Niigata

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.Read more