Previously on Episode One.
In this three part series we are taking a seven day six night trip from Tokyo to Kyoto,
but not by the usual route along the Pacific coast known as the “Golden Route”, which
most tourists take.
Instead we are traveling through Japan’s “New Golden Route” which delves into the
country’s rural interior, continues along the beautiful Sea of Japan coast, and finishes
at Kyoto.
A great way to travel along this New Golden Route is the Hokuriku Arch Pass, a 7-day pass
exclusively available to overseas tourists that allows for unlimited use of all the JR Lines
shown on this map, including the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
In episode one, which covered the first two days of our adventure, we made our way from
Tokyo to the Snow Monkeys in Nagano.
Now in Episode 2 we’ll make our way along the Sea of Japan coast and end in the mountain
town of Takayama.
So join me, Sam Evans, as we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto along Japan's New Golden Route.
Day 3
We start the day traveling to Itoigawa City in Niigata Prefecture, where we’ll enjoy
a scenic bike ride along the coast before having lunch at a local sushi shop.
We then head to Toyama Prefecture where we will take a train into the Kurobe Gorge, one
of Japan’s deepest and most beautiful gorges, and end our day at Kuronagi Onsen.
After getting off the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Itoigawa Station, we backtrack a little
and take a local train to reach the town of Nou, where we head to the “Marine Dream”
roadside Station.
From there we’ll enjoy a scenic 40 min bike ride along the coast, all the way to Sushi
Katsu, a sushi restaurant not far from Itoigawa Station.
It’s the morning of Day 3 of our adventure and we are here in Nou in Niigata Prefecture.
Now what we’re going to do this morning is hire a rental cycle and cycle a few kilometers
down that way into central Itoigawa.
It’s a beautiful day, the birds are singing, so let’s get on with this!
So we’ve got the rental bike, let’s go!
We just arrived at Sushi Katsu, a traditional local sushi restaurant right by the coast
so you can bet the fish is going to be amazingly fresh.
Following our delicious sushi lunch we make our way by Hokuriku shinkansen and local train
to Unazuki Onsen.
There, we transfer to the Kurobe Gorge Railway to Kuronagi Station.
Our stop for the night is the remote riverside Kuronagi Ryokan located a picturesque 20 minute
hike from the station.
So we finished our wonderful riverside bath and we’ve sat down to our 3rd night’s
meal.
And it’s a traditional ryokan meal, which we’ve had now 3 nights in a row but notice
that they are all different, depending a lot on local specialties.
Day 4
After an enjoyable ryokan breakfast we head further up the gorge to Keyakidaira, the final
station of the Kurobe Gorge Railway, where we will take in some of the beautiful landscapes
before travelling all the way to Takayama, to enjoy some of the local cuisine.
We just arrived at Keyakidaira the final stop on the Kurobe Railway.
This place is famous for its natural beauty so let’s go and explore.
It’s now time to make a journey towards Takayama via the Hokuriku Shinkansen from
Kurobe-Unazuki Onsen to Toyama, and then take the Takayama line to Takayama, where we’ll
head to the famous Old Town district to end our day with some local delicacies.
After starting out the day in the kurobe gorge we finally arrived in Takayama, which is famous
for its Old Town, and it’s one of the most beautiful and well preserved in all of Japan.
When in Takayama there are 2 must try things: the delicacy of Hida Beef, and the local sake.
Tonight we’re in a sake brewery’s restaurant where I am going to enjoy both, ahead of our
big day tomorrow in which we are going to explore Takayama’s old town before heading
on to Kanazawa.
Itadakimasu!
And that concludes Episode 2 of our journey.
Make sure to join us in Episode 3, as we explore more beautiful locations
and enjoy unique experiences
and finally make our way to Kyoto where our adventure will come to an end.
If you are looking for more information about this itinerary, click the links on the screen
now, or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand
from Japan.
Thanks for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more videos about Japan.
Happy travels.