Recharge your energy in Niigata in early summer! Treat yourself to a solo trip with your JAL card

*Prices include tax.
*The contents listed are current as of June 2024. Service contents may change without notice.
*The business days and business hours of each spot may be subject to change. Please check with each store or facility directly for operating status.

A trip to Niigata to pamper yourself and indulge in some alone time

Try your luck at the "fire ball" at the power spot "Yahiko Shrine"

Niigata Airport is connected to major airports in various regions, including New Chitose Airport, Itami Airport, and Fukuoka Airport. After arriving at the airport, take a 45-minute bus ride to the Yahiko/Iwamuro Onsen area. Here you will find Yahiko Shrine, the most powerful spot in Niigata Prefecture. Locals call it "Oyahiko-sama" and it is said to bring good luck in finding love.

Pass through the vermilion-painted first torii gate and enter the shrine grounds. The shrine is surrounded by forest and is enveloped in a sacred and dignified atmosphere. Just being here gives you a mysterious feeling of tension.

If you visit Yahiko Shrine, you should definitely try lifting the "Fireball." Also known as the "Light and Heavy Stone," it is said that if you make a wish in your heart while lifting it, and it feels light, your wish will come true.

The worship hall, with the sacred mountain of Mt. Yahiko in the background, has a quiet and solemn atmosphere. When worshiping, be sure to follow the official Yahiko Shrine etiquette of "two bows, four claps, one bow."

Other attractions include Tama-no-Hashi Bridge, which is said to be crossed only by the gods, Kusanagi Shrine, which is said to bring luck at work, and Rokuen, a shrine with deer that appear in poems about Yahiko Shrine in the Manyoshu. If you take the ropeway to the top of the mountain, you can visit the shrine at Okumiya. As the entire Mt. Yahiko is known as a power spot, visiting the mountain makes you feel like your whole body is filled with energy.

Yahiko Shrine

A luxurious course lunch at the cultural heritage restaurant "Akari no Shokutei KOKAJIYA"

Next, we'll enjoy a course lunch at Akari no Shokutei KOKAJIYA, a creative Italian restaurant renovated from an old Japanese house, as a reward for our hard work.

The sukiya-style building, which dates back to the end of the Edo period, is a nationally registered tangible cultural property and is a space that blends old and new.

We were guided to the second floor, which is an exhibition and sales space for antiques. There was a wide variety of items on display, including pottery, lacquerware, tea caddies, and kokeshi dolls excavated from storehouses in the nearby area, and it was fun just to look at them.

The menu is set only as a course for both lunch and dinner. The appetizer of the "Seasonal Chef's Course Light Course" (8,800 yen) that I ordered that day was a fried loach, which is in season in early summer. It was an artistic dish that was served with grilled eggplant agrodolce, asparagus salad, fresh coriander pickles, Japanese pepper, two types of arugula and onion sauce, and herb oil.

Almost all of the dishes are made with ingredients from Niigata, and they also feature an abundance of fermented and dried foods. The course menu changes approximately once a month, so you can experience new dishes every time you visit.

The final dessert is a bright red soup made with Echigohime strawberries, a Niigata brand, and tomatoes, topped with fromage blanc. It is accented with a compote of cherry tomatoes sweetened with mirin, baked ginger meringue, and edible flowers, making it a visually stunning dish.

The presentation of the food is overwhelming, with attention paid to every detail, including original tableware ordered from local artists and locally produced cutlery. It is a happy moment to savor the afterglow of the delicious food in a traditional Japanese house with over 120 years of history.

Payment is by JAL Card. As a JAL Card authorized dealer, you can earn double shopping miles.

Lighthouse KOKAJIYA

Enjoy a private hot spring bath and reading time at "CAVE D'OCCI VINESPA"

After filling our stomachs, we next visited CAVE D'OCCI VINESPA, a hot spring facility located within the grounds of a winery resort surrounded by vast vineyards.

The private hot spring garden spa is a quiet and special space surrounded by herbs and flowers. Soaking in the hot spring while looking at the magnificent view of the famous mountain, Mt. Kakuta, gives you a sense of freedom and helps you blow away the fatigue of everyday life. The alkaline water with a pH of 9.0 is soft and makes your skin feel smooth.

Once your body is warm, it's time to relax with a good book. There are books lined up throughout the library, with around 4,000 books available for you to pick up and read. The books, selected based on 10 themes, are a diverse lineup including novels, essays, photo books, cookbooks, and foreign books.

There are different spaces on the first and second floors, with a wide variety of chairs. It's fun to find your favorite spot, whether it's a sofa where you can stretch out your legs or a bench on the wooden deck in the courtyard. Relaxing barefoot is a comfortable experience, and I forgot about the passage of time as I immersed myself in the world of books to my heart's content.

You can also purchase wine, homemade yeast bread, and household goods inside the building. You can also sample the wines made in the brewery on the premises (3 glasses for 600 yen), so you can find the flavor that suits your taste.

Of course, you can pay with your JAL Card. At stores that accept credit cards, use your JAL Card to earn miles wisely.

Curvedoch Vinespa

Relaxing stay overlooking the Sea of Japan at Hotel Nikko Niigata

After enjoying a full day of solo travel, I headed to the Hotel Nikko Niigata in Niigata City. All of the guest rooms are on the 22nd floor or higher, and this high-rise hotel offers a panoramic view of the port city of Niigata.

You'll be amazed by the panoramic view from 125 meters above ground, which can be seen from the observation deck on the top floor (31st floor)! You'll be left breathless by the beauty of the Sea of Japan, Sado Island, the Gozu Mountain Range, and the cityscape along the Shinano River. The view of the blue sky and sea during the day is wonderful, but the spectacular orange sunset is also a sight to behold.

During the summer, the observation deck will host the "Breathtaking Beer Festival." In 2024, beer from four manufacturers will be gathered, and you can enjoy over 50 types of alcohol. In addition to the roast beef that is popular every year, there are many dishes that the hotel chef has carefully prepared, such as stewed offal and Sichuan-style mapo tofu.

The guest room we were shown this time was a luxury twin room on the 23rd floor. It is a corner room with two large windows overlooking the Sea of Japan and Niigata Port, and at night you can enjoy a luxurious bath time while watching the glittering night view. The hotel's original embroidered nightwear and two types of pillows are also thoughtful touches to ensure a comfortable sleep.

Niigata is known for its sake. At the Niigata Sake Lounge - Yorinase - on the third floor, you can enjoy sake on a self-service basis (a set of three sake purchase coins costs 1,000 yen). What's more, you can enjoy your sake in an original sake cup made by Tsubame City, which is available for purchase at the shop, to make the sake taste even better.

Hotel Nikko Niigata is a JAL Card authorized dealer. If you pay with your JAL Card, you will earn double shopping miles.

Hotel Nikko Niigata

Search for cute souvenirs in Niigata with "hickory03travelers"

My solo trip to Niigata is almost over. I'm sad to say goodbye, but to wrap up my trip, I'll look for souvenirs at "hickory03travelers" in Furumachi, Niigata City.

The store is filled with items that exude a Niigata vibe, such as T-shirts with local gourmet food patterns, handkerchiefs and aprons with traditional Kameda stripes, and cute socks with intricate embroidery by a Niigata embroidery manufacturer. Many of the items can be used daily, making them perfect gifts for yourself as a memento of your trip.

The cute designs will make you smile, and you'll want to buy them all, including towels and hand towels that use the Yahiko Keirin's retro logo, and a miniature car that recreates the Niigata Kotsu Electric Railway Line's "Pumpkin Train."

I selected "Ukihoshi," a local Niigata confectionery, as a souvenir for my friend. It looks like confetti, but it is a traditional sugar confectionery made of arare (rice crackers) covered in syrup. It's cute how it floats up when you pour hot water over it in a teacup. There are many flavors to choose from, including yuzu, strawberry, and matcha.

In addition, foods that are typical of Niigata, such as freeze-dried miso soup, Kagura Nanban miso, and the traditional fermented seasoning "kanzuri," make perfect gifts. Sharing the excitement of your trip with them is sure to be a delight.

Of course, you can pay for souvenirs with your JAL Card. Earn miles with every purchase and save up more for your next trip.

hickory03travelers

This concludes my reward trip to Niigata, where I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time alone. It was a two-day, one-night trip where I pampered myself to the fullest, enjoyed delicious food and scenery, and recharged my energy.

If you're planning a trip to Niigata, this summer is your chance. We're currently running a mileage-up campaign that will allow you to earn miles at a great price.

Let's go to Hokuriku! JAL Card affiliated store mileage increase campaign

During the campaign period, if you use your JAL Card at participating stores in Niigata, Ishikawa, Fukui, and Toyama, you will earn 3 miles (※) for every 100 yen spent, instead of the usual 2 miles for every 100 yen spent.

*If you are a JAL Card Shopping Mile Premium member. If you are not a member, you will receive 3 miles for every 200 yen spent, instead of 2 miles for every 200 yen spent.

In addition, 50 people who pay for a JAL domestic flight ticket departing from or arriving at Niigata Airport or Komatsu Airport with a JAL Card and board by Monday, September 30, 2024, will have the chance to win a JAL travel voucher worth 10,000 yen.

The "Akari no Shokutei KOKAJIYA" and "Hotel Nikko Niigata" introduced in this article are also participating stores. Why not take a relaxing trip to the Hokuriku region this summer and collect miles while you're there?

"Let's go to Hokuriku!" JAL Card affiliated store mileage bonus campaign

Related article

JAL Card Miles Journey

Miles are something you want to use wisely when traveling. Now that cashless transactions are on the rise, why not take advantage of the JAL Card with its credit function and enjoy a luxurious "miles trip" at a great price?

ontrip.jal.co.jp

Find your favorite sake and town in Niigata. A trip around Murakami, Shibata, and Yahiko

Niigata Prefecture has the largest number of sake breweries in Japan. As one of Japan's leading sake-producing regions, many people plan trips with the theme of visiting sake breweries. In this article, we will introduce a trip focusing on sake in the Kaetsu area in the north of the prefecture, which is easily accessible from Niigata Airport.

ontrip.jal.co.jp