The Northern Alps International Art Festival is the largest international art festival in Nagano Prefecture, held once every three years in Omachi City. Artists from Japan and abroad gather in Omachi City, at the foot of the Northern Alps, to create site-specific contemporary art, featuring some of the most prominent Japanese artists of today. The first Northern Alps International Art Festival was held in 2017, and the second in 2021, as part of an effort to bring out the town’s potential charm by utilizing the creativity of art and culture and linking it with local resources, and to promote unique urban development through collaboration among citizens of Omachi.

The festival actually takes place over the entire area of Omachi, and 2024’s rendition relies heavily on the natural environment of the region, specifically targeting different natural features to base Omachi specific artwork through a specific lens. The theme of the festival for 2024 is theme of the festival is based on four concepts (Water, Trees, Earth, and Sky) spread across five different areas of Omachi: The Dam Area, The Nishina Lakes Area, The Headwaters Area, The Downtown Area, and The Eastern Mountains Area.

The festival committee recommends visiting 2-3 areas and 10-15 works per day, and if you want to see all the works, they recommend staying for 2-3 days during this period. The distance between each work varies, so please check the artists and works in advance. The event will offer official tours to make the best use of your time, but the timings and schedules for these have not yet been released. Tickets for the event can be purchased on their website, and it should not be missed if you are an art or nature lover in Japan during this period!