Tag: yuzawa

Niigata: A Hidden Gem in Japan – 5D4N – Day 2

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Day 2: Echigo Yuzawa （越後湯沢）

Itinerary

  • 8:00AM Breakfast at Ryokan
  • 9:40AM Bus from Yuzawa Station Bus Terminal 湯沢駅前 Lane 1 to Naeba Prince Hotel Stop 苗場プリンスホテル前
  • 10:21AM Arrive at Naeba Prince Hotel Stop 苗場プリンスホテル前
  • ~10:35PM Shuttle Bus to Dragondola Sanroku Station and Dragondola ride
  • 11PM Reach Dragondola Sancho Station
  • 12:20PM Dragondola back to Dragondola Sanroku Station
  • 12:52PM Bus from Naeba Prince Hotel Stop 苗場プリンスホテル前 to Yuzawa Station 湯沢駅前
  • 1:38PM Reach Yuzawa Station 湯沢駅前
  • Lunch at Shinbashi / Shopping
  • 2:40PM Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway
  • 4:20PM Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway back to Yuzawa
  • 5PM Dinner at Yuzawa Kamakura
  • Onsen at ryokan

Day 2 in Echigo Yuzawa started with a nice hearty breakfast at the ryokan!

9:15AM After filling our tummies, we set off towards Yuzawa Station where there is a bus (Lane 1) that will take us to the Dragondola. The walk was short and we reached the bus terminal at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. However, there was already a long queue! We had no seats but thankfully we got on the bus. I suggest to reach the bus terminal early like us to avoid disappointment. Also, you should check the latest bus timings either at the tourist information center or at your ryokan in case there are updates to the schedule due to the season like our case.

9:40AM The bus ride was approximately 40 minutes and takes you through the mountains. Nice scenery along the way. In order to get to the Dragondola, you will need to transfer to another shuttle bus at the Naeba Prince Hotel. The ride to Naeba Prince Hotel costs 700 yen. This bus did not accept Suica or Pasmo when I took it. Remember to have some cash on hand! If travelling in a group, you can also combine your payment and pay with notes as well.

Alternative Route! You can also consider a different route, which is to start with the Tashiro Ropeway. It brings you above 二居湖（ふたいこ）Lake Futai before reaching the top. It’s the same bus, but instead of alighting at Naeba Prince Hotel Stop 苗場プリンスホテル前, you alight at Futai Tashiro Ski Resort Stop 二居田代スキー場前. Tashiro Ropeway (1066 Mikuni, Yuzawa-machi, Minami Uonuma-gun, Niigata 949-6212)

  • 10:21AM Arrived at Naeba Prince Hotel Stop 苗場プリンスホテル前. So, the route we took was a round trip on Dragondola itself. It should be pretty obvious where to alight – most people will alight at the Naeba Prince Hotel stop. Here, there is a building where you can buy round trip tickets (3,800 yen) for the Dragondola and take the shuttle bus to the Dragondola station. We missed one bus after arrival but another bus soon came after, so you need not worry about waiting for too long. There isn’t much to do here anyway, so hop on to the next shuttle bus when you see it.
  • The shuttle service stops right at the Dragondola station, you can follow the crowd or just walk up towards the ground floor to catch the gondola.

Dragondola Sanroku Station

Address202 Mikuni, Yuzawa-machi, Minami Uonuma-gun, Niigata 949-6292
DirectionsBus from Echigoyuzawa Station (East Exit) bound for Naeba Prince Hotel then shuttle bus
Opening Times9:00A.M. – 3:00P.M. (Last downbound 4:00P.M.)
Check for seasonal operation times!
Websitehttps://www.princehotels.com/en/ski/autumn/mtnaeba.html

Dragondola

The Dragondola ride is approximately 25 minutes. At 5,481metres long, it is said to be Japan’s longest gondola. It goes through a few peaks, so look out for the majestic view as it passes each peak. The view is spectacular with a few picturesque viewpoints to look out for.

I was with a couple of friends and we joined another passenger on the same ride. Some of us took the front seats and I took the back facing seats. Personally, I felt that for this direction, both views were great. What you might want to take note of is if you are on the left or the right. If you are seated on the right (when forward facing), you will be able to catch pictures of Lake Futai. There is also a small “caveat” – If you are afraid of heights, I suggest grabbing the forward facing seats! The final climb is rather long and can be initimidating if you are looking at the depth as it climbs higher.

At the top of Kagura, there are food trucks, coffee and snacks. There’s also a restaurant where you can have food (Last Order 2:30pm). For us, we walked towards Lake Tashiro. We rode the Rakuraku Lift （ラクラクリフト）up to the end of the Tashiro Ropeway. I recommend taking the lift up as the alternative route is fairly steep! The view of the area was very pretty even though it was the tail-end of the autumn colours on this end. You can take the ropeway back or you can make a turn like us. This time I didn’t take the lift down. Instead I took a nice stroll down and enjoyed the nice weather and view.

We took the Dragondola back and this time I sat on the front facing seats. While the view is the equally pretty and colorful, the experience was different. You are always drawing nearer towards the bottom of the valley. If you want a different view, you might want to shift sides instead. This time, you will see the lake on the left and autumn colours on the right.

12:52PM We were not hungry so we decided to take the 12:52PM bus back to Yuzawa. If you are considering a non repeat route instead of our route, I recommend Tashiro Ropeway → Rakuraku Lift → Dragondola instead of the opposite direction. You are more likely be able to get on to the bus on your return if there is a crowd. Personally, I think the roundtrip on Dragondola was worth it for the view and the longer ride.

1:38PM After reaching Yuzawa Station 湯沢駅前, our next step is Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway. Given the differences in temperature, Yuzawa Kogen Autumn was pre-peak while Kagura was post-peak. Something to note if you are chasing autumn colours. If hungry, you can make a short detour for soba!

Shinbashi

If you desire food, I recommend hegi soba at Shinbashi. It is on the way to the Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway. Hand-made soba with great texture and taste. What more can I say! Loved it.

Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway

2:40PM The Ropeway departs every 20 minutes and take about 7 minutes to reach top of Alp no Sato. It is 1,300 metres long and is said to be one of the world’s biggest ropeways, having a capacity of 166 passengers. Alp no Sato is at an altitude of 1,000 meters, and features a garden made with rocks, as well as 200 rare species of alpine plants you would normally only see at highlands around 2,500 meters above sea level. On your way up, you get to see the view of Echigo-Yuzawa and its surroundings. Round trip was 2,600 yen.

Weather was not great when we arrived so we did not go far. However, we caught double rainbows! What a lucky sight! If you like, you can take an earlier ride and enjoy the view and work around the area. There is a bus shuttle to bring us up the slope or you can take a walk up.

Address新潟県南魚沼郡湯沢町大字湯沢490
Directions10 minutes on foot from the west exit of JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station
Opening Times【Ropeway】Late April to Mid-November: 8:40A.M. to 5:00P.M.（Operation Frequency: Every 20 minutes）
Websitehttps://enjoyniigata.com/en/spot/6943

We spent about 1 and a half hours before catching the last gondola down for more food and onsen! Dinner was at this place called Yuzawa Kamakura, an izakaya. Good for drinks and rice balls, grilled fish, chicken and beef!

Yuzawa Kamakura

Niigata: A Hidden Gem in Japan – 5D4N – Day 1

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Day 1: Tokyo （東京）→ Echigo Yuzawa （越後湯沢）

Our first stop is Echigo Yuzawa （越後湯沢）, the first shinkansen stop in Niigata （新潟）on the Toki line. It is famous for Fuji Rock and Ski Resorts such as Naeba. Toki is a rare bird found in Sado Island.

To get there, head to Tokyo（東京） Station. If you had bought the JR Pass online, you will have to exchange your online ticket for the JR Pass at the designated offices. We went to the JR East Travel Service Center near the Marunouchi North Exit 丸の内北口. Given there were a lot of tourists, JR opened up two offices when we were there, so look out for the shorter queue. At the office, you will need to determine which days to cover. We got the JR East Pass for 5 Days. It nicely covered our 5 day-4 night trip in Niigata.

I recommend to get the reserved seat tickets for all your subsequent train rides at one go. There are still options for you at the other Shinkansen stations, but it will be less worrying if you get it at this point.

It was a Thursday when we travelled to Niigata, so there were two trains that we could take:

  • Departs 10:16AM Jōetsu Shinkansen Toki 315 to Niigata （新潟）、reach 11:31AM – 1 hr 15 min (5 stops)
  • Departs 11:40AM Jōetsu Shinkansen Toki 319 to Niigata （新潟）、reach 12:58PM – 1 hr 18 min (5 stops)

10:00AM We decided to grab Ramen at the Ramen Street in Tokyo Station. Tokyo Dried Sardines Ramen Gyoku 東京煮干しらーめん玉東京駅店 had a unique fish-based broth. If you are earlier or have more time, you can have ramen as early as 8:30 AM or consider other ramen options which had long queues.

11:10AM We did not reserve seats online beforehand, so we could only use the unreserved seats. As Tokyo is the first station for the Toki line, we managed to secure seats by queuing early at the platform. Take note of the queue lines – one is for the next train, and one is for the subsequent train. Even though we reached 30 minutes before the train departure time, there was already a queue. I recommend heading to car 2 where there are more seats compared to car 1.

11:40AM Riding the train to Echigo Yuzawa station

12:58PM After reaching Echigo Yuzawa train station, our first stop is the Kiyotsu Gorge. As there was only 12 minutes before the bus departs, we used the luggage lockers to hold our luggages before heading to the Kiyotsu Gorge. Note that there are not many buses, only one in the morning and 3 in the afternoon at 2 hour intervals (as of October 2023).

1:10PM Based on the bus schedule, we managed to catch the 1:10PM bus from 越後湯沢駅　東口. Look out for the East exit and walk towards the bus terminal – Lane 4, bus number 5 towards 桃宮野原　Momomiyanohara. On the timetable, the bus times are on the right most column. It costs 500 yen to get to Kiyotsu Gorge 清津峡. When boarding the bus, you might not need to take a ticket. This means that you will pay the amount indicated on the bus board where there is no number indicated. This bus did not accept Suica or Pasmo, but you can combine your payment and pay with notes if you do not have sufficient change.

1:34PM After arriving at the Kiyotsu Gorge stop, we embarked on a leisure 20-30 minute stroll. Of course, being avid photographers, we just had to stop every few steps to capture the breathtaking scenery. The autumn colours were just starting to show, like they were putting on a slow fashion show. It seemed like we were a tad early for the grand spectacle by about 1-2 weeks, but hey, at least we didn’t have to fight for tickets! Pro tip: If you’re planning a visit during the peak season, make sure to secure entrance tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.

Address新潟県十日町市小出癸2119-2
DirectionsBus from Echigoyuzawa Station (East Exit) bound for Morimiyanohara Iriguchi Station.
Alight at Kiyotsukyo Iriguchi Station
Car ParkAvailable
Opening Times8:30AM to 4:30PM(March-November)
9:00AM to 3:30PM(in winter)
Websitehttps://nakasato-kiyotsu.com/

Kiyotsu Gorge 清津峡

Kiyotsu Gorge, also known as the Tunnel of Light, is a remarkable attraction located in Niigata, Japan. Designed by MAD architects, the Gorge is truly a sight and visual experience. It is almost like an art exhibition in itself. The gorge features a long tunnel that creates a surreal atmosphere with its play of light and shadows. At the end of the tunnel, there is a reflective water area where you can capture stunning photos.

It costs 1000 yen to enter the tunnel. Depending on the crowd, I suggest going right to the end where you can take photos in the tunnel over the reflective water. When we got in, there was already a short queue but by the time we were done, there were a lot more tour groups queuing to take pictures. Big poses are recommended.

After exploring tunnel, we had some ice cream at the shop right at the entrance of the tunnel, and had a foot bath. Aim for the 3:57 PM bus ride back to Yuzawa（湯沢駅）. Otherwise, the last bus will come at 5:57PM.

Be careful if you decide to wait for the last bus. There might be scams and people targeting Japanese speaking tourists when the night falls.

3:57PM Bus from Kiyotsu Gorge to Yuzawa（湯沢駅）. Bus ride costs 500 yen. There was no option to use Suica or Pasmo this trip, so prepare some cash on hand. For the return, remember to take a ticket when boarding. The number will determine how much you pay! If you lose it, you will have to pay the full price.

Ryokan Shosenkaku Kagetsu 松泉閣　花月

5PM First day ended with us checking into our Ryokan Shosenkaku Kagetsu 松泉閣　花月, 5mins from Echigo Yuzawa station. Beautiful onsen ryokan, with very friendly staff. The ryokan has a bit of rustic feel, very clean and comfortable. Loved the smell of the tatami and enjoyed the sight of koi swimming in a stream as we walked into the ryokan. We had dinner at the ryokan that night and it was a wonderful spread from the lands of Niigata.

****

Itinerary

  • 10:00AM Brunch at Ramen Street in Tokyo Station
  • 11:40AM Train to Echigo Yuzawa on Joetsu Shinkansen Toki 319
  • 12:58PM Arrive at Echigo Yuzawa Station
  • 1:10PM Bus to Kiyotsu Gorge Entrance stop　(清津峡入口 Kiyotsu kai iriguchi)
  • 1:34PM Reach Kiyotsu Gorge Entrance stop
  • 2:00PM Reach Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel of Light
  • 3:30PM Leave Kiyotsu Gorge
  • 3:57PM Bus from Kiyotsu Gorge to Yuzawa（湯沢駅）
  • 4:25PM Reach Echigo Yuzawa Station
  • 5PM Dinner and onsen at ryokan