Tokamachi

Tokamachi is a city in Niigata Prefecture, deep in the snow country of central Honshu. It sits among the hills and river valleys of the prefecture's interior, on the Shinano River, and averages close to three metres of snow a year.

That heavy snowfall has shaped the city's character and its calendar. Tokamachi's Snow Festival, held every February, is the longest-running snow festival in Japan and second in scale only to Sapporo's; the deep snow is sculpted into magnificent works of art. The city is also famous for textiles — kimono in particular — and celebrates that heritage with a colourful spring Kimono Festival. In recent decades Tokamachi has reinvented itself as an art destination, hosting the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, one of the world's largest international art festivals.

Winter and early spring are cold and very snowy; the bright festivals are a deliberate counterpoint to that bleakness. The surrounding countryside — the wider Echigo-Tsumari region — is full of rivers, forests, gorges and waterfalls, making Tokamachi as much a base for nature as for the city itself.

By Plane

By Train

The closest Shinkansen station is Echigo-Yuzawa. From Tokyo Station, take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa and change to the Hokuhoku Line to Tokamachi station — about 2 hours total, or 2-3 hours allowing for the connection. From Osaka, allow about 5-7 hours, routed either via Tokyo or via Kanazawa.

By Car / Road

The nearest expressway interchanges are at Muikamachi (Kan-Etsu Expressway from Tokyo), Echigo-Kawaguchi (Kan-Etsu Expressway from Nagaoka and Niigata), Toyota-Iiyama (Joshin-etsu Expressway from Nagano, Matsumoto, Nagoya and Osaka) and Joetsu (Hokuriku Expressway from Kanazawa). From the Tokyo area, highway buses run from Ikebukuro terminal to Muikamachi IC (about 3 hours 10 minutes), where you change to a bus to the Tokamachi bus depot (about 20 minutes). In winter, snow-driving experience and winter tyres or chains are essential.

Tokamachi has a bus system, but the easiest way to get around is by car, especially for the spread-out nature spots of the Echigo-Tsumari region. Note that some buses do not stop at Tokamachi Station itself — Tokamachi-Honcho 3-chome is the nearest bus stop to the station and central Tokamachi. Japan's transport is orderly with no particular scams to watch for.

• Tokamachi Snow Festival (February) — The oldest snow festival in Japan and second in size only to Hokkaido's, with magnificent large snow sculptures set against a picturesque winter landscape; well worth timing a trip around.
• Kimono Festival (May) — A bright, colourful spring celebration of the region's fame for kimono textiles, enlivening the city after the long, cold winter.

The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial is the city's signature event — every three years, Tokamachi hosts one of the world's largest international art festivals, with works and related events scattered across the landscape; some installations and art houses remain open between festivals. The region's onsen are a year-round draw: Matsunoyama Onsen is reputed to be one of the best medicinal hot springs in Japan, and Mion Onsen in Nakasato pairs a hot spring with a waterslide and pool. For nightlife, Be-1 is a karaoke venue charging per room by the hour, in the Western style.

Tokamachi's food scene is varied for a city its size, with an unusually broad range of cuisines. The signature local dish is hegisoba — buckwheat noodles bound with funori seaweed, served on a flat lacquered tray. Niigata's rice and sake underpin the regional cooking.

• Budget: Kappa Zushi and Sushi Doraku, decent and cheap conveyor-belt sushi places; Sukiya, for cheap Japanese rice bowls.
• Mid-range: Kojimaya, a well-regarded soba restaurant with two Tokamachi locations, serving hegisoba; Daikichi, a two-storey yakitori place with room for groups; Pepe and Tanto for Italian food.
• Upscale: Louis, a quaint cabin-style restaurant and bar in nearby Kawanishi, a 5-minute drive from the centre, mixing East and West for a memorable evening.

For something different, Ribbon Cafe and Lumiere (a French patisserie-café in a small cabin) are good for coffee and sweets.

• Ark — A cool bar on the corner of Eki Dori and Route 117, with good cocktails and a second-storey view over the street.

Local Niigata sake is widely available in the city's izakaya. Tap water is safe to drink throughout Japan.

• Budget: Simple inns and guesthouses in and around the city centre.
• Mid-range: Business hotels near Tokamachi station and the onsen inns of Matsunoyama and Nakasato.
• Upscale / heritage: Tokamachi has unusual art-led lodging — the House of Light (Hikari no Yakata), an art house designed by James Turrell in the Kawanishi area, and the Dream House (Yume no Ie) by Marina Abramovic at Matsunoyama Onsen, both available to rent by the night.

Tokamachi's local products are the prized Koshihikari rice of the surrounding paddies and the region's sake, both good souvenirs. The city's long textile heritage also makes kimono and woven fabrics a distinctive, if pricier, purchase. Prices are fixed; bargaining is not customary.

• Bijin Bayashi Forest — about 30 minutes away in Matsunoyama; a beautiful beech forest.
• Kyororo Science Museum — a natural-science museum in Matsunoyama with a viewing tower.
• Kiyotsukyo Canyon — southeast of the city; a dramatic gorge with striking rock formations and a viewing tunnel.
• Akiyamago — in nearby Tsunan; a region of rivers, forests, waterfalls and gorges.
• Echigo-Yuzawa — the nearest Shinkansen town; ski and hot-spring resort.