Snow Country....Brrrrrr

Lee, Rae, Ryan, Chris, Mom and I went to Echigo Yuzawa, a ski and hot springs resort in the mountains of Japan. From the previous post, this area is known as Snow Country. For those of you that watch the NHK Taiga Drama, it is the heart of Tenchijin.

This was a special trip as it was the first time to see snow for a few of my friends. What made it even special was that snow fell as we were in Echigo Yuzawa.

This is a picture of us in front of Echigo Yuzawa station.



This is another picture in front of the station.



Here is scene in front of an inn. There is a lot of snow!!!

雪国 Snow Country

国境の長いトンネルを抜けると雪国であった。夜の底が白くなった
"The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country,　the garden of night turned white."

This is the first line of Nobel Prize winning author Kawabata Yasunari's novel Snow Country. 雪国。

The description is a vivid reminder for us that traveled to Echigo Yuzawa by rail. The Shinkansen traveled through the plains slowly elevating. There was no snow on the ground and we could see the rice paddies as we past through the countryside.

The rail line has many tunnels. The last long tunnel was the most memorable as the train darted out of the tunnel into the winter snow scape that seemed brighter than light. The train soon stopped at Echigo Yuzawa station.

Kawabata's depiction of the moment that the train came out of the tunnel brings back memories.

The shinkansen line does not pass through the same tunnel as the rail line that served during the time of the novel.

Our trip on the Shinkansen got to our destination in about 2 hours. My mother related to me that before the Shinkansen, the same trip took about half a day or more. There were no bathrooms on the train and very few stops.

The era and technology has changed travel but the experience is still breathtaking.

Japan by Rail: the Only Way to Go

I enjoy using the rail system in Japan. It is efficient, mostly on schedule and comfortable. Here is a picture of us relaxing in our seats on our trip to Echigo Yuzawa. As you can see the seats are airlines seats that recline. Very comfortable.



The rail system is also known for its ekiben. I had the Fukagawa Meshi. My other friends had tonkatsu. The point is that there is such a variety of ekiben that anyone can find something they enjoy.



Did I mention comfortable seats on the train?

There is something about the sound of the train that is relaxing. I cannot explain it, it seems rather odd that the sound of steel on steel has a soothing effect. You just have to ride a long distance train yourself to find out.

Huh???

I took this picture from the Enoden.

The difference in advertising between the US and Japan is amazing. Here is an ad for professional services for low flow. In the US, this is not a real problem, just a side effect of late night performance drug ads on TV.

Brats and Brews

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that we like to have a beer once in a while. Well, a while comes pretty often with this group.

As locals, we also like to have some pupus with our beer.


Believe it or not, one of our favorite pupus is sausage. You can find a little bit of Bavaria in Japan.

The wieners at Yebisu Garden Place and all of its sister restaurants are a perfect combination of flavor and texture. Coarsely ground meat is encased in a crunchy wrapper. When you bite into the wiener, there is a distinctive crunch followed by an explosion of flavorful juices. The inside also has a crunchy texture that adds to the flavor. The Japanese definitely can make sausage. WINNERS!!!