Day 100: A Journey Not A Destination

We woke up to a very misty Komagane, which was eerie but beautiful. The reason we stayed here was mainly to visit the Mars Distillery which was a short walk from the hotel however we made a deal that if we were going to stay here for the distillery I wanted a hotel with an onsen. Linx resort had an onsen and because it was such a quiet time of year, I was usually the only person in there. Yesssss!

We checked out of the hotel in the morning and made our way to the distillery. The mist stayed over us all the way to the distillery which made for some great photos. 

OMG monkeys! I'm actually terrified of these beasts but it was exciting seeing them just hanging out.

Spoooooky. Can you see the two figures walking toward us on the bridge?

A cold looking monkey hanging out by the bridge.

Picking fights with the locals.

A deserted skate park.

We had to follow the river to get to the Mars Distillery.

And there it is! We went inside to see about a tour but they just had self guided tours which meant getting a laminated map and wandering around the place. We didn't get much out of it but hey, it was a pretty spot and getting there was a lot of fun.

On the upside, they had a tonne of these cardboard cut outs to take your photo with. 

Tasting an expensive whisky. And then he spilled the water everywhere. Classic Bozzetto.

The people from the hotel were kind enough to drive us to the station. I was able to practice my bad Japanese with the lady who drove us, but she was able to speak a bit of English and even more Italian because she used to live there with her husband. Must have been a big change for him coming to live in this mountain town in Japan.

Waiting for the train to take us back to Tokyo.

Train snacks!

On the way back into Tokyo, we decided at the last minute to go to Niigata for the night. It's so easy with the JR Pass and our phones to be able to just do things like that on a whim. So off to Niigata we went!

This shinkansen to Niigata looked kind of cool because it was a double decker but now we realise this is the crappiest shinkansen there is. Why? Well, you're in a tunnel most of the time which means there is no phone reception for a good portion of the journey, the seats are old, there are no power points on board and the snack lady can't bring her usual trolley onto the train as it's a double decker so she just has snacks strapped to her body as she walks through the carriage. It's not great. It's also not the worst thing ever as it is Japan so at least it's clean and comfortable.

I picked up a strawberry and cream sandwich for the train. It was my first one and I have to say I'm a fan even if this one wasn't the best one I could get. I want another, please.

After checking into the Crowne Plaza with some pretty great views over Niigata, we did some restaurant research and found a little seafood spot not too far from our hotel. Gorou is a bit of a local's spot and there is no English menu or English speaking staff (which is totally fine) but even with my small amount of Japanese skills it was really challenging to order. Buuuuut we got there in the end after some perseverance from both the waitstaff and myself. And hey, it was worth it.

The table snack – sea snails. Adam looked unsure but they were great.

Seafood salad for our veggie intake.

Amazingly amazing sashimi, tempura and seafood rice with natto. I've actually come around to natto a bit on this trip – but it's usually the home made natto that doesn't have the super intense flavours as the store bought stuff.

Niigata is know for their seafood so it made sense to get this. Look at it! I think this may have cost about $30, maybe even less. Lawd, it was good.

Niigata is also well known for their sake soooo...

The cosy little restaurant.

Gorou might be a bit tricky to find but once you do, seafood heaven will be yours, all yours!