[Gunma Prefecture, Nakanojo Town] Contemporary Art Festival "Nakanojo Biennale 2025"

The Nakanojo Biennale is an international art festival held every two years in Nakanojo Town. This year marks its 10th anniversary!

Written by

Gunma Prefecture Nakanojo Town Tourism Association

Nakanojo Town in Gunma Prefecture is a hot spring resort town with hot springs such as Shima, Sawatari, and Kuni. It is a rural area filled with nature, with places such as Lake Nozori, Yoshigadaira, and Chatsubomigoke Park. Ancient events and culture such as the Torioi Festival and Gion Festival remain. The town also holds the Nakanojo Biennale, an international contemporary art festival, every two years. We will introduce the charms of Nakanojo Town.

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What is the Nakanojo Biennale?

The Nakanojo Biennale is an international contemporary art festival held every two years in Nakanojo Town, Gunma Prefecture.

You can experience a beautiful Satoyama culture that cannot be found anywhere else, including scenery surrounded by majestic mountains, Ramsar Convention wetlands, hot spring resorts with a long history, sericulture and wild silkworm culture, and folk events and festivals that have been passed down through the generations.

Artists will stay in the artist-in-residence program in a distinctive mountain village to create works, and then present the results of their work at the Nakanojo Biennale.

Various locations in Nakanojo Town, including the hot spring town and a wooden school building, will be used as venues, and a variety of art exhibits, music, performances, a market and more will be held.

Nakanojo Biennale website

overview

Period: Saturday, September 13th, 2025 to Monday, October 13th (National Holiday), 31 days, open every day

Event details: Exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations, and other works will be held in various locations around the town, including the hot spring town and the wooden school building, as well as performances.

Exhibition Area/Venue

It is divided into five areas: Nakanojo City Center, Isama, Shima Onsen, Sawatari Kuresaka, and Kuni.

In 2025, there will be approximately 55 exhibition venues, with 145 artists from Japan and abroad participating!

See the list of artists here

Viewing Passport

・All-period viewing passport: 3,000 yen

Weekday viewing passport: 2,000 yen

・Free admission for high school students and younger

For other information such as advance prices and set prices, please see the passport page.

Advance tickets can be purchased at convenience stores across Japan until September 12th!

For passport information click here

Access to Nakanojo Town

By car: 40 minutes from Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway

By highway bus: 3 hours by direct bus from Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station

By train: Take the Kusatsu/Shima express train from Ueno Station for 2 hours and get off at Nakanojo Station

However, if you wish to view the artworks in the Kuni area, get off at Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station.

Written by

Gunma Prefecture Nakanojo Town Tourism Association

Gunma

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