Shiroiya Hotel, Gunma and Maebashi's art destination, is serving as the accommodation partner of the "1st Maebashi Biennale 2026," an 80-day art festival unfolding across central Maebashi from Saturday, September 19 to Sunday, December 20, 2026. To mark the occasion, the hotel is hosting a range of related programs and events.
Shiroiya Hotel's Maebashi Biennale 2026 Event Line-up
Gunma SAKE TSUGU at Machatei
- Nagai Shuzo x Gunma SAKE TSUGU at Machatei / September 22 (national holiday, Tuesday)
- Gunma SAKE TSUGU Festival Pop-Up Sake Bar at Machatei / October through December
Gastronomy — "Food as Art?"
- "Alchemist" Rasmus Munk + Takefumi Hamada demonstration and lounge talk / October 12 (national holiday, Monday) — Danish chef Rasmus Munk, known for his innovative approach to food and social causes, joins Takefumi Hamada, celebrated as the world's leading "foodie," for a rare shared session.
Suntory Collaboration
- Shiroiya The Restaurant: a drink pairing with Suntory's "ROKU" gin / throughout the festival
- Shiroiya The Lounge: the original festival-exclusive "Mebuku. Highball" / throughout the festival
Shiroiya Hotel Art Illumination 2026 — Mirocomachiko at SHIROIYA《空気に根をおろす》
- Art installation / September 19 through January 12, 2027
- Accommodation plan on sale / September 19 through December 19
- Mirocomachiko limited-edition cookie tin on sale / September 19 through January 12, 2027
For more on the Maebashi Biennale, see the official website: https://maebashi-biennale.com/
Gunma SAKE TSUGU at Machatei
During the festival, a pop-up bar celebrating Gunma's local sake opens inside "Machatei" (真茶亭), a quiet, hideaway-like space designed by the New Material Research Laboratory — founded by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida.
It's a chance to taste sake brewed from the clear spring water and quality rice nurtured by Gunma's rich natural environment. The bar is produced by "Gunma SAKE TSUGU," a group dedicated to promoting Gunma's local sake through information and events. Come enjoy a wide variety of delicious Gunma sake.
Nagai Shuzo x Gunma SAKE TSUGU at Machatei
Founded in 1886 and known for balancing tradition with innovation, Nagai Shuzo of Kawaba Village, Tone District, Gunma, welcomes its sixth-generation head, Noriyoshi Nagai (永井則吉), as host for a special evening of sake prepared just for the occasion, paired with conversation.
- Date: September 22, 2026 (national holiday, Tuesday)
- Venue: Machatei (2-2-15 Honmachi, Maebashi, Gunma — Shiroiya Hotel)
- Times: two seatings
- First seating: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
- Second seating: 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
- Price: ¥10,000 (before tax) per seating
- Capacity: 6 guests per seating
- Menu: 5 kinds of sake and 5 snacks
Guests can taste Japan's first full-fledged sparkling sake, "MIZUBASHO PURE," the 20-year vintage "MIZUBASHO VINTAGE 2006 Daiginjo," GI利根沼田's "GI MIZUBASHO Yukihotaka Junmai Daiginjo," and more, alongside snacks prepared by Shiroiya Hotel's head chef, Hiro Katayama, to complement the sake.
- Reservations: the pop-up sake bar's dedicated booking site — https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/shiroiya-bar/reserve?menu_items=6a9ec443008294771332e3ff
Please select September 22 when booking. Phone: 090-9017-2335 (Gunma SAKE TSUGU, Shimizu) - Cancellations: cancellations made the day before or on the day of the event will be charged the full fee.
- Nagai Shuzo official website: https://nagai-sake.co.jp
Gunma SAKE TSUGU Festival Pop-Up Sake Bar at Machatei
"Gunma SAKE TSUGU," which knows Gunma's local sake inside and out, opens a pop-up bar during the festival where guests can taste and compare a curated selection of local sake. Enjoy a wide variety of delicious Gunma sake — the bar's commitment to "Gunma" extends beyond the sake itself to the drinkware and snacks as well.
- Open: every Friday and Saturday from October 2 to December 26, 2026
- Hours: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM (last entry 10:30 PM)
Other days and times can be arranged on request. - Venue: Machatei (2-2-15 Honmachi, Maebashi, Gunma — Shiroiya Hotel)
- Seats: 6
Sample menu:
- Table charge (snacks): ¥1,000
- Sake tasting flight, 2 kinds x 45ml: ¥1,800
- Sake tasting flight, 4 kinds x 45ml: ¥3,500
- Additional pour, 1 kind x 45ml: from ¥1,000
- Non-alcoholic options (amazake, mulberry tea, olive tea, and more)
- Reservations: the pop-up sake bar's dedicated booking site — https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/shiroiya-bar/reserve
Please select your preferred visit date and time.
Phone: 090-9017-2335 (Gunma SAKE TSUGU, Shimizu)
On open nights, walk-ins are also welcome if seats are available. - Cancellations: cancellations made the day before or on the day of the event will be charged a flat ¥5,000 per person.
- Official website: https://www.gunma-saketsugu.jp
About Gunma SAKE TSUGU
Wanting more people to discover the appeal of Gunma's local sake and its breweries, representative Daisuke Shimizu left his 15-year career at the Gunma Prefectural Government and launched "Gunma SAKE TSUGU" on October 1, 2019 — Japan Sake Day — under the guiding themes of "passing on the spirit of the breweries," "carrying forward tradition," "connecting people and culture," and "pouring sake." The group runs information campaigns and organizes events centered on that mission.
Gastronomy — "Food as Art?"
"Alchemist" Rasmus Munk + Takefumi Hamada Demonstration and Lounge Talk
A demonstration and lounge talk featuring Danish chef Rasmus Munk, known for his innovative approach to cooking and his social initiatives, together with Takefumi Hamada, celebrated as the world's leading "foodie."
- Date: October 12, 2026 (national holiday, Monday)
- Time: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Venue: Shiroiya The Lounge (2-2-15 Honmachi, Maebashi, Gunma — Shiroiya Hotel)
- Admission: requires a Maebashi Biennale 2026 passport ticket plus a separately sold paid ticket.
Details on the separate ticket will be announced at a later date. - Program: full details to be announced later on the Maebashi Biennale website.
- Inquiries: info@styrism.com
Suntory Collaboration — Official Maebashi Biennale Drinks
Throughout the festival, Shiroiya Hotel is serving original drinks made with Suntory products at both The Restaurant and The Lounge.
At The Restaurant, the premium Japanese craft gin "ROKU" is served as an alcohol pairing alongside the Joshu cuisine of head chef Hiro Katayama — a glass that layers a clear tomato consomme over ROKU's complex aromas, balancing a long, lingering fragrance with the savory sweetness of tomato.
At The Lounge, a drink supervisor from Suntory's gourmet development team worked with the Biennale office to create "Mebuku. Highball," inspired by Maebashi.
"Mebuku. Highball"
A refreshing, mojito-style highball scented with honey and mint, inspired by Maebashi's city vision and the festival's theme, "Mebuku.". The idea draws on the city's beekeeping and honey production in its urban core. Made with Suntory's "Jim Beam" whiskey, it balances bourbon's gentle sweetness with mellow acacia honey and the cool lift of mint and soda.
For details and reservations at Shiroiya The Restaurant, see: https://www.shiroiya.com/dine/
For details and reservations at Shiroiya The Lounge, see: https://www.shiroiya.com/stories/the-lounge/
"Mebuku. Highball" is available for ¥1,200 during festival lunch hours (11:30 AM – 2:30 PM, last order 2:00 PM) and tea time (2:30 PM – 5:00 PM, last order 4:30 PM).
Shiroiya Hotel Art Illumination 2026 — Mirocomachiko at SHIROIYA《空気に根をおろす》
Shiroiya Hotel's annual art illumination, a beloved winter tradition in Maebashi, returns this year with painter and picture-book artist Mirocomachiko, visiting from Amami Oshima, for "Mirocomachiko at SHIROIYA《空気に根をおろす》" (free to view).
Art Illumination 2026《空気に根をおろす》Exhibit
- Exhibit period: September 19, 2026 – January 12, 2027
Lit nightly from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM - Venue: Shiroiya Hotel (2-2-15 Honmachi, Maebashi, Gunma)
- Price: free to view. See the link below for more details.
https://www.shiroiya.com/news/news-topics/20260608-2/
Shiroiya Hotel Breakfast-Included Accommodation Plan
Includes:
- A Maebashi Biennale 2026 passport ticket
- Maebashi Biennale 2026 original merchandise
Passport tickets and merchandise are provided for the number of guests staying at the adult rate.
Reservations:
Choose from guest rooms individually designed by world-renowned artists, architects, and designers.
Shiroiya Hotel
2-2-15 Honmachi, Maebashi, Gunma
Phone: 027-231-4618
Email: info@shiroiya.com
Online booking: https://www.shiroiya.com/?tripla_booking_widget_open=search&hotel_plan_code=16994073&search_type=undated
- Bookable through December 19, 2026.
- Because the festival's paid venues are closed on Wednesdays, this plan is not sold for Tuesday or Wednesday stays.
- The stay also includes head chef Hiro Katayama's Joshu-style breakfast, a staff-led hotel tour (daily at 5:00 PM or 10:00 AM the next morning), and the Art Lounge, where drinks and snacks are complimentary from evening onward.
- Guests wishing to dine at Shiroiya The Restaurant or use the sauna should contact the hotel directly.
Mirocomachiko Limited-Edition Cookie Tin
For the festival, Mirocomachiko created a special painting, 《空気に根をおろす花》, which appears on the lid of a limited-edition cookie tin. As a tribute to the Amami Oshima-based artist, the tin holds five kinds of cookies — including polvorones made with plenty of Amami brown sugar — each baked by hand by the pastry chefs of The Patisserie.
- Sale period: September 19, 2026 – January 12, 2027
- Price: ¥5,800
- Contents: an assortment of 5 kinds of cookies — miso walnut, matcha sable, brown sugar polvoron, sable coco, and sable cacao
- Size: 125 x 175 x 45mm
- Online orders: https://shiroiya.thebase.in/items/153952624
- Sold at: Shiroiya The Patisserie (on the Shiroiya Hotel grounds, along Babagawa-dori)
- Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Closed: Mondays (open on national holidays, closed the following Tuesday instead)
- The cookie tin can also be purchased at the Shiroiya Hotel front desk.
- Best enjoyed within about 1 month of purchase.
- Store below 20°C, away from high heat, humidity, and direct sunlight.
- Comes with a gift bag.
About Shiroiya Hotel
ART DESTINATION — a hotel like a museum, full of inspiration for the senses
After 300 years as a long-established inn in Maebashi, Gunma, the property was reborn in December 2020 as Shiroiya Hotel, redesigned by architect Sou Fujimoto to help revitalize the city center. The renovation of the once-derelict building left the concrete atrium exposed, now home to a dreamlike light installation by Leandro Erlich. Guest rooms are each decorated with different works of art, and throughout the hotel guests can enjoy a wide range of contemporary art and design set within lush greenery. The grounds also include a restaurant, cafe lounge, patisserie, bakery, tea room, and three types of private saunas. The main dining room, Shiroiya The Restaurant, has appeared in the Gault et Millau restaurant guide for five consecutive years. With a wealth of activities both on-site and around the hotel, a stay here promises to be full of inspiration.
