation is optional; the event may be canceled in case of severe weather. (Photo for illustrative purposes only.)

8:00 [Day 2]

Breakfast

Koshihikari rice harvested from the village’s Rice Fields. Miso made by local mothers. We serve a breakfast that nourishes both body and soul, featuring plenty of locally grown vegetables.

9:15 Ketto Stone-Walled Rice Fields

Snowshoeing Through the Snow

We’ll go on a snowshoe hike to “Ishigakida,” a terraced Rice Field built with stacked stone walls located behind Katakuri House. Look for animal tracks and savor the tranquility of the snow-covered Grove. Led by local guides who live in the area, this is a special winter-only activity where you can fully immerse yourself in the unique natural beauty of this heavy-snow region.
Winter scenery unique to this area unfolds before your eyes, including the columnar jointed rock faces covered in pristine white snow and the stone-walled Rice Fields stretching across the snowy plains.

11:30 Akeyama—Akiyama-go Municipal Oakasawa Elementary School—

Learning the Techniques and Beliefs of “Communal Land”

The former Tsunan Elementary School Oakasawa Branch has been reborn as a space that conveys the history and culture of Akiyamago through art. It is a place where visitors can explore the wisdom of daily life, traditional techniques, and folk culture passed down through generations in Akiyamago through the lens of contemporary art.
Through artworks created collaboratively by artists and local residents, visitors can experience the wisdom of people who have lived alongside the region’s heavy snowfall and the unique culture of this land.
Enjoy the unique charm of Akiyamago in winter—where nature, culture, and art resonate—with all five senses.

Abandoned School Matagi Culture Akiyamago

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12:30 Yamagen Woodworking

A leading woodworking shop in Tsunan town, in business since Taisho 10

"Yamagen Woodworking," which processes and sells solid wood for furniture and woodcrafts, has a dining area on the second floor where you can enjoy both shopping and lunch. They plan to serve hot soba noodles and char.

Natural Trees Akiyamago The Birthplace of the Round-Slice Table

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2:00 p.m. We returned to the Katakuri House, got ready, and then boarded vehicles heading in various directions to depart from Akiyamago.

3:15 p.m. Arrival at Togari-Nozawa Onsen Station

3:30 p.m. Arrival at Iiyama Station

3:30 p.m. Arrival at Echigo-Yuzawa Station