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Echigo-Tsumari is a region in Niigata Prefecture that covers Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town. For 16 days from February 24 through March 11, 2018, the region will be hosting "Echigo Tsumari Art Field Winter 2018." There will be an activity-packed day tour on March 3 where you can check out the event, visit snow-laden Echigo-Tsumari to experience the life and culture unique to the snow country, and enjoy fireworks. Here's the day's plan.

Let's get something to eat first. Savor Yukimi Gozen (translation: "enjoy dining with the snowy scenery") lunch!

At 10:40 am, we'll depart from our meeting place at the west exit of Echigo Yuzawa Station—in front of the Snow Country Tourism Information Center—in a chartered bus, and head to Echigo-Tsumari.
Echigo-Tsumari gets a lot of snow and is said to be most beautiful in the winter. We will arrive in Echigo-Tsumari at around noon, after enjoying the changing view from the bus window. Depending on how many people join the tour, we will split the group across a few villages, stopping at private houses or other facilities to enjoy the Yukimi Gozen lunch.
People in this region have lived with the wisdom and culture to survive and live in harmony with abundant snow. The food in the Yukimi Gozen lunch is designed not only to provide enough nutrition during harsh winters, but also tasty and filling. The rice, vegetables and mountain herbs used are all locally sourced. The contents of the lunch may slightly vary from village to village, but the lunch will be a fun experience warmed by hospitality from the locals.

SNOWART: Fun not just to see, but also to join in!

After filling up with the Yukimi Gozen lunch and being warmed right to the heart, we head to a snow and art event. Echigo-Tsumari has been attracting attention since 2000, hosting an event called "Echigo Tsumari Art Field" that draws together bountiful local nature, culture and modern artworks in harmony. The center of its activities, Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art Kinare, exhibits an array of snow-related and other objets d'art. Until March 11, the courtyard will host "Snow Play Expo," with unique snow and winter-themed artworks like "Kotatsu (heated low tables in Japan) Car Circuit," which looks like a combination of kotatsu and bicycles, and "digital snowballing" with projection mapping. The event will no doubt entertain visitors of all ages.

Enjoy the finale of colorful snow fireworks!

The last event of the tour is Echigo-Tsumari Snow Fireworks 2018, held at Atema Kogen Resort Belnatio. Themed on snow and light, and with "Gift for Frozen Village" produced by artist Kyota Takahashi, the usually monochrome snowscape will turn into a scene resembling countless flowerbeds on snow, thanks to colorful LED lights buried in the snow. As a participant of the tour, you'll also receive one LED light to bury in the snow!
Adorning the finale will be something rarely seen in winter fireworks displays: a 90-cm-diameter skyrocket, one of the the largest in the world. The return trip will take us back to the west exit of Echigo Yuzawa Station, with the bus ride offering some quality time to reflect on the wonderful events of the day.

[Day tour, Saturday March 3, 2018]

Echigo-Tsumari winter fireworks, SNOWART and Yukimi Gozen tour, Echigo-Tsumari Winter 2018
・Date: Saturday March 3, 2018
・Tour fee: 12,800 yen (11,800 yen for elementary school students)
*Tour fee includes: transportation (by bus), Yukimi Gozen lunch, entrance fees, insurance. You'll be accompanied by a local guide.
・Meeting and departure point: Snow Country Tourism Information Center, west exit, Echigo Yuzawa Station
・Transport: Bus
・Number of participants: 45 maximum (15 minimum)

[Bookings/enquiries]

Snow Country Tourism Information Center
Hours: 9:00-18:00
Phone: +81-25-785-5353

[Caution]
This tour can be booked until March 3, 2018. This itinerary may be subject to change or cancellation due to conditions outside our control, such as road conditions and natural disasters.

text : Tomohiro Watanabe

Facility Information

Snow Country Tourism Information Center
Address
2431-1 Yuzawa, Yuzawa-machi, Minamiuonuma-gun, Niigata 949-6101
URL
https://www.snow-country-tourism.jp/
Notes
Access: At the west exit, Echigo Yuzawa station, Joetsu Shinkansen

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