Name: Rustic & traditional Japan in Niigata | Side-Trip from Tokyo | japan-guide.com
Uploaded: 2022-10-19T18:10:06.000Z
Duration: 16 min 57 s
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Imagine vast rice fields surrounded by mountains,

surprises visitors with its little-known but excellent sightseeing attractions,

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

Starting in Tokyo, we take an 80 minute ride on the bullet train to Echigo-Yuzawa Station,

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,

the brewery grounds of one of Niigata's most famous sake producers.

Finally, we return to Ryugon for dinner and rest.

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.

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,

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.

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,

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,

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.

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

I've had a big day out and I'm ready to call it a night.

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.