Japan
Niigata

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    • Day 80

      Une journée pleine d'imprévus !

      March 29, 2020 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

      Cette journée était censée être une simple journée de transports, remplie de trains, de gares et paysages qui défilent. Mais ce ne fût que partiellement le cas ! Si vous êtes joueur et avez du temps (je sais que oui) prenez une carte avec vous et suivez notre parcours !
      Levés à 8h, on quitte notre auberge kanazawaienne avant 9h et avec nos panneaux de stop, nous mettons en chasse d'un conducteur. Mais par temps de virus, être un étranger faisant du stop au Japon n'est pas forcément recommandé pour rejoindre rapidement sa destination... Après une bonne heure "d'attente", nous allions abandonner quand notre bienfaiteur arriva ! Un jeune rockeur japonais accepta de nous emmener jusqu'à la gare de Toyama. Arrivés à bon port, on remercie vivement notre chauffeur et prenons le premier train pour Tomari. En attendant notre train, on pique-nique sur le quai un énième succulent repas fait maison. Direction Itoigawa ! Pris en tenailles en la mer et les hautes montagnes, le trajet est impressionnant et sublime. À la gare d'Itoigawa, on troque notre grand train pour un minuscule wagon qui navigue entre montagnes enneigées et rivières mouvementées (non sans nous rappeler le Transsibérien). On arrive enfin à Minori-Otari où nous devons changer de train. Mais un arbre est tombé sur la voie sous le poids de la neige. On monte donc dans un bus direction Omashi où 1h30 plus tard nous prenons train express direction Matsumoto. Mais nous n'avons pas le bon ticket. Contraint de descendre à Azumino, on en profite pour faire le tour de la petite ville enneigées, son 100 yens shop (achat d'un carnet pour Emma) et son Hotaka Shrine, lui aussi enneigé.
      On remonte dans le train et arrivons, enfin, 30 minutes plus tard, à Matsumoto, notre terminus ! Avez-vous bien suivi le trajet ? Parce que nous pas du tout !
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    • Day 29

      Off to Joetsumyoko

      December 27, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

      I got up, had breakfast and headed for the train station. Google suggested I take a bus to Shinbashi, train to Ueno then a bullet from there. When I got to Ueno the bullet train was full though so I needed to wait around 2 hours. I talked to a French girl who was a student there while I was waiting for the train, I tried to plan the weeks ahead but failed to make any progress on that.
      Got myself a niku Bento Box for the train which was pretty decent.
      The train ride up itself was nice, I was sitting in cattle class this time but still had plenty of leg room.
      I arrived a little early for the hotel so dumped my stuff there and was about to jump on the train but it cost so I went for a walk up the road, didn't see a single other person walking around but lots of cars were driving. I don't think there is much in the area but that just means I need to travel more to find things.
      I walked back and checked into the hotel but asked them to change the 7days I had booked down to 3 nights. I still don't know where I'm going but know I need to keep moving.
      I caught up on washing and had myself an onsen as it had been a few days and really relaxed into it while I was awaiting the laundry.
      I then headed out for a dinner and wandered through the local places the tv had suggested to me and found a place which had a few people in it. I got myself a pork catsu but she asked if I wanted anything else and so I ordered a chicken karage but really think I ordered too much. The port katsu was amazing, moist and delicious and the sake was filled to the brim for $5 and went down very well.
      I ended the night by opening the Jägermeister cold brew and having a few night caps.
      Got up and had a great Japanese breakfast at the hotel, it was half smorgasbord and half served which is fine by me as it forced me to try different things. The onsen cold egg was probably the best part, it was soft-boiled but cold still and great over rice. I left the salmon as I think it was with cod milt as some very sticky substance covered it, but I ate the rest.
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    • Day 105

      Fremme

      July 8 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

      Kun Wi-Fi i lobby😢
      Har været i 7-11 og købt aftensmad. Skal nu rede seng, spise og måske se lidt TV.
      Og jeg som havde glædet mig til turen langs havet men selv med start 90 min før kom jeg først frem da det var mørkt😪
      Måske vejret er bedre onsdag og i morgen😉
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    • Day 106

      Gåtur rundt i Gatsugi

      July 9 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

      Efter hot spring pool bad - vandet ER varmt - gik jeg en tur rundt i denne lille by, må vist kaldes en fiskeriby pga havnen.
      Ellers her ikke meget og alle er vel på job eller på havet eller kørt til en by for at sælge fangsten.
      Her er også 2-3 hoteller som ser ud at at være lukket. Hvor jeg er bor der kun mig🤗. Her nok plads til 80-100 ps.
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    • Day 58

      Day 57-58

      April 27 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Day 57

      Today we packed up our backpacks once more and headed out of Fukushima to travel to Niigata prefecture. The journey was slightly frustrating as Fukushima is east and Niigata is situated on the west coast but there is no viable route going across the country so we had to head back towards Tokyo and then out to Niigata so it was a bit fiddly! It took us about 4 hours from leaving to arrive at our hotel so we dropped our bags and then headed to the beach for an evening stroll. We were hoping to enjoy sunset however it was very cloudy so we didn’t see much but it was still a nice stroll to end a travel day.

      Day 58

      This morning we wanted to explore Sado island which is just off the coast of Niigata prefecture and is one of Japan’s largest non mainland islands. So we headed down to Niigata port and took the ferry to Sado island which only took about an hour and got up to speeds of 50mph which we thought was pretty impressive!

      We arrived at Sado island and headed to the Toki ibis sanctuary. These birds are endangered and Sado island has taken on breeding and reintroducing them into the wild so quite a feat! The extensive work and dedication to these birds has reduced their status from critically endangered to “just” endangered with 11,000 left in the world. We learnt about their strategies and also got to see some of the birds too. It was definitely interesting and does fill us with some hope for wildlife in this climate crisis we find ourselves in!

      We then headed to the lakeside to enjoy the views of the mountains and the small very run down fishing villages that run along the bank of the lake. The lake was artificially connected to the Sea of Japan to help prevent flooding and as a result has a high salt content so the oyster fishing industry keeps these small villages going.
      With huge piles of old oyster shells literally everywhere it’s slightly bizarre as they litter the landscape!

      As we enjoyed wondering and exploring the island we had some lovely views of rice paddies once more! The rice paddies have actually been flooded now as part of the growing process casting pretty reflections that dance across the water. What was extraordinary was the sounds of the frogs and birds all around the area! Not just in the rice paddies but in small creeks it was actually really beautiful! No sounds of humans just of frogs and birds! We had a lovely stroll enjoying this and also keeping a sharp eye out to see a wild Toki ibis as they apparently are big fans of the rice paddies but sadly they didn’t want to come out of hiding for us today!

      Following this path winding back towards the port it abruptly turned a corner and stopped dead at the main road. Feeling uneasy I consulted Google maps which wanted me to walk right on the main road. Feeling slightly concered I looked at the buses and realised there was a stop just a two minute walk away on the main road. Gathering ourselves we made a quick dash to the bus stop and waited for the bus. Now the bus was coming from the wrong direction so we thought it might turn up the small alley and we would meet it there, but it just stopped dead on the wrong side of the road! The driver signalling us to come around we crossed the road and then edged around the bus fighting with a bush to get past and onto the bus! Quite a strange place to put a bus stop really but it all worked out well in the end!

      Arriving back at port we had a bite to eat and then wondered through the shops before waiting for our ferry back to Niigata city. Whilst we sat waiting I seemed to have gained an adoring fan? As a Japanese lady waved frantically at me with the biggest beam on her face. Extremely confused Jacob and I did the classic “smile and wave” whilst I started in complete confusion. I think it’s seldom that westerns make it out to this very remote island!

      I write this sat on the ferry watching the Sun sink behind Sado island as we zoom back towards Niigata, another fun day exploring.
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    • Day 59

      Day 59

      April 28 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      Today we hiked Mount Yahiko in 22°c so safe to say by the end we were very sweaty and gross!

      It took us a while to reach the nearest station which actually looked more like a temple from the outside than a train station! However, it only has one track and one train route so it’s a very small station so it definitely gave it a bit more character!

      Heading up to the base with as many water bottles as we could fit in the bag we walked for about 1km before reaching the dreaded stairs. We then proceeded to climb up the steps through the forest for 3km. 3km of steps- absolute hell for me. It was a beautiful setting through the forest but if I see another step today I might loose my mind!

      Huffing and puffing we made it to the top where I collapsed onto a bench and sent Jacob to go get an icecream which was much needed and deserved.

      The view from the top was absolutely beautiful with a view of Niigata and the surrounding rice paddies one way and the Sea of Japan the other way.

      We tucked into a bowl of ramen at the restaurant at the top with floor to ceiling windows - definitely had worse views! Before heading back towards the station to head home for the day.

      On the train back we actually got some lovely views of the setting Sun reflecting on the rice paddies. I am constantly reminded of the absolute beauty in this country, so lucky to be here!
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    • Day 101

      Ikke helt på toppen

      July 4 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Feber fra i går er faldet, hoste er næsten væk, hals har det også bedre.
      Vasker tøj og når det er hængt op vil jeg forsøge at få sovet lidt, sov kun fra kl. 04-08 pga dyr udenfor og hård madras. Så jeg tager min egen madras i brug.
      Så alt i alt er dagen i dag en "selvpleje"-dag.
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    • Day 105

      Niigata

      July 8 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

      Togene er meget følsomme overfor regn🌧😲😮, 2 gange holdt det og intet skete i flere minutter men andre om bord tog det roligt. Glad for at jeg tog et tog tidligere - er nu iflg min plan dog er næste tog ca 30 min. forsinket.Read more

    • Day 19

      Naeba in Niggata prefecture

      September 23 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      We got up and headed down to the restaurant in our hotel for a western and Japanese style breakfast. We got the hotel transfer to a little train station and jumped on the local train to get to Tokyo station. At Tokyo station we then met a nice Ukrainian lady and her kid who we chatted with before boarding the Shinkansen. We hopped off at Niigata station and caught a bus to Naeba. At the Niigata station there was sake tasting for $5 for 5 tastings. There was also vending machines for sake. We then walked to our hotel and settled in. For dinner we went to a Japanese barbecue called yakiniku for some amazing self cooked dinner of wagyu and a variety of other meats like intestine, diaphragm and stomach. We saw signs for some wild Niigata black bears that are around this area.
      Narrated by Bryce
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    • Day 20

      Rest Day in Naeba

      September 24 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Today was a very chill day and a slow start to a cooler day. It was 15 degrees when we stepped outside and the first day to wear a jumper and long pants. Complete opposite to sweating our body weight each day since we arrived in Japan.

      Off to Ramen for brunch. On our way there we all commented on how quiet the town was - only 1 car in sight, 99% shops closed and 1 person walking on the street.

      Ramen was enjoyed at another small house restaurant and then a short walk back to the hotel with full tummies! Afterwards, Chris and I enjoyed a glass of wine down at the waterfall across the road, while the kids chilled.

      Later, we took a courtesy busy to a local Onsen, where the water was the colour of mud, but fresh all the same.

      Dinner was then enjoyed at the hotel restaurant, of Shabu Shabu. We all enjoyed cooking our own pork, tofu, veggies and noodles in a hot pot.

      Lovely quiet day, but seems we still did plenty!

      Cass
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Niigata-ken, Präfektur Niigata, Niigata, Prefektur Niigata, نييغاتا, Прэфектура Ніігата, Ниигата, Prefectura de Niigata, نیگاتا, Prefektura Niigata, Niigata-præfekturet, Gubernio Niigata, Niigata prefektuur, استان نیگاتا, Niigatan prefektuuri, Préfecture de Niigata, Niigata prefektúra, Prepektura ti Niigata, Prefettura di Niigata, 新潟県, Préfèktur Niigata, 니가타 현, Nigata, Nijigatos prefektūra, Ņiigatas prefektūra, निगाता, Wilayah Niigata, Niigata-koān, Niigata Prefekture, ضلع نیایگاٹا, Prefectura Niigata, Niigata Prefectur, Префектура Нигата, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata prefektur, Mkoa wa Niigata, Префектураи Ниигата, จังหวัดนีงะตะ, Prepektura ng Niigata, Префектура Ніїґата, 新潟縣, 新潟县

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