Designed by architect Hara Hiroshi＋ATELIERΦ as a hub for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, this art museum features a space characterized by its centripetal design, with a central pond and atrium surrounded by a gallery corridor.The museum displays approximately 15 permanent artworks by domestic and international artists year-round and hosts seasonal Special Exhibitions. It also features a museum shop. Currently on view are “Echigo-Tsumari MonET Series Exhibition Vol. 11: Ryosuke Higo—‘Cancer Queen’” and “Waterside ENNICHI in MonET—From Rice Balls to a Giant Maze.”

Built in 1924, this thatched-roof farmhouse in the Echigo Nakamon style has undergone a REBIRTH through “pottery.” The first floor houses a restaurant that doubles as an art gallery, featuring artworks by Japan’s leading ceramic artists—including an irori hearth, a traditional Furnace, a washing stand, and a Bath—where dishes made with local ingredients are served on the artists’ own tableware. The second floor is a pottery exhibition space consisting of three tea rooms.The signature “Ubusuna Wild Vegetable Set Meal” (2,000 yen) features miso-marinated grilled Tsumari pork alongside seasonal wild vegetables and local produce. Tempura made with freshly harvested wild vegetables (500 yen) is also a popular choice. The rice is sourced from the Rice Fields of Kechi, a local village, and guests are welcome to have seconds.

The roof slides open to reveal the sky, allowing you to gaze at the sky’s light as it gradually changes after sunset. The square window in the roof frames the sky as it shifts from pale blue to ultramarine and finally to pitch black, making you truly appreciate the subtle changes in light that we usually overlook. Fiber-optic cables are embedded throughout the space—in the Bath, the tokonoma, and the bedroom—so that when you soak in the Bath, your body is enveloped in a magical glow.

Based at Matsudai NOHBUTAI, this Field Museum allows visitors to explore artworks scattered throughout the satoyama landscape. As you stroll through the area, you can experience artworks that blend seamlessly with the Rice Fields and the natural surroundings. The facility features exhibition spaces and a café-restaurant, and there is a farmers’ market nearby, making this an area where you can fully enjoy the charms of Echigo-Tsumari.

The former Nunagawa Elementary School, which closed in 2014, reopened the following year as a venue for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field—a place where children can practically learn about local values through subjects such as physical education, music, home economics, and art, in addition to the five core academic subjects.Amid advancing digitalization and the information age, in 2024, with the goal of providing children—who will shape the future—with opportunities to interact with real materials such as soil and trees through their own bodies, the museum underwent a major renovation of its exhibits and was rebranded as the “Children’s Five Senses Art Museum.” We continue to collaborate with artists to develop artwork that can be enjoyed not only through “sight” but also through the five senses, including hearing and touch. Additionally, visitors can experience the artists’ work—which can be described as requiring extraordinary skill—and their handling of materials through workshops.