THE BEAUTY OF JAPAN'S TRADITION

A bonsai museum with its traditional atmosphere was an unexpected find in a metropolis like Tokyo. I was amazed by the oasis calm that I found in the museum courtyard. This time, I took part in the bonsai workshop at Shunkaen. The teacher patiently explained the ins and outs of bonsai in Chinese and taught us several techniques such as how to wind wire around the branches of the pine tree. The experience was quite special. My pine tree finally looked a lot more free-flowing after a lot of hard work.

Ryan is a buckwheat noodle restaurant that left a strong impression on me. The interior design and ambiance was like a high-end restaurant with an attached bar. To my surprise, the menu was dedicated to buckwheat noodles! Buckwheat noodles are usually served with tempura. Here sashimi and entrées are also provided to satisfy both the senses of sight and taste. Finishing it all off with a plate of firm yet chewy buckwheat noodles was quite satisfying! You can also see the chef preparing the buckwheat noodles in the restaurant.

In addition to popular attractions such as the statue of Hachiko and the Shibuya Crossing, we also took a stroll through the newly opened Shibuya Stream and the traditional Konno Hachimangu Shrine. The mix of old and new is what makes Shibuya so magical! I will never forget the moment that I looked down from the rooftop observation deck on Shibuya 109 at the Shibyua Crossing. The sight of well-ordered people and cars made my heart skip a beat.

Everything about Daikanyama seems to say "high-class", "fashion" and "sophistication." The T-SITE (Tsutaya Books) in Daikanyama manages to combine all these elements in one place! When I arrived at Kyu Asakura House, I was able to experience traditional Japanese hospitality in this historical residence. I then visited the BOMBAY BAZAR cafe with its unusual interior. Every chair was different and the WC seemed straight out of a painting.

Tatsukichi Akihabara Store: This fried skewer specialty restaurant doesn't use a menu. Just tell the chef what ingredients you like or don't like and they'll come with a chef's selection of freshly prepared fried skewers that to surprise and delight you. There are many counter seats in the store. You can chat with the chefs while enjoying the fried skewers and beer. This is a great place whether you are with friends or by yourself.

Akihabara Washington Hotel is right outside the Central South exit of Akihabara station so transportation is very convenient. The hotel rooms are quite spacious and well-appointed. The mattress was very comfortable. There is also a smart phone that supports traditional Chinese language in the room. How convenient!

The departure station this was Ueno and it is quite close. I even bought a bento lunchbox at the station before getting aboard so I could enjoy a delicious lunch while riding the Shinkansen. Getting from Tokyo to Echigo Yuzawa takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes. I would've visited Niigata earlier if I had known! Getting there by Shinkansen is really convenient!

The House of Light looks like a traditional Japanese house from the outside. A magical world of light and colors is hidden within! One of the rooms feature a square skylight. When the weather is good, the roof can be opened to reveal the sky. Lying on the floor to look up at the sky beyond the skylight while basking in the natural sunlight is very relaxing.

The "Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale" is very famous. Though I had already seen the photos of some artworks before my visit, you truly had to see them for yourself to feel the full impact. The room with works by Jimmy had quite a fairy tale-like look to the layout that made you feel as if you were actually in one of Jimmy's illustrated books. All the memories of my childhood seemed to come flooding back.

A wide variety of side-dishes are served at Soba no Sato Abuzaka. Tempura along with stews and pickles. Local ingredients are featured too. Unlike other regions, here the buckwheat noodles are served in bundles. Seaweed is also added when the noodles are being made to give them a slick, tender texture that keeps you coming back for more. Outside of the restaurant windows is an expanse of farmland. You can sit back, and enjoy the view and buckwheat noodles.

Matsudai Nohbutai is probably my favorite place in the Echigo-Tsumari. Every room, restaurant and even the toilets seem post-card perfect so you can take great selfies with ease. The pastel blue restaurant was itself a quite fantastic sight. Beyond the French windows is a picture-perfect farming village. The mirrored table surface even reflects the decorations on the ceilings! Walk into the classroom and everything is black-green. Upon closer examination, you realize that everything is made from the same material as the blackboard. You can therefore pick up a length of chalk and start drawing anywhere. Having a classroom like this makes you want to go back to school! Here I learned that art doesn't necessarily have to be very aloof and distant. It can be quite "earthy" and humorous too. I just can't stop myself from wanting to return.

When I first heard about "Bijinbayashi", I took it at face value and thought it was a region famous for its beautiful women. I eventually discovered that "Bijinbayashi" referred to the beech trees in the forest! The form and color of the beech tree changes with the season. At the time of our visit, some of the leaves were beginning to turn yellow. Creating a very picturesque effect. The "Forest School of Kyororo" is shaped like a giant serpent. Inside the school are a variety of natural experiences. Perfect for family outings.

Dinner was at a Japanese-style room at "Shousenkaku Kagetsu." You can have dinner while wearing a yukata so it really felt like you were on holiday in Japan. Dinner was quite extensive in terms of its proportions and variety. The menu included walnut tofu, sashimi and wagyu beef sukiyaki. I was quite satisfied with the quality and how different it was. Interestingly, the menu here included a hand-painted illustrated map showing the types of ingredients and where they came from. The mix of drawings and text reflected how much thought the chef put into the food and their guests.

The hotel is very popular with the locals. It boasts very elegant Japanese-style furnishing and gardens. My room was very spacious and had its own bathroom. It was a traditional Japanese room with a futon bed laid out on the tatami. You might want to go for a soak in the open-air hot spring the next morning as well.

No trip to Kiyotsu Gorge can be considered complete without visiting the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel to see a play of light and shadow in Mother Nature. Walk along a length of the tunnel and you come to the signature "Tunnel of Light." The reflection of Kiyotsu Gorge in the "Tunnel of Light" forms a perfect circle that made tourists and me stop to admire the sight take photos.

Bokushi Street is an Edo-style old street that boasts its own distinctive ambiance. There are no power poles here and the street looks beautiful under the blue sky.
Shiozawa is also famous for its traditional weaving. During our visit to "Nakajimaya" we looked at the examples of woven Echigo-jofu and Shiozawa-tsumugi on display in the store. After our tour, the store staff even allowed me to try on an antique kimono jacket. I was absolutely thrilled.

Approximately one thousand tons of snow are held in the "Hakkaisan Snow Room" for storing Japanese sake and wild vegetables. It is really impressive how people in the old days used the power of nature to store food. The shochu liquor storeroom also contains a liquor called "Menkou Mirai - Facing the Future." You can write something thoughtful on the bottle and arrange for the store to deliver the liquor to you in up to five years' time. On one bottle, it said: "I turn 65 this year, I will give a toast to health in 5 years' time when I turn 70!" Such heart-warming messages were so romantic.

I was really looking forward to the sushi at "Ryu-zushi" due to the glowing recommendation from Mr. Lan Cai. Being able to chat to the chef while watching him prepare the sushi was a fun experience. The calamari, largehead hairtail, perch and sea urchin were some of the more memorable sushi this time. The cooked octopus and fried jewfish were full of flavor too.

You can buy all sorts of souvenir snacks at the "Niigata Ponshukan." There are glass bottles that contain dried apples and oranges. Simply pour some sake into the bottle to create delicious cocktails! Sake-tasting is also available. You can try 5 cups for just 500 Yen. I picked several types of sake produced in Niigata to try. Apart from sake, there is also plum wine. That was really delicious too.
*Prices are for travelers at the time of use.

At "Senbei Okoku," customers can try their hand at making rice crackers. Roasting rice crackers on the grill will warm you up even when it's freezing cold outside. Rice crackers are clamped with a pair of pliers then held over the grill. You can paint a design on the rice cracker with soy sauce. I don't have much faith in my drawing skills but I did manage to draw a cute bear so that really cheered me up!

Our dinner today was at a hot spring hotel. The food was plentiful and the dishes were quite opulent. My favorites were the sashimi, steak on clay tile and fried flounder. The real surprise on the menu was the crab! The sweet and juicy crab legs exceeded my expectations~

The main selling point of this hotel is probably the view outside the window. When you draw back the curtains in the morning, the endless blue sea in all of its glory is revealed in front of you! When you go and soak in the hot spring during the day you can enjoy the view as well. Such a hot spring experience will no doubt leave everyone on family trips and company vacations satisfied.

The city of Murakami is a historic castle town where you can experience the traditional culture of Niigata. It was very quiet during our morning stroll. The staff in the shops were all very friendly and you feel relaxed just being here. Our first stop was "Yamagami-some" where we tried our hand at the tea dye of the north. First, apply the "dye agent" you like to the fabric. Once it goes through the process of roasting, cooking, scraping and washing, the result is a beautiful pattern. Next we visited the "Murakami Carved Lacquer-ware Society" to make chopsticks. The chopsticks will be delivered to us in 1 ~ 3 weeks’ time. I am really looking forward to it! After the chopstick-making session, we set course for a salmon shop. Over a thousand salmon hung from the ceiling of the store. All kinds of salmon snacks are sold here and there are samples for the customer to try. This is the place to go if you want salmon souvenir snacks.

Chidori is a very comfortable Japanese restaurant that offers very reasonably priced lunch set menus as well as high-end roast Murakami beef. Everyone can find something they like here even if they have different preferences. I am a seafood lover so I ordered the Damata rice chef's special. The rice is not only covered in seafood such as salmon roe, tuna and calamari but also unusual local specialties such as dried salmon and roast chicken. The portions were quite generous and I felt stuffed after eating the whole bowl.

"Imayo Tsukasa Brewery" is quite a modern operation and is known for its sake-tasting area. Here customers can try out all kinds of sake and amazake (sweet sake). You can then buy and take your favorite sake home with you as a souvenir. I picked a sake named "Daruma Masamune" with gold foil. It was a lovely drink that wasn't too expensive. I regret not buying more of it...

You can get a taste of what it's like to be a geisha in Niigata! I was really excited with my first geisha experience. The make-up and dressing took an hour but the whole process excited me to no end! According to the staff, geisha make-up design focuses on making the face look small. The hair on either side and ornate jewelry are then used to accentuate the lines of the face. I was impressed by their philosophy of emphasizing the "character" of each person. The make-up artist doesn't turn everyone into identical-looking geisha. Instead, the facial features are highlighted to emphasize the unique beauty of each person. Instead of having our photos taken in the studio, we went off to take photos at historic houses nearby for a different look.

For my first tour of Niigata, everything from the food to the sights and traditional craft sessions were all very satisfying. There were also plenty of "selfie photo-op" locations! I still missed the delicious sushi and buckwheat noodles after I returned to Tokyo. I give this trip a 5-star rating for pure satisfaction! It's just 2 hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen. I would love to go there again some day!