Tag: niigata

Meditating in the House of Light (Hikari no Yakata) by James Turrell

At the House of Light, you can experience an indoor neon sensation that contrasts with the outdoor lighting displaying a tatami room of art.

Recently due to the chilling winter season, I’ve been on a hot spring tour across Japan during my free weekends. Last month I visited the Tengu Onsen of Tochigi for a unique experience like no other, and this month I decided to visit House of Light (Hikari no Yakata in Japanese) for another one of a kind experience. House of Light, invented by American artist James Turrell, is a “meditation house” designed with traditional tatami rooms and fiber optic lighting to transmit light from natural sources. Both the rooms and the private onsen, which is shared between guests at different time intervals, incorporate light and darkness

This house has only two tatami rooms to stay overnight in making it a very intimate and private experience. Reservations are generally needed four months in advance due to the limited space, so be sure to plan ahead if you want to stay here. It is worth mentioning that this onsen is very bare-bones and only has the basic essentials so you can focus more on the art. Though this may be disappointing to those seeking a luxury experience, there’s nowhere else in Japan where you can experience this neon sensation, so I still highly recommend it to other onsen enthusiasts like myself.

If you are new to onsen, please consider checking out Kusatsu and Gunma first as they are more natural and accessible. After visiting many onsen, you will come to appreciate the features of House of Light even more!

Getting to House of Light

Unlike other onsen in Niigata, you can easily reach House of Light by taking a combination of trains and taxis, and the journey is quite scenic. From Tokyo Station, take the Jōetsu Shinkansen to Echigo Yuzawa Station. Then take the Hokuhoku Line to Tokamachi Station. The Hokuhoku Line is very unique because it consists of a single train car with a bunny mascot on it, and you can see the snowy mountains of Niigata outside of your window. Such a contrast from Tokyo! Once reaching Tokamachi Station, take a taxi (which will be waiting outside of the station) directly to House of Light. The journey will take a little less than three hours but is very exciting because there is a lot to see. The cost will be around 12000 yen including the taxi, which isn’t bad for a trip of this caliber.

There are a lot of things to do at Echigo Yuzawa Station too! This is the home of the famed festival Fuji Rock too.

Experiencing the Neon Light Display

In the next part of this article, I will cover the pros and cons of staying at House of Light.

Pros

This onsen only cost 25,000 yen per night, which is a really good price when split between a group of friends. Please note that you must pay for other amenities like towels and garbage disposal, but overall it is still an amazing deal. Compared to other onsen it is much smaller in size, but its minimalistic design is ideal for those who wish to mediate with nature and art. I enjoyed the quiet and intimate experience compared to other places I stayed. It was definitely a welcomed change!

Once we arrived, the staff was extremely welcoming and spoke both Japanese and English. They gave us a lot of information to read and were helpful with explaining how to use the bath and available amenities. The neon light display lasted for quite some time, and it was nice to meditate after doing some photography with my tripod. I definitely felt my body getting lighter as I focused on the beautiful light and nature around me. The art room combines concepts of both Japanese and Western art giving it a nostalgic feel. James Turrell based his design with concepts of the book “In Praise of Shadows” in mind it proudly shows in this display. Even if you don’t understand art, the theme is crystal clear.

The final point is the bath looks absolutely gorgeous at night. I loved the neon fiber optic colors because I’ve never seen them used anywhere else that I’ve stayed. Since the bath is private, you are free to take pictures of it too. This image is forever burned in my mind and I will never forget it:

Cons

The major con of House of Light is there are no meals available to order—you are expected to do all of the cooking yourself. We bought ingredients from the local supermarket to make nabe and also packed bento, but this took time away from enjoying the bath. Fortunately cooking utensils are provided, but other things such as seasonings you must supply yourself. When I stay overnight at onsen, I usually order the breakfast and dinner meal sets so I can experience the local ingredients of the prefecture that I’m visiting. Cooking was fun for the comradery, but you also must consider sharing the kitchen space with the other group that is staying with you.

That brings us to another point; since the utilities of House of Light are shared, the staff leaves it up to you to communicate with the other group of what time you want to use them. Fortunately the other group we shared the onsen with was nice and communicated well via text, but this would be an issue if they didn’t communicate frequently or if there was a language barrier. Though I didn’t realize this before, I think House of Light is best reserved with people you know. If I visit again, I will definitely reserve it with another group of people that I know.

The final con is that due to snow, we were unable to open the square roof and see the sky in the art room. This was a little disappointing but unpreventable, however the light show definitely still impressed me even without the natural lighting from above.

It’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons of staying here, but overall I give it a thumbs up!

Dining at Echigo Yuzawa Station

Before heading back to Tokyo, we decided to bathe in the sake onsen and eat some delicious hegi soba that is unique to Niigata Prefecture. Yes you heard that right, there is a sake onsen that you can bathe in at Echigo Yuzawa Station! It’s very small but only costs 800 yen to enter. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the bathe and felt extremely refreshed after bathing in two different baths this weekend. I hope to review more hot springs in English so I can recommend them to my friends.

The soba restaurant we visited was called Kojimaya and was located near the sake bath in Echigo Yuzawa Station. Hegi soba, one of Niigata’s specialty dishes, is smoother in texture comapred to regular soba and goes well with many different toppings. Whether you eat it hot or cold, you are guaranteed to enjoy its savory taste! Kojimaya also has a great selection of sake you can try. The menu is in both English and Japanese.

Final Thoughts

Though I wished the amenities were a bit better, I overall had an amazing time at the House of Light. My only regret is that I didn’t bring better photography equipment with me or take better photos for this article, but the whole point of coming here was to relax and take a break from the city which I accomplished.

Next month I plan to visit another onsen, but I have no idea where yet! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to drop them in the comments

Exploring Sadoshima: The Island of Gold Mines, Washtubs, and the Japanese Crested Ibis

Remember the washtub scene from Tales of Symphonia? On Sadoshima you can live the dream!

After seeing Skrillex close the first night of Fuji Rock in 2018, I decided to spend the next day sailing to Niigata’s obscure island with dark past: Sadoshima. Through a large portion of history this island was used as exile for heinous criminals but also for free thinkers who had critical opinions of the emperors at the time. Many people were contained in detention centers, but after the discovery of the gold mines on the islands they able-bodied were used as forced laborers. People from the mainland were also selected to help mine the gold. Nowadays the island is filled with luscious nature and the mines and prisons have been turned into museums. There are a number of activities that you can do on Sadoshima including swimming and taking a boat tour, but my main reason for coming is so I could ride in the washtubs (also known as hangiri or tarai bune).

Getting to Sadoshima

I purchased a ferry tickets from Sado Kisen for 2380 yen in advance and rode the car ferry. There are multiple boarding points, but I boarded at Bandaijima Ferry Terminal because it is closest to the shinkansen station. I would definitely recommend booking in advance so you can better plan your trip because only certain time slots are available.

The boat ride to Sadoshima from Niigata takes one hour and is a pretty smooth trip. I would recommend doing a day trip unless you plan on swimming a lot because most of the island can be seen in a day. There are various Sado Bus Tours you can reserve from the official website that take you to the main points of the island. You can also try renting a car or take a taxi, but the bus tours have the best value. I took the half-day course that included the gold mines, wash tubs, and Toki Forest Park for 4900 yen. I can happily say that my experience was worth the time and money because I got to witness a lot of rare sights!

Boarding the Ship

I boarded the ship at 6am and was surprised to find out that it was ginormous with a total of 6 floors. I booked second class seats because they were cheaper but the first class tickets come with small beds you can nap in. The ship even had anime mascots and cosplay that you could wear and take pictures in! Not to mention you could buy a lot of food and alcohol from the vending machines and staffed stalls. The view of the ocean from the top was amazing too and I still remember the gentle summer breeze. After backpacking in Asia for 3 years I was really getting used to the no frills ferries, but this was maybe the most luxurious boat I have ever ridden in my life. Even 3 years later while writing this I still remember how amazing it was!

Riding the Washtubs from Tales of Symphonia

As a child I adored Tales of Symphonia, and specifically remember there being a washtub scene in the game. In this scene the characters heroically board washtubs at the pier and sail to their next destination, some characters enduring the ride better than others making it comedic. Little did I know that I would get to experience the same thing here on Sadoshima! Fortunately the washtubs here are extremely pleasant to ride and you have your own captain to steer for you. A true luxury that is unique to this island.

In the past these boats were extremely popular for fishing due to their durability and low cost, but now there are much more powerful tools available so only remote villages are keeping this tradition alive. In Ito, Shizuoka, the Matsukawa Washtub Races are sometimes held, but these washtubs are leaner and meant for sports. Sadoshima is the best place to experience them and fortunately you can reserve them on the same day you arrive to the island. The ride is only for around 15 minutes but you can choose to ride multiple times. I had a blast reliving a scene from one of my favorite games!

Here is a video I took on my old camera. Sadly this was before my GoPro days but I remember how fun this was:

Kinzan Gold Mine

According to Japan Guide, Sadoshima’s Kinzan Gold Mine was the most active gold mine in Japan that produced over 400kg of gold and also silver and other metals too. It has two main paths that you can walk down and read the history while you explore the inner tunnels. One path has tiny robotic workers that reenact some of the activities in the mine and another has restored tunnels from the Edo Period. There is a gift shop that sells all sorts of crazy gold souvenirs including gold sake and sponge cakes with specks of gold in the frosting. It looks kind of tacky now but at the time I really enjoyed these kinds of places! I still have a gold necklace that I occasionally wear out that I bought from Sadoshima. I’d say the gift shops here are pretty top notch and it is always fun to look around~

Toki Forest Park

The Toki, or Japanese Crested Ibis, is an endangered species that is kept under special watch at Sadoshima. At Toki Forest Park you can learn all about them and observe them from a safe distance. The park is very beautiful and contains various facilities. There is an outdoor area where you can take a stroll through the garden and may have the chance to meet the costumed Toki mascot. There is an indoor area where you can see different pictures of Toki and learn all about their characteristics. I personally loved the distinct red color around their eyes. Sadly the Toki are on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and starvation during the winter, but the preservation center here is aiming to take care of them and eventually release them into the wild. There were 6 birds here when I visited in 2018 and I am hoping there are more now. I bought the Toki change purse as a souvenir and as a reminder to not forget them.

Overall my experience to Sadoshima was very vivid and I definitely recommend coming here during the summer in Niigata. One day on the island was enough for me to do everything that I wanted, but if I come with a friend or a group of people I may consider staying longer. I hope to visit Niigata next year for the sake festival!