Weekend Trip: Niigata!
My old Tokyo host family were visiting their folks up north, and since I happened to be nearby they invited me to stay the weekend. My host dads sister just had her 2nd child, a baby girl named Hanoka \(^o^)/ omedetou! So I got to see the newborn while up there too. Really cute baby! sorry I didnt take any pics...
Niigata is the prefecture just north of Toyama. I took the Hokuriku Express from Takaoka, which followed the shoreline of the Sea of Japan all the way up. Pretty fine way of traveling, but a bit on the pricey side.
View from my window-
They picked me up at Naoetsu station which is a maybe a half hour drive from the parents home. Niigata's landscape looks similar to Toyama's with rice fields everywhere and mountains on the horizon.
This was in fact my second time visiting there- my first was during Golden Week last year. See here for old entry.
It was a lotta fun going back to the house and seeing the family and friends again. I ate like a queen and they made me all my old favorites.
I prolly gained a fair amount of weight in those three days...
We went to a nearby aquarium where we saw the dolphin show and some interesting fish I've never seen before, which is saying a lot since I've been to many many aquariums, including Okinawas!
We also did a bit of shopping at the local AEON mall in Niigata, where I tried in vain to find winter clothing for my rapidly approaching Fuji climb. My host fam knowing I had nothing to wear for the trip lent me a bunch of warm winter things :) All I bought was a western pillow (Japanese use these little "soba" bean pillows) which I had a helluva time trying to bike back with when I returned to Fukumitsu (;-_-)
Sat night we did bbq, the delicious Japanese way: a smorgasporg of meat and vegies to cook over a large fire b/t two cinderblocks, followed by fireworks, beer and anko/mochi desserts.
The following morning after a large Japanese bfast we took off for the train station. Before leaving my host family bought me a Noetsu omiyage of dango, which the area is famous for. I ate some on the train back:
All in all a fantastic (and nostalgic!) weekend. Even though it put quite a hole in my pocket book I was happy to find my first paycheck in my account upon my return. That and my new home internet connection set up!! woooooooooooo im at home now.
Niigata is the prefecture just north of Toyama. I took the Hokuriku Express from Takaoka, which followed the shoreline of the Sea of Japan all the way up. Pretty fine way of traveling, but a bit on the pricey side.
View from my window-
They picked me up at Naoetsu station which is a maybe a half hour drive from the parents home. Niigata's landscape looks similar to Toyama's with rice fields everywhere and mountains on the horizon.
This was in fact my second time visiting there- my first was during Golden Week last year. See here for old entry.
It was a lotta fun going back to the house and seeing the family and friends again. I ate like a queen and they made me all my old favorites.
I prolly gained a fair amount of weight in those three days...
We went to a nearby aquarium where we saw the dolphin show and some interesting fish I've never seen before, which is saying a lot since I've been to many many aquariums, including Okinawas!
We also did a bit of shopping at the local AEON mall in Niigata, where I tried in vain to find winter clothing for my rapidly approaching Fuji climb. My host fam knowing I had nothing to wear for the trip lent me a bunch of warm winter things :) All I bought was a western pillow (Japanese use these little "soba" bean pillows) which I had a helluva time trying to bike back with when I returned to Fukumitsu (;-_-)
Sat night we did bbq, the delicious Japanese way: a smorgasporg of meat and vegies to cook over a large fire b/t two cinderblocks, followed by fireworks, beer and anko/mochi desserts.
The following morning after a large Japanese bfast we took off for the train station. Before leaving my host family bought me a Noetsu omiyage of dango, which the area is famous for. I ate some on the train back:
All in all a fantastic (and nostalgic!) weekend. Even though it put quite a hole in my pocket book I was happy to find my first paycheck in my account upon my return. That and my new home internet connection set up!! woooooooooooo im at home now.
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I went to NYC a few weeks ago and actually departed and arrived from their Chinatown, so I was going to use the opportunity to look around and do some asian-related shopping. Unfortunately I started to get lost and realized I would never make it back to my bus stop in time, so I gave up on finding a giant store called "Sweets Land" that I saw while driving into the city. Sigh.... my paradise awaits for me one day.