How to Enjoy Japan’s Art Festivals

How to Enjoy Japan’s Art Festivals

Enjoying the charms of Japan’s regions through a new “retreat” experience Part 1:

With Osaka staging Expo 2025 this year, the Setouchi Triennale and several other art festivals will also be held in regions across Japan. As well as facilitating encounters with spellbinding art, these events will also provide glimpses into “a different Japan,” with visitors able to experience the unique culture, history, nature, lifestyles and atmosphere of each region. On this occasion, members of the Japan Cultural Expo Secretariat gathered together to use their rich festival-going experience to offer tips on how to enjoy Japan’s festivals as much as possible.

- Local towns, villages, mountains and seas become the venues for Japan’s art festivals

K.H.: One special feature of Japan’s regional art festivals are their unique locations. Unlike events centered around so-called “white-cube” art museums, I find festivals like Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and Setouchi Triennale particularly interesting in the way they stage art within nature itself or within abandoned houses or shops, for example.

S.T.: It’s not just about viewing artworks; it’s also fun to kick back and enjoy the atmosphere of the towns and locations themselves.

K.T.: In Japan, art festivals are not just held in metropolitan areas; there are many regional festivals too. In other countries, festivals often take place in big cities like Venice or Sydney. In Japan, though, they often take place in mountainous areas or other regions that people may not get a chance to visit otherwise.

N.I.: Often, artists choose the locations themselves. They absorb the customs and culture of that region and then produce artworks. One special feature of Japanese art festivals is the way they allow artists to shine the spotlight on some intriguing aspects of the local area, based on their own unique perspective.

*The Rice Fields*　Ilya & Emilia Kabakov Photo by Nakamura Osamu (Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale)

- How to find out about Japan’s enchanting art festivals

N.I.: When I was working in the secretariat of an art festival, I would ask foreign visitors why they had visited our festival. Many said a trusted friend had recommended it to them, while solo travelers often said they had come across the festival in Lonely Planet.

S.T.: Yeah, it’s also fun to just come by yourself and wander around, without making any detailed plans.

N.I.: It might also be a good idea to meet the locals and stroll around with them. People staying in guesthouses always talk to each other about the things they liked, the places they visited, and the great experiences they had the day before, for example.

S.T.: If you stay at a guesthouse rather than by yourself in a hotel room, you can enjoy sharing information with others. The people you meet there might also stay friends after the trip is over.

K.H.: I also heard of people coming after seeing a spot on Google Maps. There are some permanent art installations that remain even after festivals have ended. You can find these by searching on Google Maps.

S.T.: Art lovers can find English information on Tokyo Art Beat, so it might be worth checking there. Art festival homepages often feature model tours too, so if you are short of time and want to pack a lot in, these might help you make a plan.

*Chinu - the Black Sea Bream of Uno*, by Yodogawa-Technique, Photo: Osamu Nakamura (Setouchi Triennale)

－Enjoying the atmosphere as well as the art

K.H.: Regional art festivals feature outdoor sculptures, installations and sometimes even paintings. This sense of air and atmosphere is something that can’t be experienced within the confines of an art gallery. Artworks appear differently depending on the season or climate, with visitors enjoying a multi-layered experience that encompasses regional cuisine and accommodation too

K.T.: The works on display are shaped by each region’s history, customs and culture, so the enjoyment of art festivals can be enhanced by trying to gain a deeper insight into these regions through their artworks. For example, Roots & Arts Shiraoi is an arts project in Shiraoi, Hokkaido that utilizes the diverse expressions of artists to rediscover and take a fresh look at the culture and traditions rooted in the region and the activities of the people who live there. Visitors to Shiraoi will come across a range of artworks dotted throughout the town. Shiraoi is also home to Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park, a “symbolic space for ethnic harmony” that facilitates encounters with the traditional living spaces and ceremonies of the Ainu people. It provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about local culture and history while appreciating the area’s unique artworks. It’s fun to “dawdle” too. It’s like visiting an area known for its delicious food and dropping by a farm shop or stall to buy and sample the fresh products. I hope visitors can enjoy each region while appreciating the art on display there.

*Correspondances* by Yasei no Gakusha (left); the traditional Ainu ceremony *kamuynomi* (right) (both from Roots & Arts Shiraoi)

N.I.: This may sound a little abstract, but the time spent in these places represents a moment that will never return, so first of all, I want visitors to enjoy this time. Interestingly, works that have sat around for a while seem to “grow” and change compared to when we first see them soon after installation. The climate, the transitory atmosphere, the traces left by numerous visitors…all these become things that change objects over the years. Perhaps many people visit art festivals because they provide moments when we can observe ourselves. For example, although we may get annoyed because there are “lots of insects” or whatever, these responses emerge because we are visiting “different worlds” set apart for our daily experiences. By helping us to understand the things we like and the things we don’t, these moments help us to find ourselves. If we go to these events to find time to grow and change, in the same spirit as we might visit a retreat, then we may discover that Japanese festivals are enjoyable for a variety of reasons.

S.T.: Speaking of urban art festivals, I’d like to mention the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival that takes place right in the heart of Kyoto. Kyoto has many famous sightseeing spots like temples and shrines, but KYOTOGRAPHIE uniquely utilizes spaces that are often closed to the public—such as historic temples, former factory sites, traditional townhouses, old buildings, and modern architecture—to host large-scale photography exhibitions across multiple venues.
Visitors can enjoy Kyoto in a more in-depth way by viewing photography exhibitions in unique locations not typically accessible through regular tourism.
This year, the lineup of unique venues includes JR Kyoto Station, Tadao Ando’s TIME’S building, the Kyoto Shimbun Building (former printing plant), and Kondaya Genbei Chikuin-no-Ma. The Demachi Masugata Shopping Arcade also serves as one of the venues. Artworks are displayed above the street here, so visitors can stroll along while viewing the works on display. I also recommend stopping by KYOTOGRAPHIE’s café “DELTA” to grab something to eat and view the works on display there.

JR, *The Chronicles of New York City*, Domino Park, USA, 2020　© JR (left); DELTA / KYOTOGRAPHIE Permanent Space © Takeshi Asano (right) (both from the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival)

See below for some articles related to the festivals featured here.

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