Echoes of Japan's past

Niigata prefecture is steeped in history and traditions that makes it a surprising yet enticing holiday spot for history buffs.

- Josmin Ong

Peak hour, 7 AM, and the subway station was a seething mass of commuters. People from all walks of life seem to be rubbing shoulders and scurrying across platforms to get on the right trains. Might have been the Monday blues or the gloomy weather, but the station was a monochromatic canvas and the only colours seem to be coming from us – visitors in comfortable leisure wear lugging suitcases, evidently arriving from Haneda Airport due to its close proximity.

The train arrived right on schedule and was cleared out in a matter of minutes as the cleaning crew swiftly did their rounds. “Be careful on your way up and have a pleasant journey,” says the train attendant in Japanese as we board the Jetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo to Niigata. Our guide explained that the JR East Past we’ve utilised offers unlimited train rides in the region for any five days within 14 days of issuance, making it the best travel pass to explore Japan. Manners and etiquette form a huge part of Japanese culture and this was evident in the silence within the train cars. It was so easy to drift to sleep onboard these bullet trains compared to on planes, and so I did.

Tsubame City has a long tradition in artisanal skills and the origin of the metal industry began as early as the Edo Period. Manufacturing techniques were so advanced that exporting of Western-style metal tableware began in 1914 and subsequently received international recognition. Visitors can purchase many kinds of Western-style tableware, kitchenware, pots and more from Tsubame Local Industry Promotion Center, not too far off from the Tsubamesanjo Station.