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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > UBE Biennale Sculpture Festival
Japan’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition
Ube City
In 1961 Japan’s first outdoor sculpture exhibition was held in Ube on the Seto Inland Sea coast in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Now running for over 60 years, it has continued to be held in Tokiwa Park every two years since its founding.
Now called UBE Biennale International Sculpture Competition, it has grown to become Japan’s biggest sculpture festival and attracts entries from across Japan and around the world. Head to UBE Biennale Sculpture Hill in Tokiwa Park at any time of year to see about 100 sculptural artworks, including past winning pieces, displayed in a setting that beautifully blends nature and art. A further 100 sculptures from past exhibitions are installed across the city.
A local favourite is Ryokichi Mukai’s Ant Castle, a large scale, insect-inspired sculpture created in 1962 with steel smelted in Ube’s factories as a tribute to the city’s industrial past. Find your piece of favourite art when you visit!
How to get there
10 minutes by bus from Yamaguchi Ube Airport to Tokiwa Kouen bus stop or 15 minutes walk from JR Tokiwa Station.
