Imagine vast rice fields surrounded by mountains,
clean air and clear water,
artisan towns and port cities,
and that is Niigata Prefecture
The prefecture, more often than not
surprises visitors with its little-known but excellent sightseeing attractions,
and what’s more, it’s not crowded.
Moreover, Niigata Prefecture is also easily accessible from Tokyo by bullet train,
making it a convenient destination or side trip for rail pass holders based in Tokyo.
My name is Raina Ong, reporting for japan-guide.com
and in this video, we’ll be taking a three day side trip from Tokyo
uncovering rustic and traditional Japan in Niigata.
So follow along, as we go on a 3 day trip exploring rustic and traditional Niigata
Day 1
Starting in Tokyo, we take an 80 minute ride on the bullet train to Echigo-Yuzawa Station,
gateway to Niigata Prefecture
and transfer to the local line to Muikamachi Station.
Our first spot in Niigata is ryugon, a rustic traditional inn, where we start with a cooking activity and have lunch.
Following that, we rent bicycles and cycle through some rice fields and take a short break at a water source,
before continuing on to Uonuma no Sato,
the brewery grounds of one of Niigata’s most famous sake producers.
Finally, we return to Ryugon for dinner and rest.
Upon arrival at Muikamachi Station,
I take a twenty minute walk to ryugon.
The traditional Japanese inn consists of a number of buildings that used to be owned by wealthy farmers about 200 years ago,
and traditional design styles peculiar to the region remain to be seen.
Not only is ryugon a place to rest, enjoy the local cuisine and relax in the baths,
it is also a place where one can appreciate history and traditional design.
Additionally, the inn offers a variety of activities, and I sign up for a cooking experience held in a traditional earthen floor kitchen.
My cooking instructor for today is Seki-san , and she’s a pro with many years of cooking under her belt, or should I say apron,
and we're gonna be cooking lunch together.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Together with Seki-san, we cook some rice and make a local style soup filled with lots of vegetables.
The activity is relatively simple, and involves starting a fire in the traditional stove and cutting up some vegetables,
which can be done with minimum Japanese language skills.
In addition to the soup and the rice which we just made,
We also have some local dishes for lunch,
And they include some seasonal vegetables which were picked in spring,
and then preserved so we can enjoy them all year around
Niigata is the most famous region in Japan for premium sake
and contains the highest number of sake breweries in the country.
After lunch, I rent a bicycle to visit Uonuma no Sato,
the brewery grounds for Hakkaisan Sake.
After cycling for about 40 minutes, I make a stop at the water source, Raidensama no Mizu.
This spring water here at Raidensama no Mizu comes from one of the mountains in the Hakkai mountainrange behing me.
The water here is used for making sake,
And If it’s good enough for sake it’s good enough for me to drink!
After a short rest, I continue cycling to Uonuma no Sato, which takes about 20 minutes.
Established in 1922, Hakkaisan is an internationally and domestically renowned sake brewery from Minami Uonuma.
The company is named after Hakkaisan, one of the three big mountains in Minami Uonuma and a sacred mountain since ancient times
The grounds are made up of aesthetically pleasing buildings that contain a beer brewery,
cafes and resturants,
a snow warehouse
and the sake brewery itself
Over at the Sarakurayama Beer Brewery, visitors can enjoy freshly brewed beer.
The inspiration for there craft beer bran Rydeen comes from the water used to make the beer,
which is from Raidensama no Mizu, where I was earlier.
A highlight at Uonuma no Sato is touring the Hakkaisan Yukimuro,
the snow warehouse.
Minami Uonuma receives huge amounts of snow every winter, and the accumulated snow is used in the warehouse.
This is the entrance of the Hakkaisan Yukimuro,
which is warehouse containing approximately a thousand tons of snow.
So it's kinda like a giant natural refrigerator.
Now i can't imagine how that look like, so come along with me and let’s find out together!
I'm in the Yukimuro now and the temperature here ranges from between 3-6 degrees all year around
And over here you can see the tanks of Japanese sake being aged 3 or 8 years.
And this cold air that i can feel around me,
comes from this snow over here, now check it out!
The tour ends at a tasting counter where guests can sample a variety of Hakkaisan products
Including the sake that was aged in a snow warehouse for 3 and 8 years respectively
I hear that both are smooth with a sweetness to there flavour
But the 8 year one is comparatively smoother and has a rounder mouthfeel.
Japan has a strict zero tolerance rule for drink driving, which extends to cycling as well.
So no drinking and cycling for me
After a 45 minutes bicycle ride i arrive back at ryugon
and decide to soak in a bath before dinner is in order.
So after that beautiful day out cycling i'm back at ryugon and i'm ready for dinner.
We got the full gastronomy course for dinner
and i'm looking forward to it!
But first, Kanpai
I’ve had a big day out and I’m ready to call it a night.
Oyasumi
Day 2
After breakfast, we’ll take the local line to Urasa, change to the bullet train to Tsubame Sanjo then transfer to the local line to Tsubame Station,
where we’ll visit a nearby workshop to see copperware made the traditional way.
From there, we take the local line back to Tsubame Sanjo Station and take the bullet train to the capital city of Niigata.
Once there, we get on the tourist loop bus which will take us across the river where we’ll have a quick lunch,
walk to visit a historical residence and explore the old town on foot.
Then, we’ll go to our hotel to freshen up before going to dinner which includes a geisha experience.
The two cities of Tsubame and Sanjo, collectively referred to as Tsubame Sanjo,
are closely associated with one another through their history.
The region has been known for its metal works since the 17th century.
And I take the opportunity to visit Gyokusendo
a copperware workshop with a history of over two hundred years.
This is the entrance to the Gyokusendo workshop where copper vessels are hammered out by hand.
My workshop tour starts in a bit, so let's go!
In the early days, kettles and pots for daily use were primarily created at Gyokusendo.
Along the way, decorative pieces like vases and pots that showcased the artisans skills and techniques were added to the brand's repertoire.
In this room, it's where we do a lot of the shaping, the forming,
and also a lot of the design work, and some of the smaller detailing on the surface of the pieces.
Gyokusendo’s most iconic product is a kettle which is hammered out entirely by a single sheet of copper,
including the spout and the body.
The Gyokusendo technique of shaping and making the seamless kettle
is designated an intangible cultural property, and the process can be seen at the workshop.
The tour leads through the workshop where visitors can see the various stages of the creation process
before ending at the showroom where we can get a hands-on look at the finished products.
From Tsubamesanjo I continue by train to the capital of Niigata Prefecture, Niigata City.
After a quick lunch at a museum cafe
I start to explore the old town of Niigata.
This is the entrance of the Niigata Saito Villa
you cant really see much from the outside, so let's go in together.
The Niigata Saito Villa was constructed in 1918 by the fourth generation Saito patriarch as their holiday home.
The Saito family started off as sake brewers who grew their wealth through the late 19th century
trading in the shipping business and then further investing in land and bonds,
which turned them into a business conglomerate and one of the wealthiest families in Niigata.
The classical Japanese-style rooms offer a close look at traditional Japanese design
and allow one to have a similar experience to what a visitor might have had a hundred years ago
The way the Saito Villa was built with its large sliding doors
Allows the visitors to feel like there is no boundaries between the garden and the house.
From the villa, a five minute walk takes me to Furumachi, the old town of Niigata
Back in the good ol days, Niigata was a bustling port town along Japan’s most important shipping trade route along the Sea of Japan.
Trade and businesses flourished in Furumachi, and alongside them thrived the nightlife entertainment
which included brothels, geisha houses, upscale restaurants and tea houses.
As I still have some time before dinner, I head to my hotel to freshen up before my reservation at an upscale traditional Japanese restaurant.
A ryotei is a traditional restaurant serving Japanese haute cuisine,
and geisha services can be arranged at some.
For dinner tonight, I made a reservation at Ikinariya, a long-established ryotei that also offers a geisha experience.
The ryotei consists of several historical buildings
some of which is designated cultural heritage.
I’m super excited for tonight’s dinner experience.
Not only am I having dinner in this gorgeous room,
I’ve also got the company of a geisha for about an hour. I can’t wait
Geisha are professional entertainers skilled in the art of communication and traditional Japanese performing arts
which include dancing and singing.
Their main role is to attend to guests by conversing with them, performing a traditional dance or playing drinking games.
That was a wonderful experience at Ikinariya and a beautiful way to wrap up my second day.
Day 3
The village of Yahiko is where we’ll spend our last day in Niigata Prefecture, and we’ll take trains there from Niigata City.
After arriving in Yahiko, we first pick up some lunch at the farmer’s market, then make our way to the atmospheric local shrine and climb the mountain behind it.
Upon arrival at Yahiko Station, I make my way to the nearby farmers market that sells seasonal produce, snacks and ready made lunch boxes.
The open space in the market plaza make it a nice spot to take a break and have some food or a drink,
but I press on after picking up a lunch box to have after my hike later.
A power spot is said to be a location where positive energy flows and brings good luck and health to those who visit,
and both Mount Yahiko and Yahiko Shrine at the base of the mountain are considered to be power spots.
and my goal for today is to visit the shrine first, then hike to the peak of the mountain.
Yahiko Shrine is dedicated to Mount Yahiko, which is the shrine’s sacred object.
The spacious main shrine is located at the bottom of the mountain and a small inner shrine can be found at the top.
The standard way of offering your prayers at most shrines, is to bow twice, clap twice and bow once.
But the Yahiko Shrine, the style is to bow twice, clap four times and bow once.
From the main hall, I make my way to the start of the walking trail to the top of Mount Yahiko.
Standing at 634 meters, Mount Yahiko is the same height as the Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo,
and offers scenic landscape views from the top.
The hike to the peak takes about 2 hours and does not require any technical hiking equipment,
though sturdy walking shoes are recommended.
Alternatively, there is also a ropeway going nine-tenths of the way up the mountain
and from the upper ropeway station, it is a 10-15 minute walk to the peak.
I made it to the top of Mount Yahiko, and the view from here is absolutely beautiful.
I got the sea of Japan on the one side, and the rice fields on the other side.
I have lunch and stay on the peak for a while enjoying the view, fresh air and wide open space before making my way down and back towards Tokyo.
It has been an incredible three days out in the countryside of Niigata, visiting some historical sites,
seeing the beautiful landscape,
learning and participating in traditional craft and culture.
All of this is just barely scratching the surface of what Niigata has to offer, and I can’t wait to be back again.
Thanks for joining me. I hope this video has been enjoyable
and perhaps even inspires some ideas, should you decide to plan a side trip to Niigata discovering rustic and traditional Japan.
For more information about this trip or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now, or head over to japan-guide.com
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