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  • 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

  • screen now, or head over japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date, travel guide

  • first-hand from Japan.

  • Thanks for watching, be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos

  • about Japan.

  • Happy travels!

When planning a visit to Japan, most travellers stick to large cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and

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