Niigata / Sado / Echigo Yuzawa
Niigata is famous for its rice, its sake and its seafood. Blessed with various sources
of Mother Nature's gifts and bordered by either mountains or ocean, Niigata isn't
that far from Tokyo but represents much of that which is old and bold about Japan
so why not make the trip?
 Capital
of the prefecture, Niigata the city, is the main economic center on the Sea of
Japan coast. Usually referred to as the granary of Japan, it is a region rich
in rice paddies and is located roughly in the center of the coast of the Sea of
Japan - a natural canvas on which beautiful sunsets are painted throughout the
year. Famous peaks such as Mount Myoko, Mount Hiuchi and Mount Naeba (forming
the border with Nagano Prefecture) as well as others are among the nation's top
100 mountains as were selected by famed author Fukada Kyuya. As Japanese mountains
usually have hot springs bubbling away in their depths, Nobel Prize winning author
Kawabata Yasunari, did well to choose Echigo Yuzawa Onsen as the location at which
to base his novel "Yukiguni" (Snow Country). With heavy snowfall annually,
the area attracts numerous enthusiasts to its winter sports facilities.
 A
Port Town - Niigata
When the Tokugawa Shogunate Government was forced to open a number of ports to
foreign trade due to the Japan-U.S. bilateral treaty concluded in 1858, they named
5 ports as those to be opened; Yokohama, Nagasaki, Hakodate, Kobe and Niigata.
The port of Niigata was readied and finally opened in 1868 and the traditional
port atmosphere built up over the centuries remains to this day.
From Niigata Station, travel straight down the opposite avenue until reaching
the Bandai Bridge over the Shinanogawa River. The bridge is one of the symbols
of Niigata - a town sometimes called a water city. The 6 arches supporting its
expanse are a splendid site to behold and seem to calm with their majestic scenery.
The city's newer neighborhoods are contained in the distance from the station
down to the bridge whilst the district starting on the opposite riverbank is the
older part of town. A quick trip up the 100 meter high Bandai City Rainbow Tower
to look at the surrounding scenery demonstrates just why Niigata is called a water
 city.
Crossing the bridge will lead into Furumachi town. An old commercial district
dating back to the Edo Period and hosting many Japanese-style restaurants (ryotei)
and small shops, it is famous largely for offering establishments at which customers
can be served by geigi, (a person synonymous with a geisha). Some of the geigi
and Japanese restaurants in Furumachi, have long been famous and many had their
heyday in the years before WWII when Furumachi was thought one of the three main
entertainment districts (hanamachi) in Japan (the others being Gion in Kyoto and
Shimbashi in Tokyo). There are scores of alleys and the town preserves the old
entertainment area feel. Still now, in the 21st century, traditional restaurants
of lore can be seen entertaining on a lavish scale but while this is of interest
to the majority, ordinary folk can feel awkward or out of place at a ryotei due
to the image / cost issues usually involved. For this reason, a recommended alternative
is the "Niigata Syoku-no-jin (Food Festival in Niigata) held from December,
2005 to March, 2006.
 Rice
Production and farmaers' wealth - in the old days
Wealthy
farmers are called "gono" in Japanese and are known for renting out
their fields to other (tenant) farmers. Over the centuries, there have been many
gono in Niigata and remaining structures owned by these landlords remind modern
Japanese of the prosperity they enjoyed in the old days.
The Northern Culture Museum is based in the house once used by the Ito Family,
a family said to be among the wealthiest of Niigata farmers in their day as they
commanded some 2800 peasant farmers and 58 rice holding storehouses. A look around
the majestic buildings that remain in similar form to a castle is overwhelming.
Senbei, a Japanese rice cracker, has, of course, rice as its main ingredient.
Niigata, famous for senbei due to its ample supply of tasty rice, allows those
who would like to try the opportunity to bake their own senbei at Senbei Okoku
(Senbei Kingdom) in Nizaki - near Niigata Airport. Uncooked senbei bought in the
shop should be watched on the toasting rack for 5 minutes and seasoned with soy
sauce when done. An area with free tea is set aside so you can eat the senbei
and relax for a while. Various goods from around Niigata are also sold Sado -
a gem in the Sea of Japan
Sado
- a gem in the Sea of Japan
A unique island in the Sea of Japan, Sado is, except when including Okinawa, the
largest island in Japan. Full of nature and historical interest, a number of places
of bygone importance are preserved.
 The
toki,(Nipponia Nippon in Latin or the Japanese Crested Ibis in English), is a
beautiful bird once seen all over Japan but sadly taken to the point of domestic
extinction during the modern age, from 1868. That said, in 1998 the first artificial
reproduction of a toki in captivity in Japan proved successful and a chick named
"Yu-yu" was born at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center.
Today 80 (as of July 1st 2005) toki live in the center, located at Niho-mura Toki-no-Nori
Park. However, getting too near the cage is prohibited in order to prevent any
possible spread of bird flu. Looking at the birds through binoculars is an option
though.
Sado over the years has been a part of Japan well-known for its Noh plays. Zeami,
one of the founding fathers of Noh, was sent into exile on Sado in 1434 and lived
for some years before dying. Today, 34 Noh stages can be found in the 854 square
kilometers of the island with the main stage that of the Honma Family. Jars buried
beneath the floor add to the sound effects and several performances are given
each year and include Takigi Noh (Noh by firelight) in June and an annual performance
by the head of the family in July.
Goldmines were first established on Sado in 1601 and mining of the metal continued
until the Showa era (1926-1989). The goldmines in Sado were once famous as the
largest goldmines in Japan and mined gold, silver and copper to essentially underwrite
the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo Era. The goldmines stretch 3000 meters
from east to west, 600 meters from north to south, and are up to 800 meters in
depth. The total length of tunnels is approximately 400 kilometers and is equivalent
to the distance separating Sado and Tokyo. 78 tons of gold was mined during the
388 years of activity and it is believed that most veins have been completely
exhausted. A former tunnel used in the mine has been opened at Sado Kinzan for
sightseeing purposes and besides feeling the cool air associated with mines, robots
can be seen 'mining' at several places along the tunnel to show what it used to
be like. When taking in the miniature models displayed in the museum, the severity
of this life becomes clear. Miners tackled the rocks and mined by hand, using
only a few tools. Drainage was accomplished manually using buckets but not all
was hard work and suffering as a most, accurate knowledge of geology and underground
mathematics among other more scientific approaches to mining was completed at
this time.
Sado Bugyosho governmental office, once overlords of the Sado goldmines, was reconstructed
to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the goldmine opening, and subsequently
opened to the public in 2000. A refinery, a storage facility and the governors'
residence are all reconstructed as is an office on the premises. Displays at the
refinery explain the process of retrieving gold - from initial mining to the production
of oval shaped gold coins, although the staff explanations are only in Japanese.
To experience panning for gold at Nishimikawa Gold Park, simply scoop up a layer
of sand from the bottom of the river using a plate, before washing away the excess
grit as you rinse the contents in the flowing water. As gold is the heaviest local
material, that will hopefully be all that is left when you finish.
 An
unusual opportunity awaits at Ogi - the chance to ride in and paddle a "tarai-bune"
(a tub-shaped boat). The tarai-bune is useful to gather wakame seaweed, abalones
and turban shells along the indented coastline as it can maneuver easily in tight
spaces. Professional female paddlers paddle the boat for sightseers in Ogi Harbor
but you can experience paddling yourself - something many amateurs find very difficult.
 Lake
Kamo, beautiful and the largest lake in Niigata Prefecture is famous for its oyster
farming. Oyster stalls open on the lakeside during the autumn to winter period
and there are no fresher oysters than these.
Ondeko, a classical performance art unique to Sado is performed with dynamic drum
displays, ogres dancing fiercely, and is a ritual art to drive out evil spirits
and wish for a good harvest.
In the middle ages, hundreds of Japanese aristocrats, guilty of either thought
or political crimes were once routinely sent into exile with the destination being
Sado. The effect this had on the local population was to pass on the culture of
the then capital of Kyoto and also that of the later cultural center of Edo, thereby
mixing them in with the industries surrounding the gold mines. The result forms
the background to the island culture of today - an atmosphere built on simple
human nature, rustic customs, folk art and folk stories.
 Echigo
Yuzawa
Echigo
Yuzawa Onsen is famous as the area in which the plot of "Snow Country,"
by Kawabata Yasunari is based. As the town has many public baths and private facilities
as well as hotels and onsen ryokan, and isn't that far from Tokyo, it does tend
to become somewhat crowded with skiers and the like during wintertime. Gala Yuzawa
is a ski area connected directly to Gala Yuzawa Station on the JR Joetsu Bullet
Train Line and is just an hour and a half from Tokyo. The ski season ends in May.
"Snow Country" was published in 1937 and has been translated into many
languages as a typical piece of modern Japanese literature. "Kasumi-no-ma,"
the room in which the author wrote the novel is still preserved in Takahan Hotel,
and viewing is permitted. A first edition issue of the book can be seen in an
exhibition room nearby.
Ponshu-kan, a sake museum in Echigo, displays many kinds of local sake and sweets
made from sake as well as cups for holding the usually clear liquor. From October
to February, freshly made sake is sold and visiting at this time is particularly
advised.
Alpine Flower Park is an alpine garden open between May and November each year.
Accessed via a huge aerial cableway, one of the largest in the world, and the
Panorama Station on the top of the mountain, a 7 minute walk brings you to the
most dramatic rock garden in Japan - home to one thousand alpine flowers growing
wild. Several trekking courses are on offer and can be selected depending on the
season and physical condition.
Local
Food
The brand-name rice Koshihikari originated in Niigata in named form in 1956 where
the growing of such delicious rice each year is largely a result of perfect conditions
for rice growing due to abundant clean water from the melting snow combining with
the soil of the fertile Echigo Plain - the result of eons of geographical influence
by the Shinanogawa Aganogawa Rivers.
 Niigata
is also renowned for its seafood such as snow crab, salmon, yellowtail and prawns
- all the resulting yield of the ocean currents of the Sea of Japan.
Speaking of food in Niigata, don't forget sake - any local food's ideal accompaniment.
80% of the sake bottle is actually water and because water is also an essential
ingredient during the making process, Niigata's 'soft' water supply - largely the
local snowfall - helps enormously. So, while the snow also seems to clean the
indoor air by keeping it at a certain temperature and humidity level, nature's
alcoholic gift on the side comes in the shape of 100 local sake breweries - all
specialists in making sake with the area's traditional light taste.
Of a more solid rice based makeup, rice confectionery including senbei (rice crackers)
and arare (small rice biscuits) are also locally produced.
 Winter
Events in Niigata
The
"Niigata Shoku-no-jin" Event is held from December of 2005, to March
of 2006 and is an event centered on the food available in Niigata during wintertime
with the main theme of the event being seafood (caught in the Sea of Japan), locally
produced sake and various other local delicacies. Dancing by geigi (a prior reservation
is necessary) is also permissible to view and time spent eating lunch at a ryotei
or trying out 'nabe' cooked dishes at any of a hundred places around town are
all great ways to pass the hours. A "Sake-no-jin" Event is held at Toki-Messe
on March 18th and 19th and visitors can sample any number of hundreds of brands
of sake representing almost all the breweries of the prefecture. As it is a good
opportunity to compare a huge range of sake tastes so a visit at this time is
highly recommended for beginners in the art of sake tasting as well as for the
more experienced sake fans.
Access
Niigata Prefecture, with its location at the approximate center point of the Japanese
archipelago - albeit on the Sea of Japan side, is easily accessed by air, land,
or sea.
To Niigata
From JR Tokyo Station to JR Niigata Station: 2h on the Joetsu Bullet Train
From JR Ikebukuro Station to JR Niigata Station: 5h by express bus
From Osaka (Itami Airport) to Niigata Airport: 70 mins by plane
To Sado
From Niigata Port to Ryotsu Port: 2h 20 mins using the Sado-kisen car ferry. Alternately,
1h on the jetfoil
To Echigo Yuzawa
From Tokyo Station to Echigo Yuzawa Station: 1h 30mins on the Joetsu Bullet Train
Sponsored Links
JR EAST PASS is economical and convenient when traveling around the JR East Area.
It is an ideal ticket for a trip such as Narita Airport - Tokyo - Nagano.
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/eastpass/
Maps
 Japan Railway Map PDF 414 KB
Niigata
Map
PDF 185 KB
Links
Niigata Prefectural Government
City of Niigata
|
