Once we had Sukiyabashi Jiro, I knew I had to visit the rice capital of Japan, Niigata. I am not normally the biggest fan of rice, but since moving to Japan, rice has become a daily staple for me. Japanese rice is in its own league, with its fragrance and perfect firmness! If you search online for what to do in Niigata, you may not find much, but it’s definitely a hidden gem. In planning this trip, I want to thank my acupuncturist and Lonely Planet.

Transportation

https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/eastpass_n.html

We booked JR East Pass online in advance, and picked up our 5-day pass at Narita Airport. To pick up the pass, you will need to show your foreigner’s passport. JR East Pass is a convenient and economical way to travel, it covered most of our trip with the exception of within Niigata City and in Echigo Yuzawa.

Day One

Our first night we stayed in Tokyo. I had bookmarked many restaurants around our lodging. We wanted to get beef katsu and Taiwanese grass jelly in the morning before our Shinkansen to Niigata. The train ride was very scenic and fast. Niigata is definitely worth visiting and I wish we could stay there longer.

Gyukatsu Motomura: The line is long even in the pandemic. Come early if you don’t like waiting in line. The price is very budget friendly. Lunch special is only 1300 yen, and comes with 130g of beef katsu, rice, miso soup, cabbage salad, potato salad (my favorite), and pickles. They recommend 3 ways to enjoy beef katsu: house yama-wasabi sauce, wasabi soy sauce, and rock salt (our favorite). You use a grill plate in front of you to grill the beef katsu.
Heigonghao: So hard to resist Taiwanese sweets, especially given how long we haven’t visited Taiwan. We ordered hot grass jelly and douhua (sweet tofu). Personally I think douhua could be a little sweeter, maybe it’s because of my Tainan sweet tooth, haha!

Tokyo to Niigata by Shinkansen is roughly two hours. Along the route you will see rice fields as well as snow-covered mountains. Once we arrived at Niigata, we went straight to the Ponshukan inside the station for sake tasting.

Ponshukan: Ponshukan is highly recommended by everyone I talked to, as well as in travel books and on the internet. For 500 yen, you can taste up to 5 different kinds of sake, for someone lightweight like myself, can get somewhat tipsy. If you are a sake connoisseur, 5 shot glasses may not be enough, but you can find a sake you like, and then buy the bigger bottle!
Sekai Sushi: A must order item here is Nodokuru Don. Every bite of fresh fish with locally grown rice is umami. I still miss it till this day. UN ordered omakase, and we really liked it also. This restaurant is definitely worth visiting!

Day Two

Original plan was to visit Sado island, but the weather forecasted a huge snow storm, and the hotel staff gently yet assertively (in a very Japanese way) suggested that we change our plan lest we get stuck on Sado island. So instead, I listed out all of my bookmarks in Niigata city.

Tsumugu Coffee and: a waft of freshly roasted coffee beans permeates through the chic cafe as soon as you open the door. UN likes their hand drip coffee. If you are not a coffee drinker, they have delicious chocolate cake! UN slowly sips his coffee, and I enjoy my chocolate cake while the snow falls gently from the sky, simply perfect!
Minato Marche Pier Bandai: Look no further, every and all kinds of fresh seafood to your heart’s desire. Oysters, crabs, roes, and sashimi, all of my favorites. There were lots of people shopping for gifts in preparation for the New Year. We had so much seafood that I hope our cholesterol level is not through the roof!
Benkei Pier Bandai: If I come back again, I would get a ticket here first, and then go to Minato Marche pier next door. It’s a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, but you can still custom order from the sushi chef. The seafood is as fresh as it gets. The miso crab soup is not to be missed, but a bit disappointed by the sushi rice (isn’t this Niigata?), maybe because we were so in love with the sushi rice from the night before.
Hakusan Shrine: Located inside Hakusan park, nearby is the cultural center and music hall. The shrine sells omamoris of many Japanese cartoon characters, such as Hello Kitty, and Rilakkuma.
Suzaka Soba Niigata Station: The soba noodle is hands down the best I’ve ever had! I would’ve ordered an extra portion if we didn’t already have a lot of food to eat! You definitely do not want to miss this when you visit Niigata!
Gokurakuyu Meike: It got so cold at night that we decided to find an onsen bathhouse. Turned out to be a wise decision. The bathhouse is right in front of a bus station, no need to walk too many steps in the snow.
Sasadango: We like standing in line! Once we saw the queue, it didn’t take long for UN to assume his position (even though we don’t know what people were buying). Turned out it was one of the top three delicacies of Niigata - sasadango! Wrapped in bamboo leaves, stuffed with red bean paste, best enjoyed while it’s still hot, and was one of my favorites in Niigata.

Day Three

We took the JR to Echigo Yuzawa, a hot spot for skiers and snowboarders from around the world. We came here for the hot spring!

Echigo Yuzawa Station: Station houses a sake onsen! You can also find huge onigiris here, perfect for carb loading before a ski trip. But both UN and I think that other than big portions and affordable prices, there really isn’t another draw for us, probably we will not get it again.
Kiyotsu Gorge: This place is truly magical! Nature combined with modern art, definitely a treat to all of your senses, so wish we could visit this place in every season to capture all of its glories. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Matsunoyama Onsen Izumiya: Amazing food and relaxing onsen, it’s a wonderful thing to stay in an onsen ryokan in wintertime. I’m in love with staying at Japanese ryokans. Soaking in onsen and watching the snow fall from our windows, how did we get so lucky to live in Japan!

Day Four

As the snow continued to fall outside our window, we were reluctant to leave this place. After we got up, UN and I went straight to the onsen and got another soak in. We wouldn’t leave until we are fully warmed!

Our last trip of 2021, we are thankful beyond words! That day on our way to Kiyotsu Gorge, the snow was coming down so heavily that the visibility on the road was no more than 10 feet. UN drove slowly and carefully so we didn't skid, but I fed him the wrong direction and we drove onto a private road covered in snow. As UN tried to back out, our car got stuck in the snow. We asked a nearby resident for help, and this very kind ojisan not only helped us dig our car out of the snow, he even invited us into his home and grilled fresh mochi for us. As we were leaving, he gave us more mochi to make sure we don’t drive on an empty stomach. I wish our Japanese was much better so we could express our gratitude properly!

On Base Taxi from Naha Airport (for future reference)

Okito 098-946-5477
Chubu 098-929-1818
Urizun Jumbo Taxi 098-850-0129
Meiho 098-937-2467

當我們吃到壽司之神次郎時，我就覺得一定要來日本產米大城新瀉玩。從來不愛吃飯的我，搬到日本幾乎天天吃飯。日本米怎麼能這麼香且軟度完美！新瀉絕對是隱藏版日本旅遊城市，上網爬文，資訊卻不豐富。這次來玩，全靠我的針灸師和Lonely Planet旅遊書上的資訊。

交通搭乘方法

https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/pass/eastpass_n.html

我們在網上買好JR East Pass（也能現場買），抵達成田機場直接轉JR。JR售票機器取票時，必須出示外國護照取票。我們大部分的旅途都是用JR East Pass，除了在新瀉市區和越後湯澤無法用，這方案非常划算。

第一天

前晚下飛機後在東京住一晚，住宿附近有好多我之前在地圖上作記號的餐廳。我們決定起床後要來UN一直想吃的炸牛排店和朋友推薦的台灣仙草店。吃飽後我們搭著新幹線到新瀉，一路上的風景很美。新瀉絕對是值得一直來的地方，真希望我們能待在這更久一點。

牛かつもと村: 在疫情期間還是有長長的隊伍，記得提早來，這店真的便宜又好吃。1300日幣的限定午餐有130克的炸牛排、和配菜。三種吃法：特製山芥末、芥末和醬油、石鹽（我們的最愛）。桌前會有熱石板，能熱炸牛排。
黑工號: 太久沒回台灣，看到台灣甜點就覺得好稀奇。我們點了燒仙草和豆花。可能是臺南人口味吧，豆花好像可以再甜一點（哈哈）！

吃飽喝足後，我們搭上新幹線前往新瀉。車程約兩小時，沿路山景和稻田雪景實在美翻。到了新瀉後，我們馬上到位在新瀉車站裡的Ponshukan試喝清酒。這清酒試喝店是大家極力推薦的，不但網路大力介紹，旅遊書也特別提到，連朋友都說這裡必去。

ぽんしゅ館: 500日幣試喝5種清酒，竟然讓我喝到有點茫！喜歡喝清酒的人，五杯可能不夠喝，但能在這挑出自己喜歡的清酒。之後再到餐廳點瓶大的！
せかい鮨: 來這裡一定要點Nodokuru Don！每一口都好美味，配上當地剛出產的新米，到現在我們都還好想念這一餐。UN那天點omakase，我們也好喜歡。絕對是一家要來的餐廳！

第二天

這天我們應該要到佐渡島，但那時準備下大雪，飯店員工用很婉轉卻又堅持的口氣（非常日本人）建議我們改換行程。擔心我們的船會被取消而卡在佐渡島，所以我們臨時改變行程，把之前在地圖上標記的地方都列出來。

紡ぐ珈琲と: 店裡濃濃咖啡香，UN很推薦店裡的手沖咖啡。不喝咖啡也沒關係，巧克力蛋糕也很棒！UN細細品嚐咖啡，我吃巧克力蛋糕，看著外面下雪，完美！
みなとのマルシェピアBandai: 想吃的海鮮應有盡有，新鮮生蠔、螃蟹、白子、生魚片，全是我愛的食物。剛好遇到準備過新年，人潮源源不絕，好多人來買送給親戚朋友的海鮮禮物，當然我們吃超多海鮮（血壓不會爆表吧！）
佐渡廻転寿司弁慶: 下次來的話，我們會先來這排位置再到Minato Marche Pier買海鮮吃。雖然是家迴轉壽司店，客人能和壽司師傅點餐。海鮮非常新鮮，螃蟹味增湯必點，但壽司飯實在失望（這裡不是新瀉嗎？）也可能是前晚的壽司飯太香了！
白山神社: 位在白山公園裡，附近有文化中心和演奏廳。神社裡賣很多日本卡通人物御守，像是Hello Kitty和Rilakkuma的圖案。
須坂屋そば: 這蕎麥麵也太爽口了吧！實在很想多點一份，但我們還有好多食物要吃！絕對是來新瀉必吃，果然是有名的新瀉三物之一。
極楽湯女池店: 晚上太冷，我們決定上網找澡堂。這絕對是明智的決定，實在太舒服了！澡堂位在公車站牌前，下車馬上能衝進店裡。
笹糰子: 盲從夫婦就是愛排隊！我們看到一大排隊伍，就好奇上前排隊（完全不知道在賣什麼）！原來是新瀉三物其中一物，笹団子！竹葉包的和菓子，內餡是紅豆，打開熱呼呼香氣十足也十分有嚼勁，是我在新瀉的愛食之一。

第三天

這天我們搭車到越後湯池，好多旅客來這滑雪。我們這趟則是來泡溫泉！

越後湯沢駅: 清酒溫泉就在這裡！車站裡也有小紅書推薦的爆彈飯糰，超大飯糰超適合滑雪前吃一顆，但我和UN都覺得除了份量大價錢便宜，實在不會回來關顧。除此以外，這裡也有500日幣的清酒試喝店。
清津峡: 哇，美呆了！自然景色加上現代藝術，感官越來越震撼，好希望我們能把清津峡的四季都收進腦裡。強力推薦！
松之山溫泉: 食物不但好吃，又有超舒服溫泉，大冬天能住溫泉旅館真是一大享受！我愛這種日式傳統溫泉旅館，外面下著雪，我們在室內泡溫泉，怎麼能這麼幸運住在日本！

第四天

窗外繼續飄著雪，真想繼續住在這！起床後，我和UN立刻去泡溫泉，讓全身都暖起來我們才願意離開。

2021最後一場旅行，除了感恩還是感恩！那天我們往清津峡的山路上，下著大雪，視線一片白雪（好美也好危險）！UN小心翼翼開車避免打滑，但我卻亂報路。開上一條完全沒被開雪機通路的地方，車子被卡住完全動彈不得。我們求助附近住戶，大叔實在太好人！不但幫我們除雪，還到附近找方法。不但如此，大叔還現烤熱騰騰的麻糬給我們吃。我們離開前，他還準備更多麻糬讓我們在路上不餓肚子！離開前一直說謝謝，但我們好希望我們能懂更多日文，告訴他我們有多感激！

那霸機場到美軍基地的計程車公司