When planning a visit to Japan, most travellers stick to large cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and
Osaka - but while this may be the easiest option, it also means missing out on the rural
and natural landscapes that make up much of the rest of the country.
Getting off of that beaten track can reveal an altogether different side to the country
- from forested mountains, picturesque villages and fascinating glimpses of rural life - but
knowing where to start and how to fit it all into a travel itinerary can be a challenge,
especially if it’s your first time.
In this video, we’ll show you how you can experience all of this and more in a visit
to Niigata - a rural prefecture within easy reach of Tokyo known for its delicious rice
and sake, and as one of Japan’s premier spots for snow and winter sports.
On this three-day trip, we’ll make our way around the Echigo-Tsumari region before crossing
over to Sado Island.
I’m Matt Evans reporting for japan-guide.com - join me as we find the spirit of rural Japan
on a three-day trip to Niigata Prefecture.
Day 1
We start our journey heading north from Tokyo on the Joetsu shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa
where we transfer to a local train to Tokamachi.
Here, we’ll change to a rental car to explore the rural countryside and some contemporary
art installations that are scattered around the area.
At the end of the day, we’ll make our way to Matsunoyama Onsen where we’ll spend the
night at a hot spring ryokan.
We are in Echigo Tsumari, a really beautiful rural corner of Niigata Prefecture.
Now like a lot of rural Japan, a huge issue here has been depopulation
with many people especially among the younger generation gradually moving away into
the larger cities.
Now what really sets this area aside though is the creative solution they’ve come up
with to generate interest and bring visitors back into the area.
And that is, to turn the whole region, an area the size of Central Tokyo, into one giant
contemporary art exhibition.
And so on this trip we’re going to find out what that looks like.
When this elementary school in the remote village of Hachi closed down, picture book
artist Tashima Seizo decided to turn the now vacant building into something extraordinary
- a three dimensional storybook about the adventures of its final three students, complete
with a colorful cast of imaginary characters.
Our next stop is the Matsudai Noh Butai - one of the region’s information centers that
also serves as a space for exhibitions and cultural events, set in a unique, modern building.
So I'm here in the museum's gorgeous Wes Anderson style cafe, and everything here is based on
the folk concept of Satoyama, meaning "living in harmony with nature".
And what we have here is a beautiful light lunch made of locally grown ingredients and
mountain vegetables.
Despite the challenges of living here, Niigata’s climate of hot summers and cold winters make
it ideal for growing delicious, high quality rice, of which the prefecture is Japan’s
largest producer.
Behind me is the Hoshitoge Rice Terrace - a series of about 200 small rice fields cut
into a gently sloping hillside.
Right now it's early fall but it's especially spectacular sight in summer when the grass is lush
and green and in winter when every outline is coated in thick fluffy snow.
As the area continues to suffer from depopulation, many houses like this 200-year-old farmhouse
in Toge village have been left abandoned.
In 2006, the artist Kurakake Junichi took on the task of restoring the house as an art
project - known as the Shedding House.
Inside, every surface of the house had been stained black by soot from the traditional
open fireplace.
Together with a team of students from a university in Tokyo, the artist carved notches into every
inch of exposed wood, giving it a whole new look.
With our first day in Niigata drawing to a close, we make our way to nearby Matsunoyama
Onsen - a tiny hot spring town whose waters are ranked in the nation’s top 3, alongside
Arima and Kusatsu, for its high quality and medicinal effects.
It's been a fun and busy day sightseeing here in Niigata Prefecture.
So we have checked into a ryokan here in Matsuyama Onsen and
we're going to enjoy a gorgeous local meal before hitting the onsen and heading to bed!
Itadakimasu!
Day 2
After spending the night at Matsunoyama Onsen, we’ll round off our time in Echigo-Tsumari
with two last contemporary art installations.
Continuing on to Niigata City, we’ll cross over to Sado Island by Jettfoil, where we’ll
make a stop at an atmospheric temple before spending the night at a ryokan in the pretty
coastal village of Shukunegi.
Our final stop in Echigo-Tsumari is an art installation with an unusual setting - a 750m
tunnel running alongside the scenic Kiyotsu Gorge.
Once a popular beauty spot, the gorge was declared off-limits back in 1988, due to the
twin dangers posed by falling rocks and heavy snowfall.
Almost a decade later, the government opened a pedestrian tunnel, allowing visitors a safe
glimpse of the valley’s dramatic rock face.
It starts with long stretches of tunnel, with this atmospheric scenic lighting...
...leads through viewing platforms like this with an interesting contemporary design…
...and ends with this last view of the valley reflected in an infinity pool.
With that, it’s time to leave Echigo-Tsumari behind, and we’re back in the car for a
two-hour drive to Niigata City.
From here, we’ll make the crossing to Sado Island by Jetfoil.
Arriving into the harbor town of Ryotsu, we make our way inland to the secluded temple
of Seisuiji.
Originally built in the year 808, the temple’s main building is partly based on the more
famous Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto.
While the temple has since fallen somewhat into a state of disrepair, there remains a
powerful sense of serene beauty to the site, and the surrounding cedar forest.
From Seisuiji Temple, we make our way to our accommodation for the night at Shukunegi - a
pretty coastal town that we’ll be seeing more of tomorrow morning.
So, after another busy day of sightseeing we are finishing for the day here on Sado Island.
We've checked into a quaint little ryokan and I'll be getting an early night ready for
our last big day of sightseeing tomorrow.
Day 3
On our final day, we’ll begin by taking a look around the historic Shukunegi village,
then experiencing a short ride in a taraibune or traditional wash tub boat.
From here, we’ll make our way along Sado’s west coast to the town of Aikawa, where we’ll
visit Sado Kinzan - a preserved gold mine - and some related sites, before heading back
to the mainland by ferry.
Extremely remote today, Shukunegi used to be a stop along Japan’s most important shipping
route which connected Hokkaido to Osaka via the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea.
As a result, Shukunegi grew into a prosperous port town.
The carpenters who lived here made their living as ship builders.
And so they used the same skills and materials to build these houses, giving the town a unique
design and atmosphere.
One unique tradition here on the island is the use of traditional flat-bottomed boats
called taraibune to catch abalone and other mollusks.
Shaped like a small washtub, the boats’ unusual design keeps them steady in the water,
and allows them to reach the many nooks and narrow coves in the area’s rocky coastline.
Today, visitors can enjoy a short ride in a taraibune with a skilled local rower at
several places around the island.
For a long time, Sado’s physical remoteness made it a place of exile and banishment for
political crimes.
Its fortunes changed in the 17th century, however, when a rich vein of gold was discovered
in the island’s mountains.
The mine, known as Sado Kinzan, soon became the most productive in all of Japan, and the
town of Aikawa grew to a large city.
At its peak, as many as 50,000 people lived here - putting it on a level with Nagasaki,
one of the leading cities of the time.
In the 1950s, the mine’s output began to drop off, finally closing altogether in 1989
- but while Aikawa is once again a small, remote town, signs of its historic importance
can still be found today.
Here at the Sodayu, the original 17th century section of the mine, we can get a bit of a sense of
what life was like for the people who worked here.
In addition to the 17th century mine, visitors can also view a more modern mine shaft dating
from the late 20th century, as well as a museum.
Just a short drive from the mine itself are the ruins of another important part of its operations.
Built in the 1930s, the Kitazawa Flotation Plant could process up to 50,000 tons of ore
in a single month - extracting gold and silver using a technique previously used only for copper.
Abandoned in the 1950s, the facility is now being reclaimed by nature, but remains an
impressive sight.
We're here at Mochidaya which is a cosy local restaurant.
The owners own a fishmonger's just next door so it really is the perfect place to try the
local specialty of....lots of fish.
The discovery of gold made Sado a place of national strategic importance, and like a
few other select sites around Japan, the shogun put it under his direct control from his seat
in what is today Tokyo.
The shogun appointed a magistrate, who governed the island from his headquarters here in the
town of Aikawa.
Known as the Bugyosho, this building served as a center of government, as well as every
aspect of the mine’s administration.The building was reconstructed in the year 2000
to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the mine’s opening.
It’s almost time to leave the island, but there’s just time for one last stop.
Located just a short walk from the Bugyosho behind a concrete wall covered in ivy is the
now abandoned Old Aikawa Detention House - a former prison now open to the public.
Built in 1954 and abandoned just 18 years later, it’s a sombre but remarkably atmospheric
space, now freely open to the public with some of its original furniture and trimmings
still intact.
And with that, it’s time to make our way back to the mainland and begin our journey
home.
From its beautiful weatherbeaten landscapes to its creative response to the changing times,
it’s been a fascinating journey into the heart of rural Japan here in Niigata Prefecture.
We really hope you enjoyed this video!
For more information about this trip or to watch another video, click the links on the
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Happy travels!