Rule number one in Niigata: slurp your noodles! At a very old, family-run soba restaurant, we learned that slurping is actually proper etiquette, and it was a delicious start to our visit. Niigata is a major port and, with almost 800,000 residents, the most populous city on the northwest coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island. We had so much fun exploring the city.
After lunch we took a charming class and made our own wind chimes. What fascinated us most was the instructor, originally from the UK, who has lived in Japan for 30 years raising her family. Her stories offered a wonderful perspective on the city’s culture and recent history.
To kick off another action-packed day, we took our first ride on the Japanese bullet train (Shinkansen) to Tsubame-Sanjo. While the local train takes about an hour, the bullet train zoomed along at over 160 mph and got us there in just about 12 minutes! Our day was packed with unforgettable sights, sounds, and tastes: from traditional hammered copperware and expert knife-making to sampling local sake.
We began at the Gyokusendo workshop to discover how artisans hand-pound single sheets of copper into exquisite teaware, vases, and sake sets—a laborious craft passed down through generations. Next, we visited the renowned Tojiro knife factory to explore Japanese cutlery heritage. The area’s metalworking began with iron nails in the 17th century, and today Japanese knives are among the most sought-after in the world. A master artisan walked us through the entire process and then led us on a tour of the impressive facility (and yes, we all bought knives!).
Niigata is also famous for Koshihikari rice, grown with clear, snowmelt-fed mountain water and widely regarded as some of the best in Japan. And great rice means great sake!
To wrap up the day, we visited a sake “library,” where 500 yen buys a cup and five tokens to taste a wide spectrum of flavors—from sweet to crisp and dry—dispensed right from specialized machines. Niigata has about 90 breweries, more than any other prefecture in Japan, and over 100 varieties were available to sample in one very crowded room. It was an absolute blast!
Back on the ship, we ended our evening with a mesmerizing performance by local dancers in elaborate geisha and warrior attire.
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