Nasu — Art of Stone and Light
NASU ART

Nasu — Art of Stone and Light

Place is home to quiet works by some of Japan's leading artists and architects, set among fields and forest

  • Duration: 10 hours (from 9:00, Tokyo)
  • Price: On request
  • Departure: Hotels in central Tokyo

Overview

The northern part of Tochigi Prefecture, at the foot of the Nasu mountains, is a rare destination for those who especially appreciate the work of Yoshitomo Nara and the architecture of Kengo Kuma.

 

Here, their work can be experienced not in the well-known museum clusters of Tokyo or other major cities, but among forests, fields, and small towns, where art and architecture become part of the landscape itself. It is a chance to encounter their work in a more intimate and natural setting, where space, material, and the surrounding environment are just as important as the works themselves.

 

The journey begins with a ride on the Tohoku Shinkansen in Green Car to Nasushiobara. From there, you continue by private vehicle with a Japanese driver.

 

The route includes Yoshitomo Nara’s private art space, a museum by Kengo Kuma created from historic stone storehouses, and his timber museum dedicated to the woodblock prints of Utagawa Hiroshige.

 

Stone, wood, water, and light all become part of the artistic experience. For admirers of Nara and Kuma, this is a rare opportunity to see their work and architecture away from the familiar cultural centers, in the quiet landscape of Nasu.

 

Start: 9:00 / Duration: approx. 10 hours. Private car with driver. 

Route: Tokyo → Nasushiobara Station → N's YARD → Lunch → Stone Museum → Bato Hiroshige Museum → Nasushiobara Station → Tokyo

Key Features

  1. N's YARD — Yoshitomo Nara's Private Space — A space where the artist Yoshitomo Nara shows his own work alongside records and objects he has collected. The white building stands in the woods of Nasu, and the display changes regularly.
  2. Stone Museum — Kengo Kuma's Storehouses Reborn — A museum Kengo Kuma created from old storehouses built of local Ashino stone. Walls of thin stone slats stacked like a lattice and shallow pools of water make a new space of light and shadow.
  3. Bato Hiroshige Museum — Cedar Lattice and Ukiyo-e — A museum of ukiyo-e centred on Utagawa Hiroshige. Designed by Kengo Kuma, its roof and walls are wrapped in fine louvres of local Yamizo cedar that recall the lines of rain in Hiroshige's prints.
  4. The Nasu Mountains — The range around Mount Nasu forms part of Nikko National Park. Pastures and woods line the road, and the mountains change with the seasons — fresh green, autumn colour and snow.
  5. Lunch in Nasu — A seasonal Japanese lunch featuring local ingredients from Nasu — highland vegetables, dairy products, and river fish — enjoyed at a relaxed pace and tailored to your preferences.
  6. Tohoku Shinkansen Green Car — About 70 minutes from Tokyo to Nasushiobara in the spacious Green Car, watching the Kanto Plain give way to the Nasu mountains.

Itinerary

Day 1 — A Day in Nasu

Three places where the material becomes the art work

  • 09:00 Departure from Tokyo
    Transfer from your hotel to Tokyo Station, then the Tohoku Shinkansen Green Car to Nasushiobara with guide.
  • 10:50 Nasushiobara Station
    Meet your driver and explore Nasu by private vehicle.
  • 11:15 N's YARD
    N's YARD is a private art space established by Yoshitomo Nara in Nasu, surrounded by nature. It presents his works and related projects in a quiet setting where art, architecture, and landscape come together.
  • 12:30 Lunch
    Seasonal Japanese cuisine with Nasu produce.
  • 14:00 Stone Museum
    The Stone Museum in Ashino is an architectural space by Kengo Kuma, created from historic stone warehouses once used to store rice. Using local Ashino stone, water, and natural light, Kuma transformed the old structures into a place where the material itself becomes part of the artistic experience. Passages between the three stone buildings blur the boundary between interior and landscape, revealing stone not simply as a heavy material, but as something capable of filtering light and creating a surprising sense of lightness.
  • 15:40 Bato Hiroshige Museum
    The Bato Hiroshige Museum of Art is one of Kengo Kuma’s landmark works, dedicated to the art of Utagawa Hiroshige. Kuma translated the layered spatial quality of Hiroshige’s woodblock prints into architecture: louvers made from local Japanese cedar filter the light and create a sense of overlapping, translucent layers. Stone, timber, and washi connect the museum closely to the landscape and craft traditions of the region.
  • 16:30 To Nasushiobara Station
    About 50 minutes by car, then the Tohoku Shinkansen back to Tokyo, then a transfer to your hotel.

MATERIAL AND LIGHT

The Voice of Material — Art and Architecture in Nasu

At the Stone Museum, Kengo Kuma kept the old stone storehouses. The new stone he added is cut thin and laid with gaps that let light and air through, so that a heavy material begins to look almost as light as fabric.

 

At the Bato Hiroshige Museum, the same architect wrapped the building in fine cedar louvres whose overlapping lines recall the rain in Hiroshige's prints. The material belongs to the land, the skill to the craftsmen; perhaps the architect only decides how to listen to them.

 

Yoshitomo Nara's space, too, was made within the artist's own reach. See for yourself how close material and people can be, far from the scale of the great museums.

Additional options

 

  • Mizuniwa — Junya Ishigami's garden of 160 ponds and 318 trees. 
  • An overnight stay is available at Itamuro Onsen Daikokuya, a ryokan where traditional hot springs meet contemporar y art.The property is home to the Kishio Suga Souko Museum, a permanent space dedicated to Kishio Suga, one of the leading figures of the Mono-ha movement. 

Practical Information

Start time / Duration
9:00 / 10 hours
Included in the price
・Tohoku Shinkansen Green Car (round trip)
・Private car with driver in Nasu
・Transfers in Tokyo
・Admission fees

*Meals and options are not included.

*N's YARD and the Stone Museum are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Hiroshige Museum on Mondays; the tour runs Thursday to Sunday.

*N's YARD closes in winter (please check the available period with your concierge).