From nature back to the city. I decided to go to Niigata. I actually have no clue what to expect there. But this was a long journey. From Nikko to Niigata I had to take the Shinkansen back towards Tokyo. I had to transfer at Oyama. From there I ride along until Gyoda. At Gyoda station I had to get a ticket for the reserved seat for the Shinkansen but I had a non-reserved ticket. Normally car 1 till 3 are for non reserved but this time all cars are reserved. So i had to change my ticket in to a reserved ticket. Thank goodness for Google Translate because the people there did not spoke English but they are all so kind to help me. After a while I finally managed to change my ticket and got on the Shinkansen to Niigata well in time.
After a few hours I finally arrived in Niigata. I could check in my hotel right away. I was so tired from the day I just relax a bit, did my laundry and explored the area a little bit.
The next day I took the train and headed to the Hakusan-Jinja Shrine and Park. From Hakusan Station it was a twenty minute walk. This park wasn’t that big but it was pretty lovely to see. I could just stroll around and sit on a bench for a while. After that I walked back to the station and took the train back. Freshened up a bit and did al little bit of shopping.
I saw that you can buy a one day ticket for the Niigata City Loop Bus. This goes around all the sightseeing spots but I could tell that my body was a bit tired from all the traveling, so I decided to take a rest day. After all I don’t want to be sick and I need to travel more ;).
It was a short visit to Niigata, so I need to go back next time :p.
So from there I took the Shinkansen to Takasaki first. From there I transferred to Nagano. This time there were non-reserved seat cars available so I didn’t have to buy a ticket.
Before heading to my hotel I took a short break. I had some time before checking in my hotel. I thought that I had to walk or take a bus to my hotel but I discovered by chance that there was a shuttle bus service from my hotel. It goes every half hour. So I was very happy with that. But I think this was my lucky day not only I could already check in my room but they also upgraded my room from a single room in to a double room for free. Now I had a really big room with also a very nice view.
So I booked a tour because I didn’t know anything about Nagano. Meeting point was at Nagano Station. My tour guide for the day is Endo, he was very nice. He told me he was an English teacher but he retired early because he didn’t like his job any more. So he decided to be a tour guide so he could meet new people and also can speak more English.
An American family also joined the tour, so we ended up with a small group. We met them near Zenko-Ji Temple, that was their meeting point. From there we walked towards the temple which is a Buddhist temple. Before reaching the temple you pass through a lively shopping street. The temple self is very big and inside the temple there is an underground tunnel you can enter. You need to buy a ticket first, which I did. Before you go in to the tunnel you have to take off your shoes and put them in a plastic bag what was provided. The plastic bag you need to hold it in your left hand. Your right hand must be free. The tunnel is pitch dark and you walk through the tunnel by feeling with your right hand at hip height, guiding you to the other side. You really could not see anything. So if you are afraid of the dark or claustrophobic it’s best not to do this. Along the way when you walk and feel the wall on your right side there is a metal lever. If you can find it you have to pull it. It means you receive a promise of reaching paradise. Naturally I found the lever ;). So happy to know that I can go to paradise.
Inside the temple you can not take any pictures so the only picture I have is from the outside. So if you want to see the inside you need to go there someday ;). Trust me, it is worth it.
From the temple we walked to the sake tasting. Okay you need to know it was only 11 am and some of the sake were very strong. We thought we only taste maybe 5 different kind of sake but we ended up tasting around 15 different kind of sake. Need to say 4 of them were non-alcoholic but it was still a lot. Kanpai!!!! (Cheers!!!)
After that we took a van to our lunch destination. The restaurant looked so classy that I totally felt underdressed. But I was not the only one :p. The lunch was exceptionally well prepared. I had the seafood lunch, everything was so fresh and incredibly delicious.
With a full stomach we headed to the Snow Monkey Park. With the van 2 minute ride and from there a 30 minute walk. But this walk was so fine. The temperature was good and also the surroundings was very beautiful. Sometimes you could not see the monkeys but we were very lucky because we saw many of them.
After the tour the driver and guide brought me back to my hotel.
From Hic the tour guide from Okinawa he message me that if I had time I had to go to Karuizawa. That is nearby Nagano. So I went there. It is a lovely town that has a long street with really nice shopping stores. It looks so fun and cozy. It is just a place you have to see it with your own eyes because the surrounding are also amazing.
While walking you see many honey shops. I think that it is probably their trade mark. So I had to try their honey and I must say it was so delicious and fresh.
Also a fun fact, Nagano is well-known for the Olympics in 1998.
So from Nagano I traveled to Kyoto. Last year I also been there but it is one of my favorite place to go. The story continues in my next blog. For now I’m a bit behind with writing but I will keep you posted 😉
-XOXO-
San
