History / Culture / Tour Spots in Yuzawa / Uonuma Area

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Yuzawa / Uonuma

Category

Travel / Tourism

History / Culture / Tour

Saifukuji Temple (Kaisando)

4.5

95 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Uonumashi Oura 174

Sekijyozan Saifukuji Temple is a temple opened during the late Muromachi period in 1534. The Kaisando for worshipping images of Kaisan and Dogen Zenji—founder of Soto sect—is famous for its numerous wonderful sculptures, paintings, and lacquerware that can be called great works of Uncho Ishikawa, a famous craftsman from the end of the Shogunate. It is often called “Echigo Nikko” for its similarity to the collection of works at Toshogu in Nikko. About five minutes by car via Koide Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway.

石川雲蝶の作品を見に、年配の親と行きました。杖はダメとの事でしたが、お寺の杖を貸してくださいます。開山堂は、本堂から渡り廊下で行きました。外見も独特ですが、内側も凄い迫力ですね、音声ガイドを聞きながら、イスに座って天井の彫刻を鑑賞しました。因みに寝転び禁止です。写真では何やらゴテゴテした感じに見えましたが、実物は、とても生き生きとした景色て魅力的です。技術的に上手なのはもちろんですが...
Untouan Temple

4.5

48 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Untou 660

Untouan is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Soto School that is situated in the foothills of Mt. Kinjo, in the Unto district of Minamiuonuma City. It was founded by Uesugi Norizane in the Muromachi period, and rebuilt in 1707. Tradition has it that text from the Lotus Sutra was inscribed on the underside of every flagstone on the path that leads up to the main hall of the temple, so that visitors to the temple who followed this route on their way to worship at the main hall could accumulate merit in the process. The Untouan temple is famous as the place where Uesugi Kagekatsu and Naoe Kanetsugu were educated as boys.

Wow, in the mountains & surrounded by forrest. It could be the movie set and center of a adventures story or just about monks. Huge trees, silent, tranquil. If you like nature and temple, this is the...
Eirinji Temple

4.0

35 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Uonumashi Negoya 1765

Eirinji is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Soto School that is located in the Negoya district of Uonuma City. According to tradition, the famous woodcarver Ishikawa Uncho (Minamoto no Masateru), who was active in the Bakumatsu period and in the early years of the Meiji period, lost a bet with Abbot Enno Bensho the 22nd, and as a result stayed at the Eirinji Temple for 13 years, creating large numbers of carvings for the temple. Today, the Eirinji Temple still has over 100 carvings by Ishikawa Uncho, including ranma (openwork screens), etc., and many people visit the temple for the express purpose of viewing these masterpieces.

お寺に入って、おばさんに入場料を支払い、拝観ガイド兼パンフレット1枚もらう。パンフレットに番号が書いてあり、各自作品と照らし合わせる。みんな上の方を見ながらウロウロと探し歩く。噂の天女を見つけると、目が釘付けになった。何というか、吸い込まれそうなカンジ。のびやかで華やかで、艶めかしい。写真では、「どうかな？」って思っていたが、実物は数倍凄かった。はるばる見に来て良かった
NOU BUTAI (Agrarian Stage) Snow-Land Agrarian Culture Center, Matsudai

4.0

46 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Matsudai 3743-1

At this comprehensive cultural facility located close to Matsudai Station, visitors can experience Matsudai Snow-Land Agrarian culture and art. In the building, designed by a Dutch architect group, beauty can be felt both indoors and in the outer areas as a single artwork. Inside the hall, you can catch a glimpse the lifestyle of the rural community coexisting with nature as well as an artist space. The satoyama slopes surrounding the museum act as a large field museum, and a number of works by famous artists such as Yayoi Kusama’s “Tsumari in Bloom” are always on display.

Matsudai Nohbutai in one of the two places in the art field area that is neara train station. Other than a Yayoi Kusama piece just outside Matsudai station and a piece in the side of the rice fields...
Tokamachi City Museum

4.5

28 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Nishimotochou 1-382-1

This museum in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, houses and displays historical and cultural artifacts from Tokamachi based on the theme of “snow, textiles and the Shinano River”. There are a lot of models, dioramas, and archaeological finds etc. displayed in the museum which introduce in chronological order the history of the Jomon period through to modern times. You can also see artifacts relating to Tokamachi textiles which show the tools that were used and resourcefulness of the people in their daily lives in this region of heavy snow. The flame-style pottery, excavated from the Sasayama site in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, are the most outstanding items exhibited in the museum and have been designated as National Treasures.

十日町市まできて国宝の「火焔型土器」を見ない手はないと、大地の芸術祭アート鑑賞の合間を縫って訪ねた。2020年に新博物館として開館したという白い建物は、縄文土器や雪の結晶をグラフィック化した外壁が目をひく。エントランスを進むと「縄文時代と火焔型土器のクニ」という展示コーナーがあり、その一角に国宝展示室がある。「火焔型土器」は縄文時代中期に新潟県エリアで栄えた土器様式で、燃え上がる炎を象ったかのよう...
Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science “Mori no Gakko” Kyororo

3.5

24 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Matsunoyamamatsuguchi 1712-2

This is a natural science museum built in nature-rich satoyama (village-vicinity mountain) in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture. It introduces many displays related to the heavy snows of the satoyama as well as exhibits made in cooperation with local residents. The permanent exhibition includes the “Forrest Aquarium,” a display of aquatic life in the rice terraced area, an area introducing the lifestyle of the town in the snow, the local resident’s ‘treasures’ as well as an area for creative works. There is also a variety of experience programs such as a nature observation tour, rice making experience, and a woodworking experience using natural wood.

越後妻有「大地の芸術祭」の折、ボルタンスキーの遺作といわれる「森の精」やその他のアート作品を鑑賞するために立ち寄った。アート作品はともかく、驚くのはその外観。キョロロの建物外壁は鋼鉄の板、つまり鋼板で全面サビで覆われている。雪深い里山の生物多様性に関連した展示や体験プログラムで里山を学べる体験型の自然科学博物館で、様々な混入標本もあり昆虫好きには嬉しい施設だ。塔に設えたイルミネーションや巨大昆虫ビ...
Kankoji Temple

4.0

12 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Uwano 267

This Zen Buddhist temple has historical ties to the Uesugi clan, the deputy shoguns of the Kanto region, and to the Ueda Nagao clan. The primary object of worship of the temple, which belongs to the Kamakura Engaku-ji? school, is Shakyamuni Buddha (Gautama Buddha). The temple is said to have been founded in 1410 by the monk Kakuosoden, the son of Uesugi Noriaki. The temple was relocated to Yonezawa in 1600 along with Uesugi Kagekatsu's forced relocation there. After being destroyed in a fire, the temple was rebuilt in its current location during the Kanbun era (around 1661 to 1673). The temple's main gate, which belonged to the Sakai Clan of the Awa-Katsuyama Domain, was donated and relocated to the temple in 2009. The gatekeeper's station on the gate's left side still gives it the stately appearance of the gate to a samurai residence. The temple also possesses a rare rotating bookshelf called kyozou, containing a complete set of the Obaku school's version of the Buddhist scriptures. The main temple building has a Japanese rock garden? in front, which is unusual for the Minamiuonuma area.

Now undergoing some repairs, this impressive temple and monastery is well worth the visit. It must be so cold and covered with snow in winter, but beautiful now. Check the nicely kept buildings...
Textile Cultural Center Shiozawa Tsumugi Memorial Hall

3.5

12 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Shiozawa 1227-14

Shiozawa Tsumugi Memorial Hall is located two minutes’ walk from Shiozawa Station. You can learn about Echigo Jofu (ramie) which has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, textile culture and techniques in Shiozawa, passed on from Okuechigo 1,000 years ago. In addition to the display, it also offers various hands-on activities including weaving and cultivating silkworms as well as sales of crafts and kimono (traditional Japanese clothing).

塩沢駅から徒歩3分ほど。塩沢の名産品「塩沢織」を紹介する施設。1階では塩沢織を使用した人形や和服・洋服などを展示販売している。2階は有料(400円)の見学施設で、職人が行う機織り作業を見ることができる。塩沢織には「越後上布」「塩沢紬」「本塩沢」「夏塩沢」の4種類があり、1000年以上の歴史を持つ「越後上布」は苧麻を爪で裂いて繊維状にし、指で撚って糸にするところから始まる。その糸は非常に切れやすい...
Christian Boltanski＋Jean Kalman The Last Class

4.5

9 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Niigata Tokamachi-shi Matsunoyama Fujikura 192

"Echigo-tsumari region is about 30-minute drive from Matsudai Station on theHokuhoku Line.Christian Boltanski and Jean Kalman created their large-scale installation ""The Last Class""in 2006and submitted it tothe major tri-annual art festival, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2018. The site of the festival is the Echigo-tsumari Region (the town of Tsunan in the city of Tokamachi), and the artists put the installation together in an abandoned elementary school to represent the notion of ""the absence of people."" It stimulates the five senses, with sounds like the beating of drums in the darkness and flickering lightbulbs. Recently, a new installation has been added to ""The Last Class"",Boltanski's""Theater of Shadows: Happy Companions"", which represents life and death in a humorous manner. It is open to the public for limited times outside of the Triennale."

越後妻有「大地の芸術祭」で訪ねた。どうしても見たかったボルタンスキーの作品の一つ。廃校になった旧東川小学校を利用したインスタレーション・アートで、スタートは暗闇の体育館から。床に藁が敷かれ、多数のベンチと扇風機並び、電球が点滅する。薄暗い廊下を進んで二階に上がれば、心臓の鼓動のようにライトが点滅する教室、白い布とアクリルの箱が並べられた教室、鏡を無数貼った教室など、まさに異空間に迷い込んだような不...
Suzuki Bokushi Memorial Museum

3.5

10 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Shiozawa 1112-2

A 10-minute walk from JR Shiozawa Station. This museum exhibits mostly materials on the Hokuetsu Seppu which is known as the first piece of literature that talks about life in the snowy Echigo Province. It was written by Edo period author Suzuki Bokushi and was a best seller at that time. The museum also displays items from Echigo Province and documents about it, such as the manufacturing process of Echigo-jofu local hemp fabric, which is an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan and on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. This museum is known as the Snow Culture Center because you can see the beautiful wood constructions of segai zukuri (Echigo Province style wood awnings).

塩沢駅から徒歩5分ほど。 1989年開館。観覧料500円。木造2階建ての建物には新潟県産の杉材が多用されている。館内撮影不可。鈴木牧之(1770-1842年)は塩沢出身の文人。越後の雪深い生活を記した「北越雪譜」(1837年発刊)は当時のベストセラーになったという。館内には雪国で暮らすための民具、鈴木牧之の人物紹介、牧之が詠んだ俳句、「北越雪譜」発刊までの道のりなどの展示の他、塩沢の特産品である...
Tomioka White Art Museum, Minamiuonuma City

3.5

7 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Kamiyakushidou 142

This museum is approximately 20 minutes by bus from the JR Muikamachi Station, and a further three minutes on foot from the Kamiyakushido bus stop. This museum has a permanent collection of the master oil painter, Shiichiro Tomioka's White World Series which consists of around 500 works. He was born in Takada, Joetsu City, and is famous as the man who painted snow country. Tomioka created a white oil paint, known as Tomioka White, which solved all of the problems such as yellowing, cracking and peeling. His distinctive black and white depictions of the world, created with a technique that uses a large painting knife, are highly regarded worldwide as being absolutely unique.

八海山を見ることが目的で行きました。公共交通機関利用であれば六日町駅からバスで15分ほど乗車し上薬師堂バス停下車。徒歩３-４分です。この美術館前からの八海山の眺望は素晴らしかったです。美術館に入っていないので展示品に関するコメントはできません。
Ikeda Memorial Art Museum

3.5

6 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Niigata Minamiuonuma Urasa 5493-3

An art museum born thanks to the efforts of the late Tsuneo Ikeda, a man of culture born here in Uonuma City (once the town of Koide). Ikeda was the founder of Baseball Magazine Sha and KobunSha, and the museum displays works of art and other items he collected as well as a variety of other cultural assets relating to sports, literature, and the arts. The museum’s permanent exhibition is divided into four sections. The KobunSha company published many works by Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), and in turn the museum has an exhibition dedicated to the author. There’s also a sports and culture exhibition which hosts exhibits on professional baseball, the Olympics, and Japan’s first sports cards; a Japanese art exhibition which displays works by Kiyohara Tama (Eleonora Ragusa), Japan’s first female Western-style painter; and an international art exhibition.

スポーツジャーナリストの池田恒雄氏が、野球の交流で得た文化・スポーツに関連するコレクションが展示されている美術館。ジャーナリストとして活躍した傍ら、野球だけでなく様々な選手とも交流を持ち、数々の名選手が着用したグッズだけでなく、活躍場面を収めた写真などが数多く展示されている。他にも小泉八雲が遺した資料や、會津八一やラグーザ玉（清原玉）の絵画が展示されているが、スポーツに特化したり、新潟特に魚沼由...
Matsudai Local Museum

4.0

5 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Tokamachi-shi Matsudai 3718

ほくほく線まつだい駅の裏にあります。 2階建ての木造建築です。玄関で靴を脱いで上がります。築140年の欅造りといった古い建物ですが、中はとても綺麗です。
Snow Country Museum

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumagunyuzawamachi Yuzawa 354-1

This is a museum showing the life and history of Yuzawa, that was the backdrop for Yasunari Kawabata's novel The Snow Country. Also displayed are some of Yasunari's beloved items and writings in his own hand, as well as a Japanese-style painting gallery depicting the world from the novel. This museum is located just a 7-minute walk from the Echigo Yuzawa Station.
Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE

Leisure / Hobbies

Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Honchou 6-71-2

This museum was founded to promote the region around Tokamachi. It's the main venue for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, an intentional art festival held once every three years in Echigo-Tsumari. The building itself was designed by Hiroshi Hara, one of Japan's leading architects. The cubic building has a pond set in its square atrium. During periods other than the art festival, it has a permanent exhibition with various artwork on display. There is also a museum shop and a cafe restaurant fashioned on a Spanish Bar.
Hakkaisanson Shrine

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Osaki 3746

Hakkaisan-sonjinja Shrine is located about 10 minutes by car from the Yamato Smart Interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in the city of Minami Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture. It was founded on the basis of oracular instructions from Nakatomi no Kamatari, a seventh-century government official. Kuni-no-Satsuchi-no-Mikoto is one of the gods enshrined there. Clapping one's hands produces an echo, and there is an open space where sound reverberates. Historical relics and votive items and famous sites, such as the sacred cave of Taiken Gyosha, who revived the temple, are found throughout the grounds, and the basalt rock from Mt. Hakkaisan. Festivals that take place here include a thrilling Fire Walking Festival, in which the general public may apply to participate, as well the annual Setsubun Festival, O-Yama-Biraki (the springtime opening of the mountain climbing season), and others.
Tochiomata Onsen Yakushido

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Uonumashi Yunoya Kami Origami 66

This Yakushido Hall is located on the grounds of the Jizaikan hot spring inn on Prefectural Route 299 in Kamioritate, Uonuma City. People seeking hot spring cures have long prayed here for recovery from their illnesses. The hall's sacred trees, the 400-year-old Komochi Sugi (parenthood cedar) and the Meoto Keyaki (husband and wife Zelkova), are believed to grant prayers for the blessing of children. Visitors seeking this blessing make offerings of ema (wooden votive tablets) affixed with Kewpie dolls.
Okutadami Electric Power Museum

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Uonumashi Yunotanimogawa Large bird 1317-3

This PR facility for J-POWER is located in the vicinity of Okutadami Dam. Visitors to the museum can learn about the role and history of dams and power plants, as well as hydroelectric power generation and other mechanisms. In addition, visitors can view exhibits of valuable materials relating to electricity, such as turbine parts that were used in the Okutadami Power Station. There is also a cafe space, and many people visit while also sightseeing at Okutadami Dam.
Midama Fudoson Temple

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Nakauonumaguntsunanmachi Akinari 9761

This temple is located in Akinari, Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma County. It is said to have been built in 1186 to enshrine Acala, by Seisazaemon Miyamoto, a retainer of Kiyomori Taira. Many people come here to pray for healthy eyesight, since it has been said to have a healing effect on the eyes since ancient times. Currently, all five great wisdom kings, the Vidyaraja, who protect the four cardinal directions, including Vajrayaksa and Kundali, are enshrined here.
Urasa Bishamondo Temple

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Urasa 2495

This temple is located in Urasa, Minamiuonuma City. It was founded in 807 by Sakanoue-no-Tamuramaro. The main gate resembles the Yomei-mon gate of the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, and features a painting of two dragons by the late Edo period painter, Tani Buncho. It is designated as a Nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and is famous for the Hadaka Oshiaitaisai festival which has been held for 1200 years on the first Saturday of March each year.

Niigata Yuzawa / Uonuma

Travel / Tourism History / Culture / Tour

Reference/Local/Exhibition/Literature Museum Shrine Castle / Ruins of Castle Historical Monument Temple Church Ruin / Grave / Ancient Tomb Memorial Hall Cultural Property Event Hall / Public Hall Art Museum Museum / Science Museum Other Historic Site/Building

Niigata Areas

Found along the northwestern coast of Japan, Niigata prefecture is celebrated for its high-quality rice and breathtaking nature, most notably its spectacular mountains, whose white peaks draw in snow sports lovers from far and wide over the winter months. Hit the slopes at Yuzawa, pick out your favourite modern artist at Echigo Tsumari, or take a ferry over to Sado Island for an extra adventure.