The Museum on Echigo-Tsumari (MonET) features artworks that engage deeply with the culture and environment of the Echigo-Tsumari area, as well as pieces designed to let visitors experience the shifting of time and space. In the central atrium of the museum lies Palimpsest: pond of sky, a signature work by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich. The sight of architecture and sky reflected on the water’s surface is a masterpiece born from a fusion of art and nature. Its appearance changes constantly depending on the season and time of day, offering a new discovery with every visit. With numerous exhibits that interact with the natural world, MonET serves as a starting point for the festival where you can immerse yourself in the unique spirit of Echigo-Tsumari.
*Exhibition periods vary by artwork. Please check the official website before visiting.

The Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum features approximately 30 artworks scattered across its grounds. One of its most iconic pieces is Tsumari in Bloom, an outdoor sculpture by one of Japan’s leading avant-garde artists, Yayoi Kusama. This vibrant, pop-art floral sculpture stretches toward the sunlight, creating a striking contrast against the clear, open sky. Its expression shifts and changes alongside the passing seasons.
Standing amid the peaceful satoyama landscape, this massive sculpture possesses a raw power, as if the energy of the earth itself has converged there. It carries a profound message of satoyama revitalization and hope for the future. Because it can be enjoyed intuitively by visitors of all ages, it’s a perfect place to begin exploring the festival.

The House of Light is an immersive overnight art experience created by the light artist, James Turrell. Designed with an open ceiling that allows you to gaze directly at the sky, natural light filters into the rooms, letting you experience its shifts throughout the day and across the seasons. At sunrise and sunset, the interplay of natural and artificial light evokes an unfamiliar sensory experience as you are drawn into the vivid colors of the sky framed by the square skylight.
In the Bathroom, fiber-optic lighting fills the bathtub, offering the surreal sensation of immersing your body in light. Reflecting one of the core visions of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, the House of Light is an artwork that is completed through the act of experiencing it. Enjoy a peaceful stay, take your time, and discover what the art reveals to you.

Tunnel of Light is an art installation created by MAD Architects, led by Chinese architect Ma Yansong, who renovated the entire Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel. The 750-meter-long renovated tunnel is designed to resemble a submarine isolated from the outside world, with observation decks and a panoramic viewpoint serving as “”periscopes”” to view the scenery.
Serving as the final point of the installation, the panoramic viewpoint features a water-covered floor and stainless steel paneling on the walls that mirror the landscape, pulling the outside in to create a dreamlike, ethereal space. The play of light, sound, and temperature shifts with the seasons, weather, and time of day, making the walk through the tunnel an interactive art experience.

For Lots of Lost Windows is a work by the artist Akiko Utsumi. Standing solemnly amidst the vast natural environment, this window frame serves as a portal to rediscover the environment of Echigo-Tsumari. The view of the terraced rice paddies stretching beyond the open, glassless window, combined with the curtains swaying in the breeze, quietly evokes thoughts of the life that once existed here and the things that have since been lost.
In the stillness where no human presence is felt on either side of the window, you might find yourself reflecting on the passage of time and lifestyles from the past. By layering your own imagination over the satoyama scenery before you, the scene will be mirrored in your heart—becoming a one-of-a-kind memory that stays with you forever.