Niigata
Nobunaga
Hello..
I'm a Swedish man, going to Japan for the first time in October. Becuse of
different reasons, I wanted to go to Niigata prefecture. But I got no
information about the place.. I bought one guide book, 350+ pages, but
Niigata wasn't mentioned at all (just a litte note about Sado Island). I
wonder, can anyone tell me something about the Niigata area ?? OK, the main
reason I want to go there is, I played a video game called "Nobunagas
Ambition" and the "Kenshin Uesugi" character intereted me alot. I have no
friends there or know nothing about it. Except maybe, I heard they are
famous for their rice and sakè and the climate there in October suits me.
I searched the Internet many times, but didn't find much of interest. (I can
not read/speak Japanese)
I'm just wondering, if anyone with more experience than me can give me any
advice. I will travel alone, and the only thing I care about is seeing old
castles and "stuff" I guess. I will stay for 3 weeks. Any help would be most
welcome !! I am no expert in Japanese history around 1550'ies, just like it
alot (don't know why). Well Octobr is almost here, and I have no plans so
far.. just know I will be in Japan October 1st to October 20.
There is just so little information on the Internet about the things I want
to see.......
(Nobunaga Oda, Kenshin Uesugi.. castles, paintings, battlefields, museums..)
Thank you.
Kevin Gowen
> Hello..
>
> I'm a Swedish man, going to Japan for the first time in October.
> Becuse of different reasons, I wanted to go to Niigata prefecture.
How nice. I hope you have a wonderful trip.
> But I got no information about the place
Now your reasons for wanting to go there are perfectly clear.
--
Kevin Gowen
""If the standard of impeachment that the Republicans set for Bill
Clinton, that a personal, consensual relationship was the basis for
impeachment, would not a president who knowingly deceived the American
people about something as important as whether to go to war meet the
standard of impeachment?"
- Florida senator and Democratic presidential hopeful, Bob Graham,
demonstrating his confusion as to the difference between actual crimes
and a policy disagreement. The Washingtom Compost reports that "some
Democrats said" Graham's suggestion was, "the most hyperbolic and
unhelpful statement so far."
Nobunaga
>
> Now your reasons for wanting to go there are perfectly clear.
Yessssss... thank you Kevin.. thank you so much.
Ed
get a car so you can get around because everything is spread out and you
won't find train stations on every block. The beaches are dirty and there is
at least one Pachinko parlor for every resident. You can tell there was a
lot of money being pumped into Niigata awhile ago, and you can also tell
that the money supply dried up. This means that the roads are fairly wide,
and they are also not maintained as well as in other parts of Japan. The
first time I went to Niigata, I was told to wear long pants because they
have lots of bugs that bite and sting.
Okay, anyway you've got a warm sea, dirty beaches, pachinko parlors, lots of
places that sell seafood, the people are friendly enough, not many places to
go shopping, it's not over-populated and is a very relaxing place to visit
compared to most other parts of Japan.
I don't know anything about the castles, battlefields or museums.
"Nobunaga" <sailor...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:A1CRa.20656$dP1....@newsc.telia.net...
>
> Hello..
>
> I'm a Swedish man, going to Japan for the first time in October. Becuse of
> different reasons, I wanted to go to Niigata prefecture. But I got no
> information about the place.. I bought one guide book, 350+ pages, but
> Niigata wasn't mentioned at all (just a litte note about Sado Island). I
> wonder, can anyone tell me something about the Niigata area ?? OK, the
main
> reason I want to go there is, I played a video game called "Nobunagas
> Ambition" and the "Kenshin Uesugi" character intereted me alot. I have no
> friends there or know nothing about it. Except maybe, I heard they are
> famous for their rice and sak・and the climate there in October suits me.
John W.
> Hello..
>
> I'm just wondering, if anyone with more experience than me can give me any
> advice. I will travel alone, and the only thing I care about is seeing old
> castles and "stuff" I guess. I will stay for 3 weeks. Any help would be most
> welcome !! I am no expert in Japanese history around 1550'ies, just like it
> alot (don't know why). Well Octobr is almost here, and I have no plans so
> far.. just know I will be in Japan October 1st to October 20.
>
you're planning on going to more places than that, and I reckon I can
help out.
History wise, if you're into such things read Eiji Yoshikawa's
"Musashi", a book about the famous warrior Miyamoto Musashi. If you
like it, like him, and want more info, there's tons available on the
Internet. If you want to see more Musashi things, go to Himeji and
that area (West of Osaka). West of Himeji (I can get the specifics,
but it'll take some digging) is an onsen (hot spring) near Musashi's
purported home (there's a bit of debate about where he was actually
from, or, rather, where 'where he was from' was actually located) that
has a nifty statue. There's a temple and some old houses that are
pretty cool as well. Might be worth a visit. Also, in Himeji proper is
the great castle of Himeji, which was never attacked and is in
excellent shape; it's got a good museum, and Musashi also stayed there
for a considerable time. In the nearby town of Kakogawa is another
Musashi point of interest, but probably not worth the trip (a statue,
I believe; personally never went). I can give you tons of detail about
Himeji if you want; I lived there and I've pretty much walked all over
the town. There's a flea market there that often has some interesting
antiques; I can try to find out when that is, if you want.
Another decent castle in that region is Osaka castle. It's a
reconstruction and as a castle is more impressive from afar. But the
museum is good, and the view from the top is incredible. Also the park
is nice.
While you're in the Niigata area go to Matsumoto. It's pretty cool,
and the town itself is nice; I've been there twice and loved just
wandering around. Yet it's a pretty small place (I did day trips both
times). But the number one castle is probably going to be Himeji.
Kyoto is an obvious choice for history, as is Nara. But don't miss Mt.
Koya in the same region, and I'd head to Ise as well. In addition, if
you're into 'off the beaten track' things go to Shikoku; not many
tourists go there (even Japanese) and it's loaded with temples and
natural scenery (once away from the Inland Sea coast, that is). You
might also consider going to Tottori, on the Japan Sea. In the Tokyo
region consider Kamakura and Nikko, though I prefer the Kansai area
(just my preference).
If you have the time/money, you might consider renting a car and
hitting the countryside. Towns such as Aogaki (near the Kyoto border
in north-central Hyogo prefecture) are attractive for their small and
nearly unspoiled downtown areas.
John W.
John R. Yamamoto- Wilson
> antiques; I can try to find out when that is, if you want.
Yes, please! Not that I've been down that way (Himeji) for years.
Anyone else got any info on flea/antique markets in their area?
--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com
Michael Cash
<sailor...@hotmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
with:
>> > But I got no information about the place
>>
>> Now your reasons for wanting to go there are perfectly clear.
>
>Yessssss... thank you Kevin.. thank you so much.
>
What Kevin is trying to say is, the reason you can't find any
information about interesting places to see and interesting things to
do is that THERE AREN'T ANY.
--
Michael Cash
"There was a time, Mr. Cash, when I believed you must be the most useless
thing in the world. But that was before I read a Microsoft help file."
Prof. Ernest T. Bass
Mount Pilot College
Michael Cash
>
>Hello..
>
>I'm a Swedish man, going to Japan for the first time in October. Becuse of
>different reasons, I wanted to go to Niigata prefecture. But I got no
>information about the place.. I bought one guide book, 350+ pages, but
>Niigata wasn't mentioned at all
I explained the reason it wasn't mentioned in another post.
Some people have recommended that you rent a car during your trip to
Japan. I just wanted to point out that you must be sure to obtain an
International Driver's License in Sveden if you wish to drive in
Japan.
Ed
"Michael Cash" <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> wrote in message
news:8adfhv0rlp1kb74ml...@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 20:59:26 GMT, "Nobunaga"
> <sailor...@hotmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
> with:
>
> >> > But I got no information about the place
> >>
> >> Now your reasons for wanting to go there are perfectly clear.
> >
> >Yessssss... thank you Kevin.. thank you so much.
> >
>
> What Kevin is trying to say is, the reason you can't find any
> information about interesting places to see and interesting things to
> do is that THERE AREN'T ANY.
I dunno... If you like to play pachinko, then Niigata is your kinda town.
You have to drive for thirty minutes to find a gas station or a convenience
store, but give those Niigataites a block and they'll build four pachinko
parlors. And not those small things you get in Tokyo. No, I'm talking about
those huge warehouse looking pachinko parlors with huge sepponian shopping
mall sized parking lots.
Rodney Webster
"John R. Yamamoto- Wilson" <jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote:
> > There's a flea market there that often has some interesting
> > antiques; I can try to find out when that is, if you want.
>
> Yes, please! Not that I've been down that way (Himeji) for years.
>
> Anyone else got any info on flea/antique markets in their area?
Hmmmm, "Fleamarket John" - that has such a natsukashii ring to it...
--
Rodney Webster
http://knot.mine.nu/
John Yamamoto-Wilson
> Hmmmm, "Fleamarket John" - that has such a natsukashii ring to it...
Well, up until about four or five years ago I used to pick up some nice bits
of Japanese history at flea markets. These days, though, they've all stopped
selling that kind of stuff, and the best place to go seems to be antique
markets (most of which take place in front of shrines) or antique fairs
(with occasional scores in recycle shops).
But it may be different in other corners of Japan, and if anyone's got any
recommendations - be it flea markets, antique markets, craft markets or
anything that isn't a pachinko parlour with a shopping mall sized car park
next to it - I'd like to hear them.
--
"Fleamarket" John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com
Bryan Parker
<jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> said:
>> There's a flea market there that often has some interesting
>> antiques; I can try to find out when that is, if you want.
>
>Yes, please! Not that I've been down that way (Himeji) for years.
>
>Anyone else got any info on flea/antique markets in their area?
Not having any useful information to offer is no
excuse for silence in here. That being said, three
懐かしい words come to mind after reading this
post that only the old-timers of fjlij will relate
to:
Flea
Market
Jon
--
Bryan
gaijenerous -
adjective: more than adequate (Example: "A slab of
gaijenerous proportion")
adjective: willing to give and share unstintingly
(Example: "A gaijenerous ejaculation")
adjective: not petty in character and mind (Example:
"Unusually gaijenerous in his judgment of people")
John W.
> > There's a flea market there that often has some interesting
> > antiques; I can try to find out when that is, if you want.
>
> Yes, please! Not that I've been down that way (Himeji) for years.
>
> Anyone else got any info on flea/antique markets in their area?
I'll try to dig that up; I've got it someplace. There used to be an
old book store on the main drag, on the left as you walk North towards
the castle, and another one inside the shotengai near the castle park.
If you're in that area, I'd look that up. Actually, Himeji has a
pretty good international center (www.himeji-iec.or.jp/index_en.html);
I'd contact them about the flea market (that's what I'll do). Also,
more towards Kobe, but do you know about the large underground flea
market-esque shopping area under the tracks at Motomachi station (JR)?
It used to be pretty good, but even ten years ago the antiques were
giving way to stores selling cheaper new stuff, or recycled gomi
(where I found a very cool carpenter's plane one time).
John W.
Bryan Parker
>In article <bf7u49$2h86$1...@kanna.cc.sophia.ac.jp>,
> "John R. Yamamoto- Wilson" <jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote:
>
>> > There's a flea market there that often has some interesting
>> > antiques; I can try to find out when that is, if you want.
>>
>> Yes, please! Not that I've been down that way (Himeji) for years.
>>
>> Anyone else got any info on flea/antique markets in their area?
>
>Hmmmm, "Fleamarket John" - that has such a 懐かしい ring to it...
Great minds...
We both even chose to use the Japanese (loan?)word
懐かしい because "nostalgic" sounds too faeggy.
Michael Cash
<jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
with:
>--
>"Fleamarket" John
>http://rarebooksinjapan.com
Do a group search on "Fleamarket Jon".
Bryan Parker
>On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 22:25:39 +0900, "John Yamamoto-Wilson"
><jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
>with:
>
>>--
>>"Fleamarket" John
>>http://rarebooksinjapan.com
>
>Do a group search on "Fleamarket Jon".
Ryan Ginstrom
"John R. Yamamoto- Wilson" <jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote in message
news:bf7u49$2h86$1...@kanna.cc.sophia.ac.jp...
> Yes, please! Not that I've been down that way (Himeji) for years.
>
> Anyone else got any info on flea/antique markets in their area?
There are loads of them in central Okinawa. I see lots of old stuff, but I
couldn't tell an antique from an old sock.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Michael Cash
<puntspe...@yahoo.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
with:
>Michael Cash <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> said:
>
>>On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 22:25:39 +0900, "John Yamamoto-Wilson"
>><jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
>>with:
>>
>>>--
>>>"Fleamarket" John
>>>http://rarebooksinjapan.com
>>
>>Do a group search on "Fleamarket Jon".
>
>http://tinyurl.com/hegk
That was a fun trip down memory lane. I read the whole damned thread.