The town of Tokamachi is located in the south of the prefecture ofNiigatanorth of Japan, only two and a half hours by train from Tokyo. It is part of an area nicknamed “Snow Country” due to the large amount of snow that covers the area in winter. The city consists of five districts: Kawanishi, Nakasato, Matsudai, Matsunoyama and Tokamachi.
Throat of Kiyotsu
The Kiyotsu Gorge, through which the Kiyotsu River flows, extends 12.5 kilometres from Tōkamachi to Yuzawa Yagisawa and is one of the largest gorges in Japan. The region is known for its visually striking rock formations and an artistic installation of 750 metres long that was added to the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel in 2018. The gorge was designated as a natural monument in April 1941 and was incorporated into Jōshinsukōgen National Park in September 1949.
The rock formations were created when the magma cooled into the igneous rock (porphyrite), which forms both sides of the gorge. In 1996, a 750-metre-long pedestrian tunnel was completed, from which visitors can admire the gorge safely.
Bijinbayashi
Bijinbayashi’s strangely straight and ordered trees grew in the early 1910s, when the landowner needed money to move to Tokyo. He decided to shoot down all the beech trees and sell them for charcoal, after which he offered empty wooded land to local farmers and moved.
Once the land was cleared, thousands of remaining young beech trees were able to push directly to the sun. The tall and elegant silhouettes of the trees inspired the name bijinbayashi, meaning “forest of beauties”.
The beech (Fagus crenata) is considered an alpine species and generally grows at altitudes of at least 1,000 metres. It is rare to find them here, at only 300 meters above sea level, but harsh winters of climate and heavy snowfall limit the growth of competing species and allow trees to thrive. Beech trees growing on the slopes are often bent in strange shapes by the weight of snow.
Tokomachi Museum
The Tokamachi City Museum was founded in 1979 and is divided into three areas that combine the history of Tokamachi with the Shinano River Basin. The museum’s collection includes 7,000 significant tangible folk cultural assets, 928 of which are collectively designated national treasures. In June 2020, the museum was transferred to a new building.
The Sasayama exhibition presents artifacts from the Jōmon period (14,000 – 350 B.C.) found between 1980 and 2013, including the “flame pottery” which was designated the first national treasure of the entire Niigata prefecture.
The history of weaving in the Tōkamachi region dates back to the Jōmon period. Fabric prints were found on the bases of pottery excavated in the Shinano River basin, the oldest such discovery in Japan. The collection also presents the techniques and tools used in the production of the Echigo chijimi crepe, which is made from vegetable ramie fibres.
The Tōkamachi region receives an average of 2 metres of snow each year and is part of the “Snowland” (Yukiguni), an area characterized by heavy snowfall. This exhibition presents the traditional clothing, food, housing and tools that have been used in everyday life in this difficult environment.
Hoshitoge
The tanada (terrace rice fields) are rice fields that border the slopes of the mountains. The mountain tanadas of the Matsuno-yama and Matsudai regions of the city of Tokamachi are among the most impressive in Japan. Their appearance changes with the seasons. In spring and autumn, each field shines like a mirror reflecting the sunset – and in winter, the snow cover creates a serene landscape.
Chinkoro market
Winter markets have been held in Tōkamachi since Edo’s time. Markets were ideal opportunities to socialize and do business, and they attracted farmers in the surrounding mountains who came to sell their crops, handicrafts and textiles for extra income. The winter market is also called the “chinkoro market” after the small hand-made puppy figures in steam-cooked rice paste that were first sold on the market at the turn of the 20th century. Puppy figures have become extremely popular, and rabbit figures and other good-looking animals are now also sold. The more the figurine cracks over time, the more lucky its owner will be.
Hegisoba
These soba noodles are made from fumari algae. This is strongly related to Tokamachi’s textile production, as algae fibres were used for weaving. Thus, there was no waste of raw materials.
Triennial Echigo Tsumari
Every three years, Tokamachi hosts the triennium of Echigo-Tsumari art, an immense international art exhibition that presents about 300 works of art scattered in an area as large as the city of Tokyo. Art lovers and casual amateurs can witness the unique combination of art works with nature not only as a backdrop, but as a component of art. The festival includes permanent installations by artists Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell and dozens of others.
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