#visitjoetsu

Took a long drive but since I was going to Niigata City I extended 30 minutes to Yasuda. This town has an amusement park, but today I came for yogurt.
I heard a rumor that this place was the one place in the prefecture that had fro-yo desserts.
What I found was a mini amusement park for yogurt fans, and a restaurant/play land that featured fresh juice and smoothies, drinkable, spoonable and frozen yogurt, a sandwich menu, coffee menu, and of course no shortage of gift shop items.
The Yasuda Yogurt people have made a nice little park into a destination. Pretty crowded this Saturday.

Review: the caramel frozen yogurt waffle cup I got was really good. Not like the American froyo im used to, it tasted like a regular soft-serve “soft cream” sundae. I wish their had been fruit flavors. Extra points for wooden spork instead of plastic.#sustainable. Next time I’ll come with the whole gang#visitjoetsu #yogurt #frozenyogurt #yasuda #froyo #menchies #yogurtland #marketresearch (at Y & Y ガーデン)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByKFA37DMjw/?igshid=d8603brpfou7

Last weekend I went birdwatching for the first time in Matsunoyama, about an hour from #joetsu in the city of #tokamachi. Cold rain was unexpected but our group of nine didn’t let it bother us. More than bird watching, it was bird *listening* as many species were heard and not seen. These birders can hear a fragment of a chirp and tell you exactly what creature made it. Where I see a grey blob darting across the sky, they say, “red headed finch!” Great to see the beginnings is spring when it is further along down where we live. The sprouts you see next to the snow are called “Fuki-no-toh” and is a tempura treat…#joetsu #visitjoetsu #springvegetables #tokamachi #matsunoyama #springinjapan #birds #birdwatching (at 十日町市立里山科学館 越後松之山「森の学校」キョロロ)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw9hAHuDCmX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cbs1vjqrqdp

Had a chance last week to go to the farthest reaches of Joetsu while researching for a summer camp spot. Shobu Kougen (Iris Heights) is up where the snow remains in Oshima Ward.
Another undiscovered (by me) Resort area in Joetsu. The 3-4 gentlemen who were at the lodge clearing the roads and preparing for the Golden Week holidays were friendly and inviting as the reminisced about the boom days when live music was played on the outdoor stage and people sang around the campfire….#joetsu #visitjoetsu #Oshima #shoubukougen #springinjapan #springsnow
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw5tQbTDRYh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17v2eitgendv4

Joetsu-Myoko Station is likely to be the first place you see when you arrive in town. Opened exactly 4 years ago on March 14, 2015, it is a big change to the transportation infrastructure. Now we are a mere 2 hours from Tokyo, and Osaka and the Kansai region is closer than ever. Son Yuto had a chance to ride the Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka earlier this week on the 8th grade school trip.
On the day I visited, the sky was clear, the station uncrowded and friendly, and there were even some high school rockers offering live entertainment. Welcome to Joetsu!
#visitjoetsu #joetsu #joetsumyoko #shinkansen #highschoolrock #welcome #welcomehome (at 北陸新幹線 上越妙高駅)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvBEllAjvmT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zcz7m6t8oo93

There’s usually something going on in town if you can change out of your pajamas and pull yourself away from Netflix. “Furosatto” is a group of shops and restaurants just behind the Jōetsu Myoko Station all housed in remodeled freight containers. Last weekend there was a small festival there featuring a “Toki” character, a bird once nearly extinct and now making a comeback on the neighboring island of Sado. I also ran into some friends selling bakery goods, fried chicken and beer. So nice to enjoy friends and food and warm sun on the weekend! #joetsu #visitjoetsu #beergarden #furosatto #friends #localfestival #toki (at 上越妙高駅)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_AE_Yj2pP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h7ji749pwnmz

Well right when we thought spring had sprung, the weather in Joetsu retuned to winter-❄️ like, cold rain and wind and sleet and snow. It made me want to get out in the spring sunshine, enjoying the outdoors.
Today I am sharing photos from the Shin-Etsu Trail, which I have explored a bit in seasons past. The entire trail runs some 80 or so kilometers (50 miles) along the border of Niigata and neighboring Nagano prefecture. The trail runs along the ridge of the Sekida Range, at an elevation of about 1000 meters (3280 feet) through the Itakura, Oshima, Kiyosato Yasuzuka areas of Joetsu City. The trail, which has been used both for war and trade, is lined with the cooling beech trees you see here and is a popular trek from spring through fall.
Now come on spring!
#joetsu #visitjoetsu #spring #shinetsutrail #hikinginjapan #mountaintrail #enjoynature (at Joetsu-shi, Niigata, Japan)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu86bO9DzAa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4j4ltg1c9k22

Do you know about the “Made in Joetsu” label?
More than 100 manufactured goods and products have been certified with the “Made in Joetsu” brand, from underwater speakers and ground covering systems to the Strawberry vinegar and spicy miso paste pictured here. These products enjoy some city sponsored subsidies as well as cross promotion support as part of the city’s local revitalization efforts. Although I haven’t tried ordering from abroad, there is also an online sales site (in Japanese): https://www.joetsu-tokusan.jp/madeinjoetsu/.
#visitjoetsu #joetsu #madeinjoetsu #miso #strawberryvinegar #localfoods #revitalization (at Joetsu-shi, Niigata, Japan)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu26LMBj-fv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1w7wo4sp97tux

Strawberry picking! I met Mr Takahashi, a young entrepreneur, a few years ago when we first visited his strawberry farm about 5 years ago with #freeschoolican. WE tried to make it a springtime event, but the slots for all-you-can-eat strawberry picking usually sell out by February (!) in addition to the all-you-can-eat strawberries , of course he has some plants specially for local restaurants as well as for supermarkets. This time he showed me strawberry honey (which I had on French toast this morning, dried strawberries with tea, and even a strawberry vinegar which he got registered as a “Made in Joetsu “ official product. Perfect for salad dressing. You might not think of strawberries as especially Japanese, but the berries at “Ichigo no Hanakotoba” are worth the trip to Ogata if you’re in Joetsu. #visitjoetsu #joetsu #strawberry #ichigogari #madeinjoetsu #strawberrylover #strawberrytea #strawberryvinegar (at 苺の花ことば)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu0vKBnjUUW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11y98ciinyymk

Happy Doll Festival Day!
March 3rd is the day for Hina Matsuri, or “doll festival.” It is traditionally a day to celebrate and pray/wish for the health and happiness of girls in the family. The dolls displayed here are at the ground floor of Asutopia Joetsu, a large building of apartments or ”condominiums” as they are called here. Upstairs is the Musee’ Yuki Komachi, which is a community center of sorts, a study area with rooms to rent for your group meeting or exhibition. I enjoyed the selection of books by local authors, but really liked the stained glass at the coffee bar and beautiful view of Joetsu on a spring day! Happy Doll Festival Day!#visitjoetsu #joetsu #hinamatsuri #asutopia #spring #musee #yuki #komachi (at あすとぴあ高田)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BujDhJBDDKC/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ryxnf8p6grkb

You did it again, Joetsu. Just when I thought we had run out of interesting places, you reveal another historical treasure, just around the corner. Kubiki Rail Park houses eight narrow-gage train cars, shipped from Germany more than 100 years ago. Since 1914, these diesel and steam locomotives carried rice as well as people from the rice fields of Uragawara through ten stations to the sea at Kuroi. Both of these towns are now part of Joetsu City, which speaks for the area of the city.
When I arrived at dusk this evening, the “rail park” was closed, but a notice on the wall directed me to Mr. Nishiyama, caretaker and head of the “Preserving Treasures of Kubiki” NPO.
Mr. Nishiyama rushed right over to open the museum and give me a bit of a history lesson. When operations ceased in 1971, a locomotive enthusiast preserved the train cars in a tunnel in Kobe. In 2004 the cars were discovered and donated to the Rail Park in Kubiki. Transporting the rail cars and locomotives across the country was apparently quite an undertaking. These days, the train cars and locomotives have been restored to their original appearance, and actually run on tracks around the park once a month starting in spring. All this was about a 2 minute car drive from where my son plays soccer. Thank you Mr. Nishiyama, thank you Joetsu! #visitjoetsu #joetsu #train #locomotive #kubiki #kubikirailpark #localhistory (at くびきのお宝のこす会)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVz5aUjsnk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=90jsckq3tf6q

Winter ❄️ Wonderland in Joetsu! We’ve had a pretty mild winter but usually mid-February is the deepest, darkest time of the season. Last night, @chiemi_tako , @eli_stratton , @yakisoba18 and I set off at about 5:00 to check out the “Corridor of Lights” taking place in the farthest, snowiest districts in the city. We caught a shuttle bus in Oshima which took us to the opening ceremonies, deep in the mountains. Got to see my old friends from the Kenshin Welcoming troupe, costumed ed in their wartime attire. Shook hands with the mayor. Are some tonjiru (pork & vegi soup) and yakitori.
Then we were back on the shuttle bus to the Oshima train station, with its towering mountain of candles, and next to the “hometown of fireflies” where that was literally spelled out in candles. We all enjoyed hot udon and soba noodles in the giant igloo. By the time we got back to our car, we were too late for the closing fireworks at Cupid Valley Ski Resort, so we raced through another candle-lit road to arrive at another beautifully illuminated scene with background music at a former elementary school, just when they started giving out the remaining yakisoba noodles. There were some 40 sites throughout the city last night, all organized by local residents. That means we’ve still got about 35 more places to check out next snow season.#VisitJoetsu #joetsu #oshima #灯の回廊 #candles #安塚 #大島区 #snowcandles (at Joetsu-shi, Niigata, Japan)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuQIeh_D62c/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=yr8aczymn2zm