Niigata

My hiking buddy from Switzerland, Scarlett, had invited me and her other friend, Lisa for a trip down south to Niigata. Only for her to cancel last minute due to an accident so now it was just going to be me and Lisa, someone whom I've never met before. It was going to be an interesting trip.

From Tokyo, we took a bullet train to Joetsu Myoko where we got a rental car. It was raining. Our first stop of the day was Kiyotsu Gorge and the drive took more than an hour, but we got to know each other for a bit, sharing some laughs along the way. I was navigating as the car's system was whack.

Kiyotsu Gorge itself was marvelous, the autumn foliage was mesmerizing and the mist surrounding the mountains added more to its enchantment. We went inside a long tunnel with four viewing platforms. The first one was just a simple viewpoint for the gorge. The second one had a strange toilet at the center that was see-through from one side and the surrounding walls were painted with black and white stripes. The third one involved having multiple orange-lighted mirrors at the ceiling and circular tables on the floor.
Finally, the final viewing platform was what people come all this way to see: a magnificent arched way showing the gorge in all of its splendor, yet that's not all. There was also a shallow pool of water on the floor which created a perfect circular reflection of the arch. We walked through the water across to the other side to see the view before turning back and grabbing some brunch in the form of udon.

Our next stop was another peculiar place, an exhibition known as the Last Class. The entrance ticket was for 800 JPY but we opted to buy the 2,500 JPY as we were planning on visiting the other art sites. As part of the Echigo-Tsumari Artfield, it's a permanent exhibition inside an abandoned school that was now converted into an interactive museum. Going inside brought us into the auditorium with the scent of hay wafting through the air, and indeed it was so. The floor was covered in it! There were benches scattered around and on top of them were tiny electric fans and further above twinkled dozens of lights. It was a strange room and I couldn't really figure out what the artist was trying to convey.

I had thought this was it but it seemed like Lisa found a hall going deeper into the school. Now it was really creepy, a desolate hall, and at the end was a strong light flickering, beckoning us to keep moving forward. And so we did, going up the stairs and into the science room where a single light bulb pulsated to the mighty beating of the heart. I would say this was one of the most disturbing rooms, something straight out of a horror film. I was half-expecting a ghost to appear at any time.

We moved further and saw pieces of furniture covered in white sheets, and then another floor up took us to a room with numerous jet-black portraits hanging on the walls. Behind a small corner were the belongings of previous students, things like a teddy bear, a trophy, and a pair of scissors.

The hall leading towards the end was flanked by white curtains, similar to a hospital wing, and at the right side were fluorescent lights encased in glass on the floor. It reminded me of tombs in a graveyard.

After getting out of the Last Class, we headed to Matsudai where the majority of the art exhibitions were displayed. We stopped by the convenience store so Lisa could get herself an umbrella while I munched on some a Pizza bun. It looked like we were going to be exploring in the rain, and turns out the place was massive with the Matsudai Castle being situated on top of a hill. Our hike took us to many different artworks, such as a tree surrounded by totems, hundreds of rainbow-colored pencils hanging like bats, and several structures to climb on. Upon reaching the castle, however, it turned out that it was closed! Quite unfortunate but it is what it is.

We headed back down, it was getting dark and we had yet to see the Hoshitouge Rice Terraces. Grabbing an onigiri, we proceeded to drive into the night, the rain was pouring harder but eventually, we reached the place. It was too dark to see much but with my phone's night mode, I was able to see it as if the sun had just set.

Satisfied that we were able to check off everything on the list, we started to head back to Joetsu Myoko where our AirBnB was waiting. Our host was waiting for us and showed us around. The place was quite fancy, a blend of modernity and tradition. The cherry on top was the hinoki bathtub which had an amazing scent. We were planning on going for an onsen after but Lisa wanted to try the bathtub so we just went out for dinner but not before she dropped the keycard inside the drainage, and took us around the block right back to where we started. It was hilarious.

We stopped by an izakaya without smokers so that was a huge plus. I ordered some fried rice and chili shrimp while she got a pork dish. We talked about deeper topics this time, touching on spirituality and life.

Back at the AirBnB, after Lisa took her bath, I finally got to try the hinoki tubs and it was a great and relaxing experience. The beds had really interesting texture as well, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, almost like soft spikes or something like that. Still, the sleep came.Read more