Autumn Echigo-Tsumari Journey 2025

Visit

Open

Highlights tour of Tsumari’s masterpieces. Enjoy art while gazing at swaying rice stalks in the autumn countryside. Lunch at Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo to savor seasonal dishes made with local ingredients.

Details

9:00 Echigo-Yuzawa Station Echigo-Tsumari Information Center Participant check-in starts.

9:30 Departure from Echigo-Yuzawa Station (East Exit Bus Terminal)

30min

10:00 An entire tunnel transformed into art

Tunnel of Light/Ma Yansong / MAD Architects

The tour kicks off with the ever-popular Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel. Kiyotsu Gorge, one of Japan’s three great gorges, was shaped by 16 million years of geological history. Inside the 750m-long tunnel, experience a stunning fusion of art and nature. The breathtaking scenery changes with the seasons, making every visit unique.

Tunnel

Details

20min

11:30 Reflect on the memories this place holds.

"The Last Class" Christian Boltanski＋Jean Kalman

Christian Boltanski and Jean Kalman’s installation at the former Higashikawa Elementary School uses faint light, the scent of straw, and echoing hallway sounds to let you fully experience the history built up during long, snow-covered seasons.

closed school

Details

15min

11:40 Hands-on art that both children and adults can enjoy

NUNAGAWA Campus

A museum that artworks with artists to create a space where visitors can experience using all five senses, such as touching wood, capturing light, and feeling sound.

closed school

Details

10min

13:00 Savour the season inside an artaork

[Lunch] Echigo Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo

A buffet featuring fresh vegetables from local farmers and wild mountain greens nurtured by Echigo-Tsumari’s rich nature, all crafted into dishes with a regional twist. Savour the deep flavours of Echigo-Tsumari while taking in the breathtaking view of terraced rice fields and satoyama.

lunch

Details

Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum

In addition to the main facility, Matsudai Nōbutai, you can also visit the Matsudai Local Museum and artworks in the Shiroyama area. Moreover, you can experience the project "Kabakov’s Dream" by Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, one of the iconic artists of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field.

agriculture

Details

25min

15:00 Spatial picture book museum in an abandoned school

Hachi & Seizo Tashima Museum of Picture Book Art

This museum, set in a former school, brings a picture book world to life. Through driftwood artworks and various creatures, it weaves a story centered on "the last three students," creating an immersive, storybook-like experience.

book picture museum shop

Details

20min

16:00 A representative museum of Echigo-Tsumari.

Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET/Akashinoyu

This is the main facility of the ""Echigo-Tsumari Art Field,"" featuring works by renowned contemporary artists such as Nawa Kohei, Nakatani Michiko, and 目[mé]. MonET Corridor, directed by BankART1929, hosts a multi-artist exhibition.
You can break away from the tour here to enjoy the light displays or relax at the Akashi-no-Yu hot spring.
*If you wish to leave the tour, please inform us when making your reservation.

museum museum shop

Details

60min

18:00 Arrival/Disbanding at Echigo-Yuzawa Station

Notice

・Itineraries are subject to change or cancellation due to natural disasters or road conditions.
・We will select your seat on the bus. If you have a companion for another application, please enter them in the remarks column. There is also a possibility that you may share seats with other passengers.
・Some art works require a short walk after getting off the bus. Please bring shoes that are easy to walk in and take off, a hat and drink on hot days, and rain gear in case of rain.
・The arrival time at the final destination may be earlier or later. Please make your return Shinkansen reservations well in advance.
・A Common Ticket is required to participate in the tour. If you do not have one, please select the “Rate with Common Ticket” when booking.

Booking On-line

Summary

Dates	Every Saturday from September 6 to November 8 (except September 20), plus Monday, October 13 and Monday, November 3.
Admission	Tour Prices (includes bus, lunch, guide, Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel fee, and tax) * Adults (high school and up): ¥12,500 * Elementary & junior high school: ¥11,000 * Children (ages 3–5): ¥3,000 If a child under 2 needs a meal or bus seat, please select the child fare. A common ticket is required. If you don’t have one, please choose the “with common ticket” option when booking.
Deadline	24:00 (midnight) the day before the tour.
Origin / Destination	Echigo-Yuzawa Station East Exit Bus Terminal
Transportation	Chartered Bus (Minami-Echigo Kanko Bus)
Capacity	25 persons (min. 1 person)
Host	Travel planning and execution: Niigata Prefecture Governor's Registered Travel Agency Region-440, NPO Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Collaborative Organization 3743-1 Matsudai, Tokamachi-shi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan Travel Agents Association regular member 025-761-7749 / officialtour@tsumari-artfield.com
Note	Tour guides are for Japanese only. There are no interpreters on the tour. Please read the terms and conditions of this tour, including the cancellation policy, before participating. Travel Conditions Standard Conditions of Travel 【Inquiries】 Echigo-Tsumari Art Field Information Centre TEL : +81 (0)25-761-7767 (9:00-18:00, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday) MAIL : officialtour@tsumari-artfield.com

Click for details

Stay In Touch

Stay connected with the ETAT official social media to receive the latest news and event information, and the many seasonal faces of Echigo-Tsumari as well as new issue of the ETAT official media, “Art from the Land”.