6 Things to do near Minamiuonuma during the Fall season

For two years I had the opportunity to live as an international student at the International University of Japan (IUJ) located right in the middle of the rice fields of Minamiuonuma in Niigata prefecture. A common joke in our university was that IUJ stands for I and U (you) in Jail because there’s really nothing else to do but study. I beg to differ. Though information on the internet about activities around the area are scarce and the ones available are mainly in Japanese, there are plenty available that goes in perfect balance with our studies near and around the local community of Minamiuonuma and it all starts in the Fall season, when students arrive for their first term at IUJ. So here are some of the hidden gems you need to try when Autumn starts in Minamiuonuma. 

A quick note before we start. Most of these are drawn from memory during my time there from 2017-2019. It is best to doublecheck more updated information on the official websites of each activity.

1. Eat Majidon

Niigata is known for its high quality rice considered to be the best in all of Japan. They produce delicious Koshihikari rice grown in the rice fields all over the prefecture.  As part of an initiative to promote the local brand of Koshihikari rice, Minamiuonuma launched their “Majidon” campaign held yearly since 2015.

The campaign starts around October and partners with local restaurants to provide their own signature donburi (rice bowl) using the locally grown Koshihikari rice. These donburi are known as Majidon. The price range of these signature rice bowls can come in as cheap as 700 yen and can go up to as much as 2,475 yen per order. These establishments are usually identified with the Majidon campaign flag waving at you from the front of their restaurant.

The campaign lasts up until early in the winter. You can get a complete list of participating stores by getting a copy of the official Majidon booklet from a convenient store near you or from the tourist information centers near the station. They also have a website in Japanese you can access here. While some stores are best accessed by car, a number of establishments are just walking distance from the station. Some stores also have a different Majidon set for lunch and dinner.

2. Echigo Winery Grape Festival

Since Niigata is known for high quality rice, it isn’t hard to believe that the region also specializes in producing sake. Therefore, it’s quite surprising that in the middle of all these rice fields, there is a winery that holds a grape harvesting festival in the local park. Agricore Echigo Winery is located near Yairo-no-Mori park in Minamiuonuma and has adapted Snow Country’s famous Yuki Muro technique in aging their delicious wine. This winery holds an annual grape festival in mid-September at the local park and is a cause for the community to gather. Stage performances, local food trucks, and wine tasting are some of the activities that can be done in this festival. But the highlight of the day would be getting the chance to pick and take home some fresh grapes from their vineyard. Stubs are given to ensure that crowds don’t form while picking some grapes. You’ll then present them to a representative in exchange for a plastic bag and some clippers to use. You’ll get to take home two full bunches of grapes fresh from Echigo Winery’s vineyard!

The festival grounds is usually placed at the parking lot in front of Budo no Hana restaruant, which is around a 15-20 minute walk from Urasa station. It’s easier to drive to the location, but make sure you have a designated driver who won’t drink.

3. Hakkaisan Firewalking Festival

One of the first festivals I attended as a student at IUJ was the Hakkaisan Firewalking Festival. This festival is held twice a year with the fall event scheduled on October 20th of each year featuring Shinto acolytes, local devotees, and festival goers walking barefoot across a path of coal made from burned cedar trees. This is a form of prayer for family health and prosperity. A skit-like ceremony is done as the flame is brought down from inside the shrine towards the pile of cedar logs in the middle of the festival grounds. The priests then give their blessings before the cedar trees are burned and layered on the ground. The public can also participate in the festivities and walk across the embers and receive the blessings from the Shinto priests.

It is celebrated at the Hakkaisan Son-Jinja Shrine near the Osaki Dam in Minamiuonuma. We rode our bikes from our school all the way to the shrine at the base of Mt. Hakkai while enjoying the fall view from the trees surrounding the area leading up to the shrine. A word of caution if you plan to take your bikes, the path leading up to the festival grounds is incredibly steep. The exact location of the festival grounds can be seen here. There is also a very delicious soba shop hidden behind the temple. I strongly suggest trying it out when you have the time.

4. Urasa Crysanthemum Festival

This kiku matsuri (Chrysanthemum Festival) puts Japan’s national flower in the spotlight. It is held at the Bishomondo Temple, just about a 5 minute walk from Urasa Station, from late October to around the middle of November. The path leading up to the temple is decorated in vibrant flowers while the temple grounds are filled with hundreds of colorful Chrysanthemum flowers arranged in a pretty display. The flower’s beauty is highlighted further by the backdrop of autumn colors that fall foliage from the mountain provides. The flowers are grown locally and some are even grown by the students of the nearby schools.

5. Okutadami River Cruise

If fall colors are what you’re looking for, then a trip to Okutadami is great for you! Okutadami Lake is a man-made lake brought about by the creation of the Okutadami dam. It’s located just at the border of Niigata and Fukushima prefectures and is a popular destination to see the fall scenery of the Japanese maple trees. There are boat tours that allow you to ride along the Tadami river and get a closer view of the stunning natural display of the area. The tour lasts roughly fourty minutes so you can just sit back and enjoy the view. If you’re lucky, towards the end of the fall season snow starts to fall in this area already. If that happens, you can get to see the fall foliage topped with a small layer of snow creating a magical ambiance as you tour through the river.

A special bus service called Minami-Echigo-Kanko-Bus is available to get you to and from Okutadami Dam. You can catch the bus from Urasa Station, but the timetable varies from season to season. It’s best to check and do research before going on your trip. Before arriving to Okutadami, you will pass by an Edo-period silver mine tunnel that was converted into a road called the Okutadami Silver Line. Learn more about the area here.

6. Naeba Dragondola

Prince Hotel is a popular resort in the winter for snow sports activities, and the summer for hosting one of the biggest music festivals in the world called Fuji Rock. Located at the foot of Mt. Naeba, tourists visit the area to see the beautiful autumn color display of the mountain. There are two ways to go up Mt. Naeba. The first one is by using the Tashiro ropeway of the Kagura Ski Resort, and the second one is by taking Japan’s longest gondola ride, Prince Hotel’s Naeba Dragondola.

Prince hotel is roughly a 40-minute bus ride from Echigo-Yuzawa station. From there, a bus service brings tourists from the hotel proper to the starting station of the Dragondola. You’ll be able to marvel at the beauty of nature through a 25-minute gondola ride spanning a total of nearly 5.5KM and back for ¥2700. Each cabin can accommodate 4 people sitting back-to-back for a total capacity of 8. A sight to look out for is a bird’s eye view of the Futaichōseichi, a body of water caused by the nearby dam placed along the Kiyotsu River. Expect a beautiful view of Lake Tashiro once you get to the top. You can also walk around and make your way to the Tashiro rope way as both are just walking distances from each other. Food stalls are also available near the gondola stations if you want to have lunch at the top. The gondola is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with the last ride descending the mountain scheduled at around 4:00 pm.

Click here for more about the Naeba Dragondola

A photo of the ticket at the base station of the Dragondola

Bonus: Uonuma no Sato

Uonuma no Sato (or Uonuma Village) is a compound at the base of the sacred mountain Hakkai-san that preserves and highlights the traditions of snow country. The easiest way to get here is by car. IUJ students usually call a taxi to bring them to and from this village. Sitting at the top of a hill near the entrance of the complex is Sakurayama brewery, the brewery where Ryden beer is prodced. It is the newest part of the complex and a very chill place to stay. Apart from beer, you can also purchase delicious ice cream, freshly made bread, and heavy meals too. Enjoy the view of the countryside as you relax with your beer.

As you descend towards the rest of the village, the next main building you can enter is the Hakkaisan brewery cafeteria. Employees of Hakkaisan brewery eat their meals here and all meals are served with unlimited miso soup and the famous Niigata koshihikari rice. Just outside the shokudo is a field of flowers that add color to the village. Walking past the garden, your nose will be greeted by the fresh smell of sake being brewed. The large building emitting that smell is actually where Hakkaisan brews their sake.

Past the sake brewing factory lies the rest of Uonuma no Sato. The building closest to the parking lot is the gift shop where a short documentary about Hakkaisan sake is being played. Past that are restaurants that serves baked sweets, healthy food, and soba. The Hakkaisan Yukimuro or snow storage cellar can be found past the restaurants. Here you can take a tour (in Japanese) of the traditional Yukimuro process that snow country is famous for. You’ll also be able to enter their cellar where the snow is stored throughout the year. After the tour, you can sample on some free sake to get a taste of their products. You can also pay a small fee to get a sampler of their most expensive products too. You can also skip the tour and head straight for the sake tasting. You’ll just be passing by the ice cream shop and the produce section of the building. On the second floor are other kitchen items that are produced by Hakkaisan brewery.

For a more detailed guide about Uonuma no Sato, you can visit their website here.

It is easy to feel isolated when you arrive in a rural area like Minamiuonuma, especially if you’re used to the hustle and bustle of the city life. The thought of getting lost in a country where you don’t speak the language is also a scary thought, especially if you’re living alone for the first time. I hope this gives you a better idea of what you can do to maximize your stay in Urasa from the get go, or at least help you better plan your trip to Snow Country. To know more about Niigata prefecture check out this photo album in my portfolio.

One Comment

  1. Beautiful. Great info for those in and around IUJ. Thank you Enzo!

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