Coming particularly to this city wasn’t my intention. However, fate led me here, to find another home in the other part of the world. My real destination was Nagaoka, two stops by shinkansen. At the beginning of August, fireworks are taking place there, visited by over a million people.
My journey started at Ueno station, with the first ride by shinkansen. Once I came to the platform, they were everywhere. Elegant, fast, perfect. Trains in the Czech Republic are nothing compared to them. Some trains have two floors, for example, Max Toki 315 is two-floored shinkansen bound for Niigata. While Toki 317 has only one floor.
After about an hour and a half, I’ve arrived at Niigata. On the way, the railway crosses many hills, so the long part of the ride is by tunnels. From time to time you can have a glance at majestic mountains, some covered in snow if they’re high enough. Wild rivers, green rice fields, and traditional houses, every prefecture is in its way slightly different.
Niigata is on a plain, surrounded by mountains further away. Sea is crashing upon long long white beaches, with fewer people. Once you visit, you will want to return.
In order to get to my guesthouse, I got on a local train bounded for Uchino. I got off at Niigata Daigaku Mae Station, as instructed by the owner in the email she sent me.
The small white house came into my view and a gently looking Japanese woman greeted me. She served me cold tea, which was so nice in this hot weather. The interior is modern, full of cat motives. The owner is Maeda Kazuko – san, kind, friendly, best person I’ve met in Japan. She has two cats which are iconic for this guesthouse. And you can play the piano here!
Here’s a link to her website, Facebook and Instagram: https://guesthouseoriori.com/?fbclid=IwAR04NJQXHmdNdIHf-alehritMAQrdM01ID29XGHjtuewuj4IfHOgWDongaU
https://www.facebook.com/guesthouse.oriori
Because my level of Japanese was very low at that time, she taught me a lot – onigiri, some Japanese, I enjoyed every minute there. When I wanted to get somewhere, she told me the way, found connections. Yet her role was bigger on my next journey.
As I walked around, I got to the most deserted beach I’ve ever been to, saw pumpkins and other vegetables grow in sand, and bikes at the train station, different from our modern ones.
On the second day, Kazuko-san recommended visiting the Yahiko shrine, nos so far by train. Here comes my mistake, as I didn’t know how trains exactly work. So I ended up walking many kilometers in extremely hot weather, no trees around to make a shadow. After an hour or so, I finally arrived at a shrine and admired nature. Thanks to my wrong move, I lost time, so I couldn’t go on a ropeway to take a look at the sea and mountains. Thankfully I was able to catch the last train to Niigata, now I got it right.
From those three days I spend here, one evening I went to Nagaoka, to see the fireworks. The number of visitors surprised me, even drinks in vending machines were almost sold out. The event took place at the bank of the Shinano River. At first, I didn’t know where was the free area, where you don’t have to pay admission, thankfully police officers helped me. Seeing families and friends sitting on blankets, with cooling boxes full of food and drinks, I felt alone. Still, I enjoyed it, without a blanket, friends, or food.
So my time here slowly neared to an end, next place ahead, Kyoto. I surely find a place which I will visit every time I’m in Japan.
