August 29, 2009
Echigo-Tsumari, Japan
Clean, Clear and Beautiful Skies
Once every 3 years, an incredible art festival takes place deep in mountains of Japan. It is called the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial. Over 350 artworks from over 30 countries are displayed in harmony with beautiful landscape of the Echigo-Tsumari area. Since the artworks are dispersed over 760 square kilometers, it can take about a week to enjoy all of the artworks. My friends(Monika and Mary) and I could not afford to take time off due to work obligations so we decided to do a one day tour of the area on the last Saturday of August.
The art festival began 10 years ago by the local government who were looking for ideas to invigorate the economy of the area. Japan has a serious problem in the rural areas because of lack of interest in farming and an exodus of young people due to lack of opportunities (of course, immigration can help, but that's another story). The government came up with the idea of creating the art festival to breathe new life into the area and to invigorate the economy. Many world famous artists gladly participated as no where else in the world could they get a stunning landscape as a canvas to showcase their art.
Given that we only had one day to enjoy the area, we decided to take the Southbound #2 tour. We went back and forth on whether to take the tour or not, and it turns out it was a very good idea as it was efficient because we didn't have to do any thinking on logistics. There were 4 bus tours to choose from and we just randomly chose the Southbound #2 tour that took us through the Matsudai and Matsunoyama area. I also had very little sleep the night before because Yuki-chan, my rescue Westie decided to eat 17 of Skipper's heart medication so had to be rushed to the emergency room and get her stomach pumped in addition to spending 5-6 hours in the hospital for observations. At one point I thought I'd might have to cancel but since she made a miraculous recovery, I decided to do the tour which was a good thing.
It's very easy to get to Echigo Tsumari. The Joetsu bullet train from Tokyo station takes you to Echigo Yuzawa in little over an hour. Since we were going to the Matsudai area, a bus was waiting for us at the station to take us to the meeting point which was about a 30-40 minute drive. While driving through the town, you immediately notice the effects of depopulation as there are very few people even though it was a Saturday and many stores were boarded up. Once we arrived at our meeting point, we were greeted by very polite and enthusiastic local volunteers who got us registered and onto our tour bus. Monika, Mary and I were the only foreigners it seemed taking the tours and we were definitely the only ones on the tour bus. Our guide was a volunteer university student from Tokyo who spoke some English so was very helpful.
Once we all got on the bus, the tour started. We drove away from the town and into rolling hills. The landscape was stunning. Lush in green and dotted with flowers and wooden homes. And artwork and sculptures everywhere. Our guide pointed to a bus stop that was designed by an artist and also art work that blended in with the landscape. After going through some tunnels and one very long tunnel, we stopped at our first studio - The House of Cocoons
A small village in Echigo-Tsumari
In 2006, silkworms were raised in the village for the first time in more than 10 years. Artworks were created using the cocoons but for the first time the village will also be developing products from the silk and the cocoons. The House of Cocoons is where the artwork is displayed. The house is an abandoned house in the village. Although from the outside it looks like a traditional small farm house, the installation inside is quite modern and surreal.
The House of Cocoons by Kazufusa Komaki and the Nocturnal Studio
Silkworm Cocoons
An installation on the second floor.
Illuminating Cocoons - Dramatic Light Installation
While walking outside, I noticed small gold painted satellite dish like things attached to the homes of the small village. Our tour guide told us, that they too are art. The work is by Maaria Wirkkla from Finland and is called "Found a Mental Connection 3 Every Place is the Heart of the World". The hats(not satellite dishes) placed on the wall of the houses in the community are lit up bit by bit at twilight. At night, when one walks through the quiet community guided by the light like lanterns, the artists wants one to feel strayed into another age.
"Found a Mental Connection 3 Every Place is the Heart of the World" by Maaria Wirkkla
Our next stop was the Ikebana House. This project began in 2006 and is aimed to construct the expression of the individual and ikebana (flower arrangements) intersecting with other worlds. The artworks by various Japanese artists are displayed in the abandoned town community building and it was one of the highlights of the tour.
The Ikebana House
"Ikebana" by the staircase
Artist: Shozan Oyoshi - A handmade red sphere is placed in the center. The poles and bamboo stems express a sunrise inside the empty house. The artist is attempting to attract the sun, sparkling red, to everyday life.
Leaf Room by Rihito Nagai: We were fortunate to meet the artist of this room. His intent is to express the beauty and life stirred up by the wilting plants. "I want to go back but I can't" - this is the feeling he wants us to feel in his artwork.
I could not figure out what this piece is called but I really liked it and found it beautiful.
Takatoshi Shimoda - Dwelling of Wind: This is a space for the wind gods who blow around Echigo Tsumari with a brief rest to catch a breath.
Rishi Otsuka- Invited by the Wind: The artist has recreated the 10 tatami mat Japanese room in the image of a feast for all the life ceremonies that have occurred in this house.
Yoichi Hinata - What Makes Plants Speak: The trees in the village must have heard the lively sounds of the people in this house when it was used as the town community center. Using the branches of the local trees, the artist has used ikebana to bring back lost memories of shared company.
After thoroughly enjoying the Ikebana House, it was time to get back onto the bus and go to our next destination. However, we had a treat and stopped at a scenic view point that overlooks the gorgeous valley of Echigo-Tsumari.
Scenic View of the Valley
Then back on the bus we went to our next stop which was an installation in another empty house called "We can recall it Clearly" by Sayoko Ozawa. Basically, the artist designed traditional paper sliding doors that had a landscape painting. The paper is see through so when the sun shines through the door, the painting on the sliding paper door blends with the real scenery outside.
Sayoko Ozawa - We Can Recall It Clearly
Not sure what this is supposed to be. I found it strange.
We got back on the bus again to get to our next destination which was the Croquette House and the Shedding House. This installation was designed by Junichi Kurakake and the students of Nihon University College of Art, arguably Japan's best art school. In 2006, an abandoned house was "shaved" with a chisel. This house is called the Shedding House and one can also spend the night. The whole house is "shaved" from floors, walls to pillars. It's quite amazing and it was done by hand! This year the students created a contrasting new piece of work near the Shedding House, where they "wrapped" up a house with metal and spray painted it so it resemble a croquette covered in deep fried batter. Well, it was a pretty cool house but did not resemble a croquette to me. However, our timing to visit was perfect as they were serving delicious pumpkin and potato croquettes for a small donation.
Nihon University College of Art - Croquette House
A student making delicious pumpkin and potato croquettes. They were made from local vegetables and were delicious!
The perfect croquette
The Croquette House: I liked the openness of the house, the clean lines and the views. But it did not remind me of a croquette.
The Shedding House: Every part of the house was "shaved" or chiseled. If the Croquette House in Ying, the Shedding House is Yang.
It was then time to get back on the bus again and go our next stop which was the Echigo Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science. While walking to the bus stop we saw more pieces of art. If one does not pay attention, it is so easy to miss!
A lonely art installation along side a path
The museum itself is an art piece. Its located right smack inside the middle of a forest and is a 160 meters long steel building designed like a snake (have get an aerial view to appreciate the design). In the winter, the building is buried in about 4 meters of snow where only the tower is visible. But one side of the buildings wall is made of acrylic so visitors during the winter can see the cross sections of snow. Because it is a museum of natural science, there is a butterfly exhibit, a lot creepy, crawly creatures for kids to enjoy and a beautiful forest called Bijin Mori, nearby. We first had our lunch which was a bento box made from local ingredients by local ladies where we enjoyed a wonderful conversation with our tour guide. After the lunch, we toured the museum which is fun for kids but insects are not my thing so not so much fun for me. There are two interesting installations in the tower of the building though. One is called "Ting-King-Ping in Kyororo" by Taiko Shono. In the tower, one can hear the sound of spring water dripping into the reservoir of the tower. The sound is different according to the season, weather or the amount of water. The sound resonated up into the tower, so depending where you are in the tower, you hear a different sound. The other installation is called "Ground, Water, Cosmos" by Takuro Osaka. Apparently, more than 200 cosmic rays travel through our bodies per second. When the sensor placed in the tower catches these cosmic rays, 11400 blue diodes light up the wall of the tower. Pretty cool. We then took a quick walk through the forest which was indeed beautiful before heading back to the bus.
Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science
Besides bugs, there were lots of things for kids to do including a woodworking shop.
Bijin No Mori: A beautiful forest next to the museum (but lots of mosquitoes!)
Our next stop is the Dream House by Marina Agramovic from the former Yugoslavia. This is a house where one can actually spend the night but one must record his/her dreams. This house used to be an old farm house. Guests sleep in a wooden bed with a crystal pillow and pajamas designed by the artist. Magnets are placed in the pajamas to encourage dreams. The next morning the guests record their dreams which the artist will compile into a dream book. The house is taken care of and managed by people in the community. I really enjoyed exploring the house and look forward to reading the Dream Book.
The Dream House in middle of a rice paddy.
The very cool bathing area of the Dream House. There are 2 identical baths. One for washing and the other for soaking. Below is the one for soaking.
The pajamas designed by the artist
The room where you record your dreams.
The red room. The bed is the box. I don't think I'll volunteer to spend the night here.
Cool phone in the Dream House
After thoroughly enjoying the Dream House, we walked over to a warehouse next to the Dream House which is home to Elixir which is a medical herbal liquor shot bar designed by Janet Laurence of Australia. Following the recent natural environment protection movement, the artist has been researching medical herbs and treatments. In this project the artist used local herbs and made medical liquors in collaboration with the local residents.
Elixir - Janet Laurence
Down the road from Elixir is Harvest House by Lauren Berkowitz and Rice Talk by Robyn Backen both from Australia. Both artists share space of an old house in the Uwayu Community.
On the first floor is Harvest House which is a series of sensory spaces where smell, touch and sight are stimulated and the memory of the site is experienced. Plants, flowers, rice and straws were collected to make "textile room", "harvest room", "landscape room", "charcoal room" and each room is designed to remind us of the history and habits in the region.
"Harvest House" by Lauren Berkowitz - Harvest Room
Upstairs is Rice Talk, the work by Robyn Backen. The artist's intent is to introduce us to new and old methods of communication. Fiber optic tatami mats transmit Haiku by Issa Kobayashi using Morse code. Now that is very cool.
"Rice Talk" by Robyn Backen
We then got back on the bus to visit our next installation called the "Rei House" by Tokyo City University and Naoyoshi Hikosaka. This house was also very interesting in that is is also an Italian cafe that serves lunch. The owners are Mitsuko Fukutake and Chef Nagashima who own Leonie Italian restaurant in Okayama. The artists restored an old traditional house by painting it black with sumi (Japanese charcoal paint) and decorating the interior with many old cooking utensils used by the villagers which symbolizes the way of life of the old village. One can also stay in the house although it being black can make it scary at night I think.
"Rei House" by Tokyo City University - The interior and exterior of the house is painted black with sumi paint. It is also an Italian cafe that serves lunch.
The bathing area of the house. The shower to wash yourself is to the left. That soaking tub is to the right.
The restaurant kitchen
Old pots and pans
We then walked down the hill to our next stop, the "House Memory" by Chiharu Shiota. This was quite an installation as over 40 kilos of wool yarn were used to create a web inside the abandoned house. The wool yarn is spread and hung like spider webs and fills the void of the room. Old furniture and clothes collected from the residents is woven in. The artist is depicting the feeling that thoughts and memories which have soaked into these things, slowly reappear.
"The Rei House" - Chiharu Shiota
Cobwebs everywhere
It's quite an amazing installation
It was then time for us to visit the highlight of our tour. The bus took us to an old elementary school. It was a sad sight in that it was a pretty big school which sadly had to close down because of lack of students. So during the 2006 Echigo Tsumari Art Festival, Christian Boltanski and Jean Kalman of France created a permanent installation in the school called the "Last Class". The theme of the work is "The Absence of Human Beings". One first walks into a darkened auditorium of only lights and empty benches.
"The Last Class" by Christian Boltanski and Jean Kalman. The auditorium
You then walk through the hallway towards a beaming light. It was like a scene from the X-files. The beaming light leads you to the stairs to the second floor.
This could be scene in the X-files. Spooky.
The second floor was decorated in white. It reminded me of a coroner's office. Yet sad but beautiful. I really liked the shadows of the desks and chairs projected on the wall. Also, there is a heartbeat room where a bright light flashes to the beat of a very loud heart. The artist also collects visitors heartbeats as part of another installation he is planning next year.
The second floor of "The Last Class"
The shadows of the desk and chairs of the school.
Next to the school was the Medical Herman Cafe Project by Earthscape. It is a temporary cafe which has the philosophy that by surrounding the whole body with medicinal herbs will lead people to health. Herbs that are effective for each part of the body are grown and served. However, by the time, we got there most was sold out! So I had to be satisfied with Reishi tea which is something I've had before. It is a special mushroom tea that boosts your immune system.
"The Medical Herman Cafe Project" by Earthscape
Our next stop was an open area where 4 installations could be scene. The first one we saw is called "Lantern on a Riverbank" by CLIP of Japan. It's basically a public restroom! The project was realized when a national public budget became available to build a public restroom. In the daytime, the red color of the work stands in contrast to the green leaves of the riverbank but at night, it glows in the dark like a lantern because of the light beams coming out through the frosted glasses. Even in the wintertime, where 4-5 meters of snow is common, this restroom can be used as the design of the building is such that a snow pergola forms so one can go in and out of the latrine.
"Lantern on a Riverbank" by CLIP Japan. One of the fanciest public restrooms I have scene.
About 100 meters from the fancy public restroom is "The House of Birds" by Jaume Plensa of Spain. It is a working birdhouse that is 19 meters high. The artist believes that birds which symbolize nature itself and is so easily harmed, are a bridge between earth and sky. The installation gleams with reflected light and is visible from a considerable distance.
"House of Birds" - Jaume Plensa
Next to the birdhouse is the "Blooming Spiral" by Jean-Francois Brun of France. The artist built 16 flowerbeds using wildflowers and other plants that he and the local people collected from the mountains. The aim was to develop and ideal garden, an ecosophical zone (combo of philosophy and nature). The beds bloom in spirals each season.
"Blooming Spiral" - Jean Francois Brun
And lastly, hidden away is the "Infinity Along the Groove" by Hiroki Ohara. This was a very pretty installation. Multi-colored panels were laid along the pathway between rice paddies. The panels are perforated with countless holes from which grass can grow through. The artist wants the viewer to feel the contrast between the artificial, painted-panels and the life-force of each blade of grass.
"Infinity Along the Groove" by Hiroki Ohara
It was then time to get back on the bus to our last destination which was "Home" by Naoko Mizusawa, "Kaki-Gori Mountain" by Toshihiro Tominaga and "Natural Levee of Old Shinano River" by Yukihasa Isobe. "Home" is an exhibit of embroidered letters written by parents and grandparents to their children on shirts. "Kaki-gori Mountain" actually happened in the winter when the community made shaved ice with the snow. Photos of the event were on display and we got to sample some shaved ice. Monika and Mary had the green tea version and I had the mango version. I have not had Kaki-gori - shaved ice with syrup- in over 30 years. It is a popular summer treat in Japan. The Natural Levee installation was interesting because over 15000 years ago the Shinano River which was the lifeline of Echigo Tsumari ran through the fields. The excavations revealed old river embankments and shards of earthenware. But by the time we got to our last stop, I was pretty exhausted, the mosquitoes were out along with some invisible bug so did not take any good photos. As a matter of fact, I was tired throughout the whole day and was pretty lazy about being artistic about the photos. However, I was very happy that I went and it really was a unique experience. Where else can one experience the beauty of rural Japan blended with amazing modern art?
I also hope the art festival helps the community and encourages more young people to explore the country side. I hope it turns into an artist community as it's a perfect place to get inspired.
The festival ends this weekend (September 13) but for those in Japan in 2012, please do not miss the next one. It is a highlight of living in Japan.
The rice fields of Echigo Tsumari
Where did you make reservations for the bus tour
Posted by: Lance stone | July 25, 2012 at 08:44 PM