Expert-led tour to the "Hometown of Koshihikari Rice" & the popular "Fox Wedding" Festival!

Photos and text byKenny Yang

[Japan Food Travel Info] takes you on a stroll through Japan’s famous sake rice homeland!

When it comes to Niigata, the first thing that probably comes to mind is "Koshihikari rice"！Niigata is part of Japan’s Chubu region, known for its premium powder snow and agricultural produce. In fact, apart from its excellent rice and the high-quality water that nurtures it, Niigata also produces great sake brewed from that very rice and water！Many friends want to understand sake starting from the "ingredients", so this May, I planned a rice planting tour, and when the rice ears matured, of course, we also arranged a harvesting tour@V！

Generally, you take the "Joetsu Shinkansen" from Tokyo to Niigata.

The Shinkansen we took this time was quite interesting — the same train has sections where you can only go as far as Echigo-Yuzawa, while other cars continue all the way to Niigata City. So, if you’re in a rush and don’t pay attention to your car number... you might accidentally end up in the wrong place.

The Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Niigata takes about two hours. I ended up dozing off without realizing it and woke up when we had already arrived at the terminal station of the Joetsu Shinkansen — Niigata Station.

It was almost 10 p.m. by the time we got to the station, so we didn’t bother looking for any particular restaurant. We just found a random izakaya nearby, ordered a few dishes, and enjoyed the meal — it didn’t disappoint. After dinner, we turned in early to rest up for the physical labor ahead tomorrow！(The menu even featured a dish steamed with "Koshihikari rice" + "Kirin Mountain brewing water" + "Yanagase copperware" — looked pretty impressive!)

The next morning, full of anticipation, we took a train bound for Aizu-Wakamatsu toward the home of "Kirin Mountain Sake Brewery" — Tsugawa!

The journey from Niigata to Tsugawa takes a little over an hour, and the scenery gradually shifts from urban areas to smaller houses and eventually to forests and rivers, which helped us relax. However, when the train left Niigata, it started drizzling outside, and the windows were soon covered with raindrops. Fortunately, by the time we reached Tsugawa, although the sky was overcast, it wasn’t actually raining — otherwise, we would’ve been soaking wet while harvesting rice!

Tsugawa is most famous for its annual event on May 3rd — the "Fox Wedding" (狐の嫁入り - kitsune no yomeiri, also called "foxes taking a bride"). As soon as we got off the train, we saw the station sign featuring an illustration of the fox wedding along with an introduction. Legend has it that ghost fires often appear around the nearby Kirin Mountain, and these ghostly flames flicker along the evening bridal procession — hence the origin of this festival. Every year, nine couples are selected from all over Japan, accompanied by 100 attendants dressed as shrine maidens and samurai, to take part in a solemn wedding ceremony. Japanese people also often describe the weather phenomenon of sun showers as "a fox wedding day" (狐の嫁入り). (Source: Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization)http://tw.weibo.com/lvdongbei)

Tsugawa is also one of the stops for the steam locomotive "SL Banetsu Monogatari" (SL磐越物語号). Here, the train stops for consumable inspections and refueling, so there's a brief layover. To keep passengers entertained during the stop, JR has even created a photo spot featuring the mascot of the SL Banetsu Monogatari, "Okojirou the Weasel" (オコジロウ鼬次郎).

"SL Banetsu Monogatari" (SL磐越物語号)

"Okojirou’s House" — the Weasel’s Home

Tsugawa is truly a simple and unpretentious place — just a small but very clean train station with a large parking lot outside.

It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to walk from the station to Kirin Mountain Sake Brewery. Fortunately, Ms. Mukaida from Kirin Mountain came to greet us, so we could save our energy before the rice harvesting. It’s only a five-minute drive to reach Kirin Mountain Sake Brewery.

Kenny Yang．Japan Food Travel Info

Studied abroad in Niigata, a famous sake-producing region, which led to a deep connection with sake. After returning to Taiwan, he met many fellow enthusiasts and realized that most people didn’t know much about Japanese sake. He decided to start his own business to introduce more delicious sakes to Taiwanese people.

For more Japan travel info, check out
Japan Food Travel Info’s Facebook Fan Page
Japan Food Travel Info’s Facebook Group