Kiyotsu Canyon Tunnel

photo by Ann Lee · CC BY-SA 2.0

photo by Kropsoq · CC BY-SA 3.0

In 2018 Ma Yansong remade the tunnel: shallow water mirrors the canyon, 750 m.

The tunnel, dug through the rock for 750 metres with three viewing points along the way, comes out at the Panorama Station: in 2018, for the Daichi no Geijutsu-sai (Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale), the Chinese architect Ma Yansong and his studio MAD Architects turned it into an installation, ‘Tunnel of Light’ (steel walls and a shallow pool of water that together reflect the canyon and the sky). Kiyotsu-kyō is one of the three great canyons of Japan, together with Kurobe (Toyama) and Ōsugi (Mie), designated a Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument in 1941.

The Kiyotsu canyon cuts through the volcanic rock between Tokamachi and Yuzawa; its walls of stone columns (柱状節理) earn it, together with Kurobe and Ōsugi, the title of one of the three great canyons of Japan, with official designation as a Place of Scenic Beauty (名勝) and a Natural Monument (天然記念物) since 1941. The visitor tunnel, dug to reduce the risk of landslides on the original path, runs for 750 metres to the Panorama Station, redesigned in 2018 by the architect Ma Yansong.

ℹ️ Address: 〒949-8433 新潟県十日町市小出癸2119-2. The round trip takes 30–40 minutes; the car park is 3–5 minutes from the entrance and there are accessible facilities. Check opening hours and prices on the official site before your visit.

🚉 清津峡渓谷 · 3 min walk

Sources: nakasato-kiyotsu.com · ja.wikipedia.org

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