From Ibaraki, Tohru Nakazaki’s installation inside an old, wooden building in the Matsunoyama area, “32 Resting Stones/Sanji and Kyuseki” gathers differently colored lightboxes, which project a series of interviews Nakazaki carried out with local residents about the fragility of communication and the disunity between self-perception and external awareness. The artist intended to interpret the cultural history of the village and the townsfolk’s lingering memories.

Tohru Nakazaki, 32 Resting Stones／Sanji and Kyuseki, Photo: Keizo Kioku

An intriguing ceramic tube installation, “Mountain,” by UK artist Richard Deacon sits on a vast meadow. Deacon started to construct complex frameworks of thick clay tubes and took photographs of them. While playing around with the convoluting shapes inspired by the dynamic Swiss Alps, he found a compelling similarity with them and the mountain ranges of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, particularly its overlooking valley.

Richard Deacon, Mountain, Photo: Osamu Nakamura

The Matsudai NOHBUTAI Field Museum in the Joyama area is another inviting site to explore the verdant landscape covering an area of two kilometers, from the Matsudai NOHBUTAI Facility, and Matsudai Castle to the Matsudai History Museum. Renowned Dutch architect group MVRDV designed the Matsudai NOHBUTAI Facility with an ultra-modern white structure, supported on bridge-like legs as a snow prevention measure and for easy access to visitors arriving from different directions. 

Jean-Luc Vilmouth, Cafe Lefle, Echigo-Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo, Photo: Ayumi Yanagi

An expansive 1,500 m² exhibition hall inside the center caters to local art and history and includes classrooms, event venues, a shop, and the Echigo-Matsudai Satoyama Shokudo restaurant with a most captivating interior. Designed by Jean-Luc Vilmouth, the “Cafe Lefle” is surely jaw-dropping, as your eyes rove around the sky blue space with images of Matsudai’s seasonal sceneries beautifully contained in enormous discs on the ceiling. The colorful pictures bounce on the mirrored tables, so visitors can feel one with the landscape and the healthy culinary treat.