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Kitamae-bune (Sadokoku Ogi MInzoku Museum)
After rowing a Tarai boat and watching the triangle house of Shukunegi in Sado Island, let’s go to “Sadokoku Ogi Minzoku Muzeum” where exhibits “Sengokubune” a large junk with loading capacity for 1,000 koku and has nostalgic atmosphere! * ”Koku” is a traditional Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is about 278.3 liters. A small village located the southern tip of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, Shukunegi is called as “The village of Sengokubune”. From the Middle Ages, a lot of people work for shipping and shipbuilding industries lived at there. From Edo period to Meiji era, it became a port of call of Kitamae-bune and flourished as a base […]
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Ondeko, a traditional performing art of Sado Island
Ondeko (The durum of demon) is a drum & dance unit performs in Sado Island from the Edo era. The performers dance with a scary demon mask or a dubious old man’s mask and make the audience happy. The drum of demon comes down to Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is called “Ondeko” and this is the Shinto ritual performing art to pray for huge harvest, well-being of family, state of perfect health, prosperous business etc. and Ondeko go around the village houses one by one to keep off evil (to exorcise evil spirit).The origin of Ondeko is unknown, but it is said that Ondeko was influenced by Nogaku (Noh […]
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Bijin Bayashi (Beauty Forest)
The shower of negative ions come down! Refresh in Bijin Bayashi (Beauty Forest), a beauty beech grove! Both of your heart and body will be beautiful. In Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, the beech grove of about 90 years old is extending in the hills of Matsunoyama. At the beginning of the Showa era, in order to make charcoal, all beeches around here have been cut down. However, since the year prior of cutting down was a great harvesting year of acorns once in several years, beeches grew together all at once and became a beech forest with same trunk size and height. Its tall and slim figure was too beautiful, […]
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Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel
Kiyotsu Gorge which is the three-great gorge in Japan, despite being unexplored region, why men and women of all ages can visit there easily? Kiyotsu Gorge is a great gorge of about 13 km in length, formed by Kiyotsu River which is a tributary of Shinano River in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture. It is located in Joshinetsu-kogen National Park, and together with Kurobe Gorge (Toyama prefecture) and Osugi Canyon (Mie prefecture), Kiyotsu Gorge, it is one of the three great gorges in Japan. It is also designated as a scenic spot and a natural monument of Japan. Kiyotsu Gorge has the magnificent beauty of gorge, huge quay walls beside Kiyotsu River […]
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“Ushi no Tsunotsuki” (bullfighting competition) of Yamakoshi and Ojiya of Niigata
The bullfighting competition of Yamakoshi and Ojiya of Niigata, “Ushi no Tsunotsuki” is a traditional event that handed down for 1,000 years. There is no winner or loser, the fight always end in a draw. We want everyone to know what the cow is thinking now…, you should also pay attention to unique announcement at the site! Ushi no Tsunotsuki is the bullfighting competition which is held in Nagaoka City (Old name: Yamakoshi village) and Ojiya City, Niigata prefecture. Long time ago, those areas were called as Echigo Nijiyu-mura village. Its history is long and it is said that this bullfighting is handed down for more than 1,000 years. A […]
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Highlights of Izumozaki Town, Niigata Prefecture, with a focus on Echigo Izumozaki Tenryo no Sato
Let’s go and see the sunset of Izumozaki where the sea and the sky are dyed in orange! The sunset from Izumozaki is said to be the largest in the world. Izumozaki is located approximately in the center of Niigata prefecture. This beautiful city is well known the song in “Oku no Hosomichi” of Basho Matsuo, “Araumi ya/ Sado ni yokotau / Amanogawa (Turbulent the sea/ Across to Sado stretches / The Milky Way)”. This haiku talks about the scenery of Sado Island commanded by raging waters of the Sea of Japan. In the Edo period, it became the region under Tokugawa Shogunate’s direct control (shogunal demesne). This place was […]
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Shukuneki Village on Sado Island
The look of “Shukunegi” village in Sado Island which a famous actress, Sayuri Yoshinaga was also taken back in the time. With a taste of slipping through time, I took walks on this amazing village. At Shukunegi located in the southern tip of Sado Island, Niigata prefecture, is a small village developed as a port of Kitamae-Bune from the middle of Edo era to Meiji era. At that time, ship-owners, shipwrights and other people who engaged in shipping and shipbuilding industries were lived there. Even today, this village remarkably retains the atmosphere and the buildings of those years. Building using vertical wooden plates are created by materials of the bulk […]
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Unexplored region of Sado Island: Onogame (Tobishima Kanzou daylily colony ), Futatsugame, and Sainokawara sacred place
“Onogame” and “Futatsugame” in Sado Island have a superb view and a swimming beach which were guaranteed by Mr. Michelan! From the end of May to the beginning of June will be the best time to view Tobishima Kanzo daylily, but in winter it is so desolated. We would like to introduce “Onogame,” one of the greatest view in Sotokaifu coast which is located at the north end of Sado Island, Niigata prefecture. Onogame is a massive rock where 167-meter height monolith is poking into the sea and it is mentioned in “The Michelin Green Guide Japan” as a two-star. It is a representative sightseeing spot of Sado Island which […]
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Sightseeing spots around Niigata Port with an exotic atmosphere
Feel the taste of port town Niigata, and its history and culture meet at the riverbank of Shinano River. A small journey around Niigata Port filled with an air of exoticism. Niigata Port was designated as one of the five ports (five ports including Niigata, Hakodate, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki) to open by Ansei Treaties and opened in 1868. In 2019, Niigata port celebrated its 150th anniversary since opening door to abroad. Currently Niigata Port is comprised by two ports, Niigata West Port and Niigata East Port. Originally Niigata Port was opened by utilizing the estuary of Shinano River, but this port in Shinano River is called Niigata West Port […]
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Niigata Furumachi Geigi (Niigata Geisha）
Great news for those longing for the high social class! With amount of high school student’s earning money from a part time job, you can enjoy delicious cuisine at Niigata’s long established restaurant and experience Ozashiki Asobi (playing games with Geisha) with Niigata Geisha. Furumachi Geigi in Niigata is one of the three major Geisha in Japan along with Gion in Kyoto, Shinbashi in Tokyo. Furumachi Geigi has more than 200 years of tradition and one of the representative culture of port town Niigata. Between the middle of Edo period to Meiji era, Niigata was a port town flourished as a port of call of Kitamae-bune in the Japan Sea […]
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Noroma Ningyo dolls, the puppet-shows handed down on Sado Island
Noroma Ningyo, the puppets of simpleton, is a humorous puppet performed in Sado dialect. The stock scene is the leading character always get naked and pissed at there. It is funny no matter how many times you watch it. In Sado Island of Niigata prefecture, puppet-shows were actively performed since the middle of Edo period (18th century). It was also the time when Sado Island was flourished for Sado Gold Mine. There are three puppet-shows called “Sekkyo Ningyo”, “Noroma Ningyo” and “Bunya Ningyo ” and also they are all designated as important intangible folk-cultural properties. Among them, Noroma Ningyo is a light and funny comedy play using Sado’s old dialect, […]
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Tsuburosashi, a strange festival in the traditional arts of Sado Island
Traditional performing art of Sado, “Tsuburosashi” is popular amongst many people regardless of age and gender. It is exactly a rare festival of Japan! Its dance is too dirty and you may feel you do not know where to look, but its rhythmic move absorbs your attention. I will introduce traditional performing art “Tsuburosashi” which has been handed down to Hamochi district where is the southern part of Sado Island, Niigata prefecture. This is also designated as an intangible cultural asset of Niigata prefecture. “Tsuburosashi” is one of Kagura, the sacred Shinto music and dance, that dedicates to the shrine praying for huge harvest and prosperity of descendants. There are […]