Hello guys! As you might have read a few months earlier, I have successfully obtained a driving lesson in Japan, so I have decided to embark on my first ever self-drive trip in Niigata Prefecture!

You can read more about my adventures in Niigata in my previously written articles, but today I am bringing you more amazing attractions of Niigata, just in time for the beautiful autumn season.

Niigata is pretty easy to access from Tokyo, with the shinkansen connecting Tokyo Station to Niigata Station in just a short 2 hours, but for those of you who want to go far and deep like I always do, a self-drive trip would be a perfect choice. read more

Growing up in our tropical climate, seeing and touching snow for the first time is always a memorable moment. Terribly exciting, in fact, that often we forget to wear gloves and freeze our hands off! My past encounters with snow have not always been intentional though; it happened by chance either too early or too late in the season to fully enjoy it.

This trip completely changed my perception of winter holidays and we hope, others too. With a little bit of planning and preparing, snow time can be so much fun in Japan even if it’s your first time. Perhaps especially so when it’s your first time! All these years, autumn has always been my favourite time to visit Japan but now I’m not so convinced anymore. Let us take you through our recent snow journey in different prefectures and discover the joy of winter in our favourite destination – Japan. read more

Sado island is part of Niigata prefecture and is really well-known throughout Japan for its rich history and many stories benhind, but due to its remote location, this treasure trove of an island remains one of the best hidden gems in the country. I am so glad and honored to have the chance to visit this precious island not just once, but twice, creating lots of fond memories that will last a long time.

Have you been to Niigata before?

Did you know that Niigata was once the most populated prefecture in the whole of Japan, dating some 120 years back? That’s actually not that long ago. It was one of the top 5 trading ports of Japan, along with Hakodate (Hokkaido), Yokohama (Kanagawa), Kobe (Hyogo) and Nagasaki.

It is also blessed with almost everything – sea, pure water, onsen, fertile soil, gold mines, lots of snow, allowing the people of Niigata to make the best out of what nature offers – rice, sake, and great seafood. read more

Checked.

My 25th prefecture in Japan. 22 more to go.

We wanted a snowy holiday that’s not too far from Tokyo, so we decided to visit Niigata prefecture, also nicked “Snow Country”. Niigata is most famous for two things – skii resorts with soft, powdery snow and Koshihikari rice. And we were gonna enjoy both to the fullest 😛

Junya’s entertainment for the 2-hour shinkansen ride. And the toy was a… shinkansen lol. And the name of the Shinkansen is… Sakura lol. read more

While I was compiling the post for Niigata with 70 over pictures, here’s a short video on our shinkansen and snow adventure in Niigata prefecture! ♥

Update again soon! ^^