The participants at last week's Niigata Sake no Jin festival could have easily numbered over 80,000 people. As I looked across the crowds, I....
20 Mar 8:33 am  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

My suite at the Tsukioka Onsen resort is a small-scale, modern approximation of the summer homes where samurai once retreated for periods of....
18 Mar 10:47 am  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

I'd heard that Murakami was famous for its salmon. Somehow I didn't make the connection between the seaside town in northern Niigata and the....
16 Mar 6:21 pm  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

Our time in Niigata City was hectic. After our visit to the senbei factory, we rounded out the day with a trip to the Northern Culture Museu....
15 Mar 7:26 am  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

The weather in Yahiko yesterday was gloriously warm. After three days in the frozen center of Snow Country, it was nice to be able to walk a....
13 Mar 11:13 pm  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

My morning yukata is bright blue, covered with pink and white flowers. We arrived in the quaint village of Yahiko after 6:00 yesterday eveni....
12 Mar 9:18 pm  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

The train speeds on from Yuzawa north toward Tokamachi. It’s blinding white out, a pristine expanse of snow dotted with buildings done in ....
10 Mar 8:54 pm  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent] 

As I look out my window this morning, the sun is peeking through the clouds over the mountains. Behind me, steam billows up from a distant c....
10 Mar 7:46 am  from  Tokyo Drinking Glass   [Profile]  [Recent]