Echigo Tsumari
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Located in the south of Niigata Prefecture, the rural Echigo Tsumari region is a place to find nostalgic Japanese scenery and numerous art installations. Many of the towns in this area have terraced rice fields, old streets lined with temples, lush forests, majestic highlands, and specialty produce. Every three years, the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale is held for several weeks in summer, attracting people from around the world and throughout Japan.
Travel tip #1: The area’s rich natural landscape combines with unique history and culture, a sense of tradition, and kindness. It is easiest to navigate the region by car, but trains work well if you’re in the region for the art festival.
Places of Interest
Matsudai: Known for rice production, Matsudai is a hilly area surrounded by mountains that stretches along the Shibumi River. It has been described as an “isolated island on land” because it used to be difficult to travel to and from Matsudai from the neighboring villages until transportation improved in the 1960s. It is now one of the major spots during the art festival.
Matsudai Nohbutai: This cultural facility is a great place to discover the locality Echigo Tsumari offers. Visitors can experience the culture and lifestyle of surrounding areas through events, workshops, art, and local delicacies.
Tokamachi: The Tokamachi area is located on the eastern side of the Shinanogawa River. The area’s historically rich textile industry and culture is present throughout the city, and the station area acts as a central hub. Unfortunately, the regional depopulation trend has caused over ten elementary schools to close. To make use of these spaces, closed schools serve as community gathering sites and also places for art pieces.
Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE: Re-opened in 2012, Kinare is a complex with an art gallery, hot spring, and cafe. It is the main area of the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale and a fantastic space filled with interesting artwork. From the website: “Visitors to the museum will see the synchronicity of the world colliding and being overturned here in the Shinano River, the land of Echigo, deciduous broad-leaved trees, settlements, rich scenery, civil engineering structures such as tunnels, Jomon Period earthenware, and blizzards. We want visitors to ask “Why?” “What for?””
Tsunan: Tsunan is located in southwestern Niigata Prefecture, specifically a mountainous area closer to neighboring Nagano Prefecture. It has one of the highest annual snowfalls in Japan, which makes it a great place for skiing and other winter activities. The Tsunan Snow Festival is a popular event that is held every winter.
Travel tip #2: Many of the areas in the Echigo Tsumari region are known for rice cultivation and production. The region’s unique agricultural culture has be observed for its notable terraced rice fields, which have been specially carved into steep slopes. Hoshitoge Rice Terrace is one of the most popular to visit, as it consists of 200 tiered rice fields that reflect the colors of the sky when filled with water.
Food
Sasadango: Niigata’s famous treat, sasadango originated as a portable food during war times. It’s is made of mugwort-flavored mochi, stuffed with sweetened red bean paste (anko), and wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Hegi soba: This soba gets its name from the wooden box in which it’s served. In addition to being served in a box, the noodles are wound into mouthful-sized portions and layered in the tray. These soba noodles also have funori seaweed mixed in, supposedly making them bouncier and a tad more slippery that the average soba noodle.
Koshihikari rice: Niigata Prefecture is known for having the best rice in all of Japan. The rice’s high quality is a result of the natural winter snowmelt that floods the rice paddies and enriches the rice throughout the year. Koshihikari rice is said to be more flavorful, perfectly sticky, and shiny when cooked.
Sake: With all of the tasty rice in Niigata, sake is a must-drink while in the prefecture. The snowmelt that helps produce the rice is also used in the sake brewing process. Even more, the region’s climate aids in the sake’s fermentation process.
Takada Station: If you’re in the Joetsumyoko area, Takada Station has a great selection of izakayas and restaurants. While staying in Joetsumyoko I stopped by Gaburi Karaage, a chain restaurant specializing in Japanese fried chicken (karaage). Although there are many of these throughout Japan, it was a great place just outside of the station for some late night food and drinks.
Travel tip #3: Two main regional dishes that you should try when in Niigata Prefecture are noppe and wappameshi. Noppe is a traditional food which typically consists of thinly sliced taro, carrots, burdock, shiitake mushrooms, and other vegetables boiled in soy sauce. The ingredients and tastes differ depending on the region. Wappameshi is a beautifully arranged dish composed of lightly-salted dashi broth-flavored rice and topped with steamed seasonal seafood.
Transportation & Accommodation
If you are visiting the area specifically for the Echigo Tsumari Triennale Art Festival, the two easiest places to access and view multiple art exhibits are Matsudai and Tokamachi. These areas are accessible by train on the Hokuhoku Line or the JR Iiyama Line. From these stations, you can walk or ride bikes to view various art installations. The area around Matsudai Station is highly walkable, but the Tokamachi area is a bit more spread out. Bicycling may be best to access more art exhibits in Tokamachi. To reach art pieces further outside of these areas, renting a car or taking a taxi is recommended.
The Echigo Tsumari area has several railways that connect smaller towns and villages, including the Echigo Tokimeki Railway (ETR), Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and Oito Line. Most of these railways require paper tickets, which can be bought at ticket machines or from station ticket windows.
While attending the Echigo Tsumari Triennale Art Festival, I stayed at the Joetsumyoko APA Hotel. The hotel was conveniently located outside of Joetsumyoko Station. For about 4,000 JPY per night (~$36 USD), this hotel was wonderful. It had a comfortable bed, sparkling clean bathroom, huge flatscreen TV, and nice lighting. As with most Japanese hotels, there was a public bathing facility, too. I recommend staying here if you’re in town for the art festival. Even though it is about an hour from Matsudai Station, the price and location are solid.
Travel tip #4: Due to the low population density, many of the trains in this region run infrequently. Sometimes, the train you need may only come once every hour! It is best to check the train timetables ahead of time using an app, like Hyperdia, or by visiting the station.
Climate
This area of Japan receives the highest amount of snow on Japan’s main island of Honshu, living up to its name of “Snow Country.” Winter is cold and wet, lasting from the end of November well into March. An average of ten feet (about three meters) of snow hits the region during this season. Spring typically arrives late—around the end of April sometimes—as the snow takes time to melt away. Summer is enjoyable, but can be quite warm and humid, similar to most of the country. Autumn is crisp and cool here, with beautiful foliage and miles of golden rice fields.
