Kaido book & coffee @ Shinagawa: Oct. 25, 2015

As follow-ups of my Tokaido Walk from Tokoy to Kyoto, I sometimes visit spots around Tokaido. I called at “Kaido book & coffee” in Shinagawa.

The shop opened late summer this year. It is both a café and a bookstore. The door is open towards the old Tokaido street in the ground floor. There are about 10 thousand books in the second floor.

The space is often used for the events related to Tokaido and travels.

Shinagawa was the first shukuba station from Nihonbashi, the starting point of the about 500 kilometer Tokaido route to Kyoto, and had nearly 100 inns in the Edo period (1603-1867). The road here has converted into a shopping street.

I saw a ukiyoe picture drawn used in the protection wall of a construction site. The original was drawn by Utagawa Hiroshige, a famous painter in the Edo era. The ukiyoe tells us the scene around here about 200 year ago.

The local community is trying to make good use of the traditional Shinagawa shukuba station to activate the area. The signboards of historic places as well as the visiting center have been built. I saw many flags of the shukuba station at the side of the street.

The new book &coffee shop is another attempt to play up Tokaido.

I enjoyed a cup of coffee.

Yahiko Village:October 18, 2015

I visited Yahiko village near Niigata City during my stay in Niigata Prefecture.

The village is famous for Yahiko Shrine, the most prestigious shrine in Niigata Prefecture. It is not sure when it was built, but it is surely very old. People worship not only the shrine itself, but also the mountain behind (Mt. Yahiko). It is believed that the mountain is the god.

Current main building was built in 1816 after a fire and they have the 100^th anniversary ceremony next year. Seeing it, series of events are being held.

I visited Yahiko with a special train planned for the events. The welcome plates and flags were waiting us. A traditional drum performance was also played.

There are shops, restaurants and hotels at the sides of the roads from the station to the shrine. They have natural hot springs, too. The village attracts about 2 million visitors every year.

It was not only the tourists. Many families were there to celebrate the kid’s health at the age of three, five and seven. 

They have a chrysanthemum festival next month and local people were doing preparations.

I climbed up the mountain by a ropeway gondola. It is 634 meter high. (see the top photo. The mountain locates behind the main shrine building)

The leaves were changing the colors.(3trd photo from the top) 

I could see the Sea of Japan in the north from the mountain.

The Echigo Plane spread in the south. It was a good autumn day. (see also the photo second from the top).

I walked down the mountain. The road was steep.

There are about 8200 people in Yahiko Village. Unlike many other small villages, it has kept independence. In addition to tourism, it has bicycle race and produced agricultural goods – rice, vegetables and fruits. Various cultural activities are being planned.

I have visited many small villages in the local area and have seen the problems behind them. At Yahiko, got the impression that the village was more active and open-minded than I had expected before visiting there.

Niigata Prefecture： Oct. 17-18, 2015

I visited Niigata Prefecture, about 200-300 kilometers northwest from Tokyo. It faces the Sea of Japan and there are much snow in winter. Its production of rice is the biggest in Japan. It also produces good sake (Japanese wine), various sea foods and vegetables.

The harvest of rice had just finished wen I visited there. The rice fields were dried up, but they were indeed wide. (The photo was taken near Niigata City). 

The Shinano River flows across the Echigo Plane. The picture was also taken in Niigata City.

The prefecture saw a rapid development of infrastructure – highways, high-speed train system (Shinkansen), river projects etc. – in the last half century. It owed a lot to former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka (He served as a premier in the early 1970s).

I visited Uonuma City and Minami-Uonuma City, both locate in the southern part of Niigata prefecture. Most areas are mountainous here. Still, the roads are well developed.

The condition is hard in the winter time. They have more than three meters of snow in the area. Most houses have garages made of concrete in the ground floor. The snow covers the floor. People live in the 2nd and 3rd floors. The roof is steep to fall down the snow.

I found the roads in the rice fields well developed and straight. They produce Uonuma brand koshihikari, one of the most prestigious rice brands in Japan.

The roads go through the walls of snow in the winter season.

The statue of former PM Tanaka (covered with a roof to prevent snow) stands in front of the Urasa Station of Joetsu shinkansen or bullet train in Minami-Uonuma City.

Uonuma’s efforts to develop a better medical-nursery service attract attention of the nation. The doctors, nurses, care works and other persons in the health services are trying to have good communications and to provide the best possible services. It is known as “Uonuma” model. The achievement is remarkable especially in the prevention and the control of diabetes.

I visited a local clinic in Suhara district, about 20 minute drive from central Uonuma city. I thought many things there – the doctor’s efforts, the problem of the local community in the mountainous area, the country’s medical and care system, the politics, the happiness of the people and many others ….