White is the Coolest Colour in Niigata

“The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country

(国境の長いトンネルを抜けると、雪国であった).”

— “Snow Country”, Yasunari Kawabata

Alongside Kurobe Gorge and Osugi Gorge, Kiyotsu Gorge stands among one of the three great gorges in Japan. Towering cliffs with “columnar jointing" created a V-shaped grand canyon over the Kiyotsu River. It was not until 1996 that a 750m pedestrian tunnel was constructed, from which one could admire the gorge safely. Inspired by the "five elements" of nature, which are wood, earth, metal, fire, and water, the entire tunnel was transformed into an artwork during the 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, by the architectural firm Ma Yansong / MAD Architects.

While “I pledge to work, work, work, work, work.” is the winner of Japan's 2025 Word of the Year, “emergency hunting (緊急銃猟)” or “bear attack (クマ被害)” is also one of the finalists. In November, there were several bear attacks in Niigata, including a man in his 60s was clawed and hospitalized, and a mountaineer was killed. Japan is hiring more hunters and has relaxed gun rules to make it easier to shoot bears. BEAR in mind. Remain calm, avoid running and slowly back away while facing the bear. If an attack is unavoidable, lie face down and protect your neck.

Speaking of Niigata, most of us will come up with rice. Niigata Prefecture (新潟県) has the highest rice yield in Japan, and Niigata Koshihikari (新潟越光米) earn its reputation as one of the best regarded rice. As the agriculture ministry underestimated the demand of rice, with a rise of locals and tourists eating out after the pandemic, the price of rice has more than doubled, which also reflects the cost-of-living crisis in decades. As the public anger grows, the Japanese government auctioned its emergency reserves to try to bring prices down in March 2025.

Different from the well-known Niigata Koshihikari, the rice used for sake brewing is sakamai (酒米). Every year, farmers cultivate different sake rice varieties, from Koshitanrei (越淡麗) to Gohyakumangoku (五百万石). Niigata sake are characterized as light and simple, with no aftertaste but bring out the flavor of food. Actions speak louder than words. In Niigata Station, the vending machines of the Ponshukan (ぽんしゅ館) provides nearly 100 types of sake. With just 500 yen, one can get 5 tasting coins to sample up to 5 cups of sake.

Snow glows white on the mountain of Echigo-Yuzawa (越後湯澤). It takes only a 1.5 hour train from Tokyo. No wonder this historic resort with 12 ski fields attracts 2 million+ skiers annually.