Things to do and see:

Nakasato Mion Onsen - Great onsen on the banks of the Shinano River. Both indoor and outdoor baths. 500 Yen fee. Follow signs as you enter Nakasato or stop at 7-11 for a complimentary map of the area.

Yukura Onsen - Located across the river in the neighboring village of Kuramata. Kind of difficult to find, but a stop at 7-11 for a map should help. Small, recently renovated onsen used mostly by local villagers and farmers -- one of my favorites.

Kiyotskyo Village and River Gorge - At the Umall intersection, make a left turn on Route 353 and follow it into this picturesque valley. At the back of the valley is a natural rock river gorge famed for its unusual rock geometry and legend of a giant snake that protects its sacred pools.

Akiyamago Valley - This valley truly comes alive in the fall. Covered in trees, the foliage color change is truly a sight. At the middle of the valley, there is an incredible onsen perched on the edge of cliff over-looking the valley, definitely worth a stop. For the more adventurous, there is a natural outdoor onsen located below a traditional inn at the back of the valley. Bring a shovel and dig your own onsen on river bank - clothing optional.

Echigo Sculpture Installations - You might run across some unusual, interesting, and all together bizarre public art installations around Nakasato. These were all created by international artists for a millennium art festival.

Seitaiyama Campsite - Located in Kuramata, this campsite is located in the mountains surrounding the village and is located near the river.

Nanatsugama Fishing Park - A pond stocked with fish - fun for kids. Located in Kuramata near the campsite.

Nakasato Ski Hill - Follow Route 353 toward Kiyotsukyo and follow the signs to the hill. Very small ski hill with only two runs, but great for beginners.

Belnatio Hotel and Spa - Located between Tokamachi and Nakasato - an upscale resort offering a full spa, recreation activities, and a couple of nicer restaurants.

Shopping:

Kur Haus Gift Shop - Located in the foyer of this sports complex on the outskirts of Tsunan, it offers a great selection of traditional and local crafts and foods. Follow the signs through Tusnan to Kur Haus.

Small Gift Shop in Umall Center - There is a small gift shop in the Umall Center in Nakasato. Selling small crafts, kimono, and kimono accessories.

Mion and Yukura Onsen omiyage shops - Most onsens offer small gift shops for visitors. Good places to find some souvenirs.

Restaurants:

Kadoman Ramen Shop - My favorite restaurant in Japan. Owned by a surfing/snowboarding family. The food is very oishi and you can’t beat the prices. They also run a small surf/skate/snow shop in their parking lot - check it out!

Saison Restaurant located down the hill past Umall on Route - Omelette Rice, Beef Stew -- Cho Oishi!

Hisago - located near JA Bank, appointment in necessary, an expensive Izakaya, but very delicious.

Cultural Events:

Obon Festivites - Usually takes place around the last week of August or first week of September - all activities, including the dancing, are centered around the Umall parking lot.

Summer Matsuri - Takes place the first weekend in September. Food stalls and other activities are centered around the Umall parking lot and the village shrine which is located on a nearby hillside.

Nakasato Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival) - The second weekend in March. Takes place at the Nakasato Ski Hill. The hill is covered with thousands of candles and there is entertainment and food. Not to be missed - especially for photographers!

Hidden Jewels:

Akiyamago Turquoise Pool - very, very difficult/impossible to find. Email me at lopakapurdy@gmail.com and I’ll take you there myself! It’s incredible.

Akiyamago Waterfall - Located in a small village in the middle of the valley - a short hike takes you to the lookout point.

PLEASE VISIT NAKASATO - IT HAS A LOT TO OFFER!!

Ojiya City:       

Ojiya City area           

Kawaguchi Town 

Things to do and see:

Koi museum - This is a nice museum with a lot of fish ponds near Mos Burger. Nishikigoi, or “colorful carp,” are raised here in Niigata and famous throughout Japan and the world.

Bull Fighting - No bulls are killed. Two bulls will push each other a little bit and people watch.

Ojiya City Gym - Only 100 yen for a full day of basketball, badminton, and ping pong. And it’s 200 yen to use the weight room.

Shopping:

JUSCO

Beisia

Komeri

Harashin

**I do not recommend shopping in Ojiya. You should go to Nagaoka.

Restaurants:

Gusto - (Japanese food and Japanese-style American food) about 500-900 yen per person

Mos Burger - (hamburgers / coffee / desserts) about 600 yen per person

Patio - (Japanese-style Italian food) about 1000-1200 yen per person

Wataya - (soba and other Japanese food) about 1500-2000 yen per person 

Cultural Events:

Ojiya Summer Festival (August) - downtown. huge fireworks / parade / a lot of food stands.

Ojiya Winter Festival (February) - an empty field off of route 117. About 50 or so oddly-shaped and colorful hot air balloons have a strange competition.

Hidden Jewels:

One of the best things about Ojiya is that it is a very short ride by car, bus, or train to Nagaoka. You are likely to find more things to do and see, better shopping, and better restaurants in Nagaoka.

Municipality: Kawaguchi                                                                 Author: Matt Baumgartner

Things to do and see:

The meeting place of Japan’s longest river (Shinano) and another river which Kawaguchi is famous for: the Uono.

Kawaguchi Onsen: It’s like a resort, overlooking the sleepy town. The view is stunningly gorgeous in the winter, is staffed by a very friendly and communicative staff, and has all the amenities which a person could want, including a denki-furo, and a swimming pool (which is closed in the summer).

This part of Highway 17 is a particularly beautiful part of Highway 17.

Shopping:

There’s a supermarket which one of the kids’ parents owns. It’s just like a mom-n-pop’s back home- but a little different.

Restaurants:

There’s a little soba shop across the street from the bus stop next to the eneos station. They’re really friendly and the prices aren’t bad. I can’t read the name.

The 7-11 in town is VERY friendly, and convenient.

Cultural Events:

Hanabi can be seen at the meeting of The Two Rivers. Summer time. Sum, sum, summtertime.

Kawaguchi Matsuri: It’s where the Jr. Highschool kids get dressed up as samurai and parade through town. Summer time. Sum, sum, summertime.

Hidden Jewels:

There’s a weird, pyramid-looking thing which is multi-colored and has strange designs on it. It’s at the southern end of town on the western side of the road. It’s worth a drive-by if you’re in the area. And there’s plenty of parking at the SaveOn next door if you feel inclined to get out and look.

Kawaguchi Jr. Highschool: Located behind the town and across the river, it’s home to many of the town’s gifted youngsters and staffed 24 hours a day by foreigner-friendly teachers.

Minamiuonuma City:  

Muikamachi area  

    Shiozawa area 

Things to do and see:

Bishamon-do: Temple with a route round the back that takes you through 33 kannon figurines scattered around the hill.

Onsens: Tamon-so (500 yen) and Tejimaya (600 yen). Both are next to each other. Take the Bishamon-do exit from Urasa station and walk along the road leading to the post office. Turn left when the road ends. Keep going on and you’ll see Tejimaya just before Tamon-so on the right side. Tejimaya has a rotemburo (outdoor bath) and a free foot bath at the entrance.

Cycling terminal at Hakkaisan roku. Scenic track.

Skiing: Urasa ski-jo and Hakkaisan roku ski-jo (the former is closer to the train station)

Wine tasting at Echigo Winery

Fishing in Uono River.

Shopping:

Koshihikari rice, Echigo wine, Hakkaisan sake, Yairo watermelon (only in summer)

Restaurants:

Budou-no-hana: Restaurant belonging to Echigo winery. Mostly Italian food, a few Japanese dishes. Classy ambience -- a place you’d take someone you want to impress.

Yummy: Good handmade gelato with seasonal flavours (e.g. sakura, apple pie, etc). Cross the blue bridge, turn right at the second stop light and it’s the little blue house on the right.

Ezumiya: Delicious Japanese food. Large servings. Has an English menu. Run by an Okinawan lady. Next to the post office on the Bishamon-do side of the train station. The daily set lunches are very good value for money.

Kodamaya: The usual family restaurant. Has a picture menu. Right across the station.

La Grassa: Italian restaurant with many original pasta creations. The soba pasta is very good. In the parallel street behind Kodamaya.

Basel: Good bakery, a few doors away from La Grassa.

Yana restaurant: Catch your own dinner from Uono river and tell the chef how you want it prepared (sashimi, shio yaki, etc). Cross the “new bridge” (i.e. not the blue bridge -- there are only 2 bridges in town), turn right at the stop light and keep going along the road till you see the sign for the restaurant.

Cultural Events:

Hakada Oshiai Matsuri (Naked Men Festival) on 3rd March every year at Bishamon-do, featuring drunk men wearing just a cotton loincloth jumping into a pool before pushing their way into the temple in the dead of winter. The festival is not to be missed!

Summer festival at Bishamon-do area. Fireworks set off from Urasa ski-jo.

Wine Festival at Echigo Winery. In Sep.

Autumn festival at Yairo Park.

Chrysanthemum festival at Bishamon-do. Late Oct / early Nov.

Hidden Jewels:

A shinkansen station in a small town?

Things to do and see:

Tenshouji Temple: Omigawa area, open everyday, no entrance fee. Contains prefectural artifacts dedicated to the Godess of Mercy.

Untoan Temple: Untou area, open 9am to 5pm, entrance fee 300 yen. Contains historical artifacts of Uesugi Kenshin, a famous Niigata samurai.

Kankouji Temple: Uwaseki area, open everyday, no entrance fee.

Chouonji Temple: Shiozawa area, open everyday, no entrance fee. Dedicated to Suzuki Bokushi, a famous novelist who lived in this area during the Edo period. His works include Hokuetsu Seppu and Akiyama Kikou.

Ski Fields: Open from December to April every year. Joestu Kokusai, Ishiuschi Maruyama, Maiko are the three biggest. All cater for skiers and snowboarders, and facilites include board parks and half-pipes.

Imaizumi Museum: Shimohitoichi area, open everyday except Mondays, 9:30am to 5pm, entrance fee 500 yen. Exhibits local art and handcrafts.

Shopping:

Shiozawa specialties: Hakkatou (mint candy), Takachiyo sake, Shiozawa omeshi (kimono), Koshihikari rice, Echigo joufu (kimono silk).

Restaurants:

Listed prices are the average cost of a single dish, unless otherwise stated.

Tabataya: Soba restaurant, 1,200 yen, Japanese style, on Route 17 opposite the 100 yen store.

Yabu: Soba resaurant, 1,200 yen, Japanese style, on Route 17 next to Sushi Douraku.

Nakanoya: Soba restaurant, 1,200, Japanese style, sells handcrafts made by disabled people, on Route 17 in Ishiuch.

Maki to Ishi: Italian restaurant, 1,500 yen, Japanese-style Italian food in a Western style restaurant, on Route 17 opposite the 7/11.

Pittore: Italian restaurant, 3,000 yen for a full meal, an almost-authentic Italian restaurant serving homemade bread, pizza and other Italian food, at Iwappara Skifield, park in carpark 6 and walk up.

Jashumon: Cafe, 1,000 yen, sells good cake and coffee, Ishiuchi area.

Mos Burger: Fastfood restaurant, 600 yen for a set, serves Japanese style burgers as well as normal burgers, on Route 17 opposite Family Book.

Azamitei: French restaurant, 4,500 for a meal, serves fresh homemade bread, on a side street off Route 17 near Yuzawa.

Kitchen Nakazawa: Italian, 800 yen, sells homemade hamburgers but is closed during winter, from Shiozawa head towards Yuzawa, turn right off Route 17 at Dosanko.

Ishiuchi Drive-in: Yakiniku 1,000 yen, casual family restaurant, near the entrance of Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski ground.

Keyakitei: Western food (but not really) 1,000 yen, specialties include Omu-rice and hamburgers, on Route 17 next to Taburu Curosu.

Top

Tsunan is one of the most southern parts of Niigata-ken and provides one of the two gateways to Nagano-ken (the other through Itoigawa). Half an hours drive south of Tokamachi City, on the banks of the Shiozawa River and in the shadow of Mount Naeba, it’s a mountainous area with stunning views for each of the four seasons. Tsunan hit the headlines in the Winter of 2006 when it accumulated four metres of snow, cutting off the Akiyama-ko valley. The SDF had to be called in to help dig out the villages and air-lift students to school!

http://www.tsunan.or.jp/ 

Things to do and see:

Sunflower Fields - Open during the last week in July and the first two weeks in August, this is the main attraction of Tsunan in the summer: four fields packed with sunflowers on the Tsunan Plateau. A maze is cut into the fields so you can walk among the person height plants. An observation platform is also erected to give the perfect view of the whole field. In front of the sunflowers you can see the entries for the scarecrow competition. Omiyage stalls and food stalls can be found around the edge of the car park.To get to the fields, take the road to Akiyama-ko from Tsunan’s High Street on route 117, and follow signs up onto the plateau.

Ryogakubo - This is secluded little lake on the Tsunan Plateau, not far from the Sunflower Fields. It is famed for the purity of the local spring water and I saw other tourists filling big bottles from the spring to take home with them. The dense forest around the lake make it cool place even in the heat of summer. To get to the lake, take the road to Akiyama-ko from Tsunan’s High Street on route 117, and follow signs up onto the plateau.

Akiyama-ko - A small village tucked in a valley towards Mt Naeba, this region is famed for it’s Autumn colours. Thousands of deciduous trees and high valley walls provide a stunning drive in late-October / early November. Stop off at one of the onsens along the way. Also, look out for signs to ‘Mikura no tsuri bashi’, the bridge used in the Joe Odagiri movie ‘Yureru’ (‘Sway’).

Tsunan Eki Onsen - If you fancy an onsen closer to Tsunan town centre, try the one above Tsunan station! And if you’re peckish afterwards, tuck into ramen at the restaurant downstairs.

Najomon Museum - This museum showcases the remains of a prehistoric Japanese civilisation from the Echigo-Tsumari area. The nanjyamon are famed for their pottery designs inspired by fire. Workshops and videos show how archeologists believe the Nanjyomons lived and made their everyday tools and pottery and outside two replicas of the Nanjyamon huts have been constructed. The museum also hosts related special exhibitions. From Tokamachi, take the 117 to Tsunan. After crossing the Kiyotsu Gawa Bridge, take a right at the large red signs and follow the road up the hill. http://www.najomon.com

New Greenpia Tsunan - Tsunan’s main ski resort. The winter season typically runs from mid December to early April. The resort provides about five different runs virtually flat greens to steeper reds and blacks. A boarder-cross competition is held in January and March. Outside the winter season, you can enjoy tennis, go-karting, roller-luge and hikes around the mountain. The massive hotel has two onsens, restaurants, omiyage shop and other sports facilities. From route 117, follow the road east at the massive ‘Greenpia Tsunan’ sign for about 9 km. http://www.green-pia.com/tunan/

Mount Park Tsunan - Tsunan’s other ski resort, though I’ve never been to try it. It’s used by the Cross-Country Ski Club of one of my schools so I guess the slopes are more challenging than at Greenpia. From Tokamachi, take route 117 through Tsunan High Street and look for signs to turn right after Chutsu Kawa Bridge. http://www.manpaku.com/

Shopping:

As it’s not very popular with tourists, there’s not really much in the way of omiyage shops in Tsunan. If you really need Hello Kitty keychains, you can find them at the omiyage shop in New Greenpia Tsunan. If you’d like local crafts, try the shop in the Najamon Museum.

Local produce stalls can be found on the road-side of route 117 between Kiyotsu Gawa Bridge and the sign for New Greenpia Tsunan. A big ‘Inaka-ya’ selling local produce and some crafts can be found on the way to Mount Park Tsunan ski resort.

Restaurants:

Kandoman (ramen, 600-900 yen) - A great place to stop after a day on the slopes or after a road trip to Nagano. Good ramen in generous portions and side dishes of gyoza. If you’re really hungry, try the set menu (ramen with katsu-don or ramen with chahan). The owners run the snowboard shop opposite, so if you want advice about the best local slopes, latest competions or just to brag, don’t hesitate to ask! You can find Kandoman’s log cabin on the east side of route 117, near the Tsunan side of the Kiyotsu Gawa Bridge.

(Katsu, 800-1300 yen) - A great place for katsu teishoku. The old style japanese house and friendly staff give this restaurant a very homely feel. From Tokamachi, drive south to Tsunan on route 117. When you reach Tsunan City Hall, take a right and you’ll find a wooden restaurant building on your right after the small rice field on your right.

Tomizawa (Soba, 800-1800 yen) - Reputed to be THE soba restaurant in Tsunan. It’s a bit pricey in comparison to other restaurants, but for what you pay you get good soba and tempura in a very japanese atmosphere (tatami seating, low tables, dark and polished wood beams). From Tokamachi, take route 117 south to Tsunan. You’ll find Tomizawa on your right, opposite Komeri.

Cultural Events:

Tsunan Himawari Matsuri, Tsunan High Street, (21st July, maybe) - this festival is coincides with the start of the blooming of sunflowers. Many events make up this Matsuri including a summer parade, bouldering competition and the Sunflower Fields.

Hidden Jewels:

The shops around Tsunan High Street decorate their fronts depending on the season; pink sakura during Spring, sunflowers in Summer, red and orange maple leaves in Autumn, snowflakes in Winter (unless there’s too much real snow!).

Art-Triennial Artworks - Tsunan is host to part of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial Project. Although the main event for the project takes place every three years, permanent artworks can be found around Mount Park and the route to Akiyama-ko.

Yuzawa Town English Homepage  (Town map, attractions, ski resorts)

If you'd like to write a more personal guide for Yuzawa, please download the TEMPLATE, and send us the goods HERE.