We're on the go for another weekend in July! My parents came to Japan for another visit, but the impetus for their travel was to visit Hokkaido during this season. They did that portion of their trip on their own, and they had a great time in Asahikawa, Sapporo and Otaru before they came to Kanagawa to stay with us.
Since there was a free weekend after Hokkaido, so we arranged for a quick road to Niigata prefecture. It's about a 4-5 hour drive from our house, so we left early Saturday morning. My husband drove most of the way through with just a quick break at the Echigokawaguchi rest stop where we got these cute little rice packages.
First stop for our Niigata visit was the Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum which is the farthest north that we would be traveling this weekend. We got there at about 10:15 on a Saturday and luckily it wasn't too busy. Admission is 400yen per adult, payment in cash or via PayPay only.
After paying for admission, we decided to head straight to the workshop area instead of going to any of the exhibits.
There are a few activities to choose from, and since we were lucky to be there on a day (a Saturday) where there was availability for the "engraving experience 彫金 製作体験" to create designs on these little copper trays. My husband and I chose a squattier shape plate with the design in the middle, and my parents opted for a longer, narrower shaped one that's good for holding pens. You typically need reservations for this, but fortunately they accommodated all 4 of us when we arrived.
Engraving craftsman 早川常美 Hayakawa-san helped guide us through the entire process. We were told he has over 50 years of experience! One of the workshop staff was also on hand the entire time with a phone with Google Translate to help ensure we understood what was going on.
For our plates, we chose from one of the pre-determined designs but I believe you'd be able to freehand your own as well. (I saw that aside from these more traditional ones, they also have Pokemon or other cartoon stencils - try to ask if you're interested!)
Next, following Hayakawa-san's example, we used the provided tools and small hammer to start engraving where we had drawn the outline dot-by-dot.
Meanwhile, my parents were following a slightly different process that involved shaping the long plate first and then heating and doing the engraving after.
Once my husband and I were done with our initial outlines, Hayakawa-san also showed us how to use a wider and flatter tipped bit to create volume in our design.
Hayakawa-san looked on as our work progressed and helped out when we needed it. When we were satisfied with our design, he expertly marked our plates to indicate where it should be cut and then carefully hammered to get the lifted edges. He did this swiftly, and it was really interesting to watch.
We used transfer paper and a pencil to get the design on the copper initially and then traced over it again with a marker.
Next is polishing (I think there were three steps here total but I'm unsure about what each specifically was).
We each cleaned our own dish before Hayakawa-san dropped it into hot water to reveal the (blue) coloring with potassium sulfide.
Then dry/heat (?)
Last step is the negative color where we removed the blue from some portions by using the powder and a bit of water on a wooden stick.
A final rinse reveals our finished product!
Hayakawa-san set them on the side to cool and dry before placing them into plastic sleeves for us to take with us.
We also wanted to do this Titanium Spoon Oxidation Color experience チタン製スプーン酸化発色. You can choose 1 of 3 different types of spoons and pay based on that. We all selected the yogurt spoon.
A staff member will assist you at the oxidation station where you let them know what colors you want to make your spoon based on their numbering system. If you want to do a gradient, the colors need to be sequential on the prescribed color ramp. The staff member will then set the voltage and demonstrate the motion you should use to withdraw the spoon from the water (if doing a gradient). You get one practice round and then go for it!
It's very fast but also easy to screw up if you don't follow the directions for withdrawing the spoon from the water lol. I chose to do a blue color gradient and am happy with how it turned out!
As we were running a little late for our lunch reservation, we took a quick picture with our creations before leaving. We didn't even end up having time to check out any of the exhibits 😓 but had so much fun doing the workshop.
We made our lunch selections after translating the menu which comes with focaccia bread, a salad, a drink (your choice) and a dessert. All of the metal silverware/dishes are supposed to come from this area as well which is known for its metalwork.
This is a great place to pick up omiyage for the area if you're just making a brief stop.
They even had a bunch of different nail clippers available for people to try! (I couldn't because I had gel nails on lol.)
My parents got us and themselves a pair of the Factory limited clippers which comes with this little shopping bag and its own case.
The sake tasting room is clearly identifiable once entering the store and easy to find. We took a look at the instructions outside and then purchased 2000yen worth of tokens --> 5 tokens per 500yen = 20 tokens. We were provided 4 tiny sake cups (1 for each of us) for the tasting.
I don't drink, and I was the designated driver from that point on, so I didn't end up trying anything myself, but it was still a really interesting experience and cool to see how the system worked.
There's over 100 choices (all Niigata-based sake breweries) and each has its own description with the type of sake, alcohol content, the brewery, a rating for dryness, richness and aroma and other notes. Most of the samples are 1 token but there are a handful that are 2-3 coins available at the dispensers. The 5 token sakes are kept behind the register and dispensed by staff.
Simply place your cup in the outlined spot, insert the coin(s) and press the yellow button for it to start dispensing a set amount.
Of course, the store also had other Niigata products aside from sake, so we had some fun shopping around and looking at all the regional items.
On the way towards the hotel, we made a brief stop at Gateau Senka because it was only a few minutes away. This is a confectionary store but open until 20:00 and we arrived after 19:00 which is pretty late. They didn't have a ton to choose from in the case (expected), but we still found a few things we were interested in including the famous hanabi pie (fireworks cookie).
The museum is mostly on the second floor and indoors but accessed on the ground level on one side of the large, shallow pool.
The view from the second story of the art museum looking towards the shallow pool. You can see how the reflection of the building emerges and makes a lot more sense from this angle. We also had a clear blue sky this day to complement it.
It's not a huge museum, but if you like contemporary art and are in the area, I definitely think it's worth a quite stop. The admission price is about right for the size, and I liked that many of the pieces were reflective/in consideration of the local area which made it feel more unique.
You get one serving of noodles (which I think is 7 bundles), but the buffet comes in with the side dishes which are various and endless, including many types of vegetable tempura which are constantly being churned out by the hard working kitchen staff.
We ended up getting 2 orders of udon and 2 orders of the hegi soba for the 4 of us and then a variety of all of the side dishes, of course.
Kiyotsu Gorge is the landmark, but the "art" part is the tunnels and the platforms that take you to 4 different viewing areas. The walk is almost 1km and some parts of it are quite dark, but at least the temperature was cool, even though it was very hot outside. 
Tsubamesanjo Italian Bit
Luckily the restaurant where I had made reservations for lunch was less than 10 minutes away and had ample parking. Bit has multiple locations (including two in Tokyo) but the one in Tsubamesanjo is the original. It also has a "5D experience room" limited to 1 party per meal (lunch or dinner) per day, but since we were looking for something a little simpler, I opted for just a regular reservation.
Bit is connected to a roadside station which has a display with all kinds of local shops and also a store which is quite sizable.
SUWADA Open Factory
A big reason we started north on the first day was because the factory at SUWADA Open Factory is closed on Sundays and Mondays, we knew we needed to visit on Saturday. It was also advised that the afternoon gave you the best chance at seeing forging being done,
It's free to enter and a very modern and chic space with lots of sculptures made out of the "negative" metal from making the popular and award-winning nail clippers.
The view of the factory is on the first floor (you enter the building on the second floor) with large glass windows looking at all kinds of stations where employees are hard at work.
Even if the factory isn't in operation, you can always come to visit the merchandise store.
It's not a huge or time consuming activity, but it is really interesting to stop by and check it out, especially if you're going to buy something! The factory viewing isn't like a factory tour and you basically just walk through and watch at your own pace. The staff in the store are very knowledgeable and should be able to answer any questions you have though.
Ponshukan (Nagaoka station location) ぽんしゅ館 長岡驛店
Our friends had recommended Ponshukan, a marketplace for Niigata products that also has a sake tasting room, to my husband after visiting the Echigo-Yuzawa location. After reading the reviews for that one about the crowds, we opted to try the Nagaoka one.
We parked at E･PLAZA which is a separate shopping mall right next to Nagaoka station. If you make a purchase at one of the E･PLAZA shops and have them validate your parking ticket, you get 3 hours of parking free. For us, this was pretty easy to achieve because there was a 100yen store in there.
Ponshukan is technically in "CoCoLo Nagaoka" but it's essentially connected to JR Nagaoka station which is also a shinkansen stop, so there's lots of different stores and restaurants in the building.
There doesn't seem to be a limit to the amount of token you can buy but there is the standard age restriction for alcohol consumption (20 years old). 5 tokens per person I think is pretty reasonable for trying 5-1 coin samples, but if you want to try the 3-coin sakes, you may need to get 2 sets of tokens (10 tokens).
The sake descriptions also stated whether it was available for purchase, so if you wanted to buy the bottle, it should be somewhere in the store.
For dinner, we decided not to stick around Nagaoka station, and instead headed back out towards our hotel in Mitsuke. I found Hinadori Kaneko by just searching around near our accommodations and picked it because I knew my husband likes chicken lol.
It's a decently sized restaurant with a homey feel. Tables are on elevated tatami and you remove your shoes to be seated. The well known item here is the fried half chicken.
I decided I didn't want to hassle with a half chicken, so I ended up ordering katsu curry, but my husband and my dad ordered sets with it and said it was interesting. There's a bit of curry spice on it that makes it a little different, but it was fried very well and was tender.
On the way towards the hotel, we made a brief stop at Gateau Senka because it was only a few minutes away. This is a confectionary store but open until 20:00 and we arrived after 19:00 which is pretty late. They didn't have a ton to choose from in the case (expected), but we still found a few things we were interested in including the famous hanabi pie (fireworks cookie).
We started planning this weekend trip somewhat late considering that this was a 3-day weekend for Japanese citizens (Umi no hi/Marine Day is the 3rd Monday in July). So even though there are quite a decent number of hotels in Nagaoka city, our choices were slightly slimmed by our procrastination. We ended up booking our 1 night at the Route Inn Mitsuke Inter which had a less ideal location but was built only 2 years ago which we saw as a plus.
It was actually quite a busy-seeming hotel with lots of cars in the parking lot and people constantly checking in around the same time as us (around 20:00). As anticipated, the rooms all seem to be in great shape and we were happy with the amenities as well.
A number of Route Inn hotels have a public bath. This one's was on the first/lobby floor with the women's bath accessed by a keycode. There were 6 shower stalls in there and two getting ready stations.
Breakfast was included as part of our stay, so we made sure to take advantage of that below checking out. There was a decent selection with staff constantly refilling things. The deep fried items were particularly good here (actually warm and crispy)!
Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, MonET
We were done in Tsubame and Nagaoka, so we started in the direction of home and drove for about an hour to get to Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, MonET which is at a roadside station that also has a public bath. There's plenty of parking, and it was easy to access.
Little did we realize that this pool was actually an art piece on its own. It is free to access without paying admission and while we were there, a few families actually brought their children to play in it.
This art museum is part of a triennial of art spaces that are part of the Echigo Tsumari Art Field. As I understand it, the open air pieces are quite a bit spread out, but you can buy a "passport" ticket for admission to everything as a flat rate. Since we were only going to this museum and the gorge, we paid for our fee ala carte.
Then slowly started making our way around the museum. As the name implies, it's all contemporary art which has to be my favorite genre. We were there on a Sunday morning, no more than 30 minutes after opening and the spaces were relatively empty aside from maybe 5-6 other parties that we sometimes ran into at the various exhibits.
The museum had an English language pamphlet with explanations for each piece but there was generally a placard next to each one with Japanese and English on it as well which we appreciated.
Definitely had a different perspective on this space after seeing it from a higher angle!
There are a few art pieces outside as well in addition to the mural on the side of the building itself which we briefly stopped to check out, but it was blazing hot.
Soba no Sato Abuzaka そばの郷 Abuzaka
We took our time at MonET, but that meant we didn't show up to our intended lunch place, Soba no Sato Abuzaka until closer to 12:00. When we first arrived, the parking lot was completely full, even the spaces where it made sense to park along the building (not in marked stalls) or potentially double park were taken.
I think we were 22nd in line when I signed us in. We had a lot of hope but ended up waiting for over 90 minutes to be seated. We spent some of that time in the car with the AC on since it was so hot, but did end up moving into the outdoor waiting area for the last 30-45 minutes.
The main feature at this restaruant is the lunch buffet where you have two choices for your starch - udon or hegi soga, which is characterized by the tray it is served on, how the noodles are arranged and the funori seaweed used to make them which creates a unique texture.
Unfortunately, because it took us so long to be seated, we couldn't relax and enjoy our meal at a leisurely pace. Instead, we scarfed down what we could within about 22 minutes and then headed back out into the heat and the car lol. We especially enjoyed the vegetables and how fresh and flavorful they were. The hegi soba is a feature but the side dishes are definitely the highlight here!
Kiyotsu Gorge 清津峡 / Tunnel of Light
Last, but not least, on our list of things to do in Niigata prefecture was visit Kiyotsu Gorge! The Tunnel of Light at the gorge is another part of the Echigo Tsumari Art triennial and probably the best known one. We had initially planned to do this first to start our little trip, but it got shifted when we needed to prioritize visiting SUWADA Open Factory on Saturday.
Since it was a long weekend due to a holiday, admission tickets needed to be reserved in advance via Aso View, but usually aren't required. Because of this, we had a timed entry window and that's why we were rushing at lunch. The parking attendants wouldn't even have let us through if we didn't already have a reservation. (I only figured out that we needed the reservation on the Friday prior to going, but fortunately they weren't sold out.)
We parked in Parking Lot 2 as directed and then it was about a 10 minute walk to the actual tunnel admission entrance where they scanned our tickets.
The first platform starts off quite plainly, but this is when you first get to take a look at the surroundings. It's incredibly picturesque and very dynamic looking.
Platform 2 is easily recognizable with it's black and white swirling pattern on the interior. There's also this short mirrored dome near the entrance that is actually a small restroom lol.
Platform 3 keeps things interesting with these mirrored discs that are mounted on the sides of the tunnel that are backlit with orangey light.
We opted to keep our shoes on and walk along the edges where the water was maybe 0.5-2cm deep depending on how other people were moving through it, but others chose to remove their footwear and wade into the center area where it reached mid-calf or higher on some people.
It takes a while to get a decent photo with so many other people in the way, so I did a lazy blemish tool removal lol.
The view from Platform 2
The most iconic platform is #4 which is at the end and where the ground is covered in a shallow layer of water. It is VERY crowded here, but also has the best views.
This view of the gorge is really quite perfect.
You exit the tunnels the same way you entered, so it's quite quick. Depending on how long you spend at each platform, the whole thing might take 30-45 minutes at a moderate pace.
View from outside the paid admission area is quite nice too, especially with nice weather.
Kiyotsu Gorge and the Tunnel of Light is definitely worth a visit, but be prepared to deal with crowds, especially if you go on a weekend. The first 3 platforms aren't too bad with people coming and going and allowing others time at the rail pretty easily, but you'd be hard pressed to get a solo shot without other people in it at Platform 4. If you just want the view and aren't fussed about the pictures, it's definitely a must do in this area.
We had a 4.5 hour (+ a little longer due to increasing traffic/road congestion) drive back home to Kanagawa after this, but made it in time for a late dinner with a quick stop at a rest station in Atsugi. The weekend passed quickly, but I'm glad we were able to do all the activities on our list and eat at some great local restaurants. We were especially pleased with the 2 lunches we had. We didn't quite make it all the way up to Niigata city, but I'm glad we were able to explore these areas since we usually limit ourselves to the Yuzawa area for snowboarding. I don't think I would have thought to go to Tsubame on my own and all the metalworking experiences were so fun!
If you have a chance to visit, especially on the shinkansen, I recommend it :)
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