Tokyo Weekender July 2016

TRAVEL
[ PROMOTION ]
Explore Niigata
with a New Market
in Tokyo, and Four
Local Festivals
Niigata is an often overlooked prefecture home to Fuji Rock,
great skiing slopes, and the Kodo drum group, but there's
so much more. A new market offers a taste of the region's
specialties right here in Tokyo this summer, with other
regions to be showcased later in the year
Summer is synonymous with
festivals in Japan, and this month
we’ve got our sights set on some of
Niigata’s top matsuri. While many
of us would love to throw caution to
the wind and travel up and down the nation to
experience these wonderful events firsthand,
we know it’s not always easy to find the time.
Thankfully you can also get your rural festival
fix right here in the city at Tabisuru Shintora
Market, a new ongoing event outside Toranomon
Hills that opened earlier this year to promote
local regions from across the nation. The
current theme, named Summer Breeze, begins
this month and features five cities from Niigata
touting their wares and local specialties.
But first, a closer look at the festivals and other
attractions they’re famous for….
FOR SAKE ENTHUSIASTS
MURAKAMI CITY
THE FESTIVAL This historical castle town
is home to the Murakami Grand Festival, a
traditional event that dates back over 380
years and features large floats called oshagiri
as the main draw. July 6-7, www.sake3.com/
murakamitaisai
WHILE YOU'RE THERE Located on Niigata’s
coast, this city's claim to local fame is sake,
sake and sake. (That’s salmon, sake and
empathy for the rest of us.) Visitors are welcomed
to long lanes of black wooden walls
and fences – a signature Edo-period style –
and rows of whole salmon hanging to air dry
in the sun. The city also a slew of beautiful
beaches and onsen, the most famous being
Senami Onsen, which overlooks the ocean.
HOW TO GET THERE Take the Joetsu Shinkansen
to Niigata City, then switch to the
Uetsu Honsen Line for Murakami Station.
FOR TRADITIONAL CRAFT LOVERS
SANJO AND TSUBAME
THE FESTIVAL Known collectively as Sanjo-Tsubame, this world-class metalworking region
is revered for its high-quality knives, and flatware used at the Nobel Prize banquet. The
Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival allows visitors to have a rare chance to see skilled craftsmen
as they work, and also join them for a drink at organized receptions. October 5-8, kouba-fes.jp
WHILE YOU'RE THERE Hard physical work requires filling food, so it's no surprise Sanjo and
Tsubame are famous for their curry ramen and seabura (back fat) ramen respectively. Echigo
Miso Jyouzo lets visitors can try making their own batch of this traditional condiment.
HOW TO GET THERE Take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Tsubame-Sanjo station.
44 | JULY 2017 | TOKYO WEEKENDER