Exploring the Art and Culture of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale

Niigata Prefecture on the western coast of Japan’s mainland faces the Japan Sea and is known for high-quality rice, diverse natural scenery, and an abundance of winter sports venues. Since the year 2000, the bucolic Echigo-Tsumari region has hosted a major art festival called the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (ETAT), also called Echigo-Tsumari Art Field.

If you’re visiting Japan between July and November 2024, learn more about ETAT, how to get there, and where to stay. You’ll experience a side of the country that is at once contemporary chic and steeped in age-old tradition.

The easiest way to travel from Tokyo to Niigata is by Shinkansen. Take the JR Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and then transfer to a local line for Tokamachi Station, a journey of only around two hours.

Alternatively, you can reach Tokamachi by car in around three to four hours. Some cities in Asia also have direct flights to Niigata Airport.

The Echigo-Tsumari region is known as a satoyama, a transitional zone between the mountain foothills and lowlands that has been cultivated over generations. During your visit to ETAT, you’ll get firsthand experience of satoyama cuisine and lifestyles, along with exciting works of contemporary art.

Niigata has long been known as “snow country”, and its climate has certainly impacted the agriculture of Echigo-Tsumari. Fermented, dried, and salted foods are major in local cuisine. Enjoy nutritious and memorable meals with ingredients such as pickled sansai (mountain vegetables) and other regionally sourced goods.

Humans have inhabited the Echigo-Tsumari region for at least 10,000 years, and ancient pottery from Japan’s Jomon period has been discovered here. You’ll find evidence of this artistic lineage in local institutions along with Echigo-jofu, a ramie textile that was developed from a prehistoric predecessor.

The exhibitions are spread out across an area about 760 square kilometers, so having a rental car is recommended. Among the facilities located at the festival are the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari (MonET), with its permanent exhibition of Japanese and foreign artists, and the Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum, which comprises 40 installation works integrated into the mountain landscape.

The Tunnel of Light is a former transit tunnel of 750 meters that has been revived and rebranded as a venue for contemporary art. 

Meanwhile, the House of Light is a guest house where internationally renowned artist James Turrell has leveraged and localized his unique sensibilities, drawing inspiration from Junichiro Tanizaki’s classic essay, In Praise of Shadows.

The city of Tokamachi has several ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) where you can stay for a leisurely visit to the Niigata countryside. Another option is to stay around Echigo-Yuzawa Station, which is less than an hour away by train or car.