This year, sakura are expected to bloom around April 1 for a large portion of Niigata prefecture—with northern Niigata and Sado Island following along a few days later around April 6. There are so many wonderful places to enjoy Japan’s quintessential spring flower that it can often be overwhelming for Read more…
The opening ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is tonight! And it likely comes as no surprise to those of us living in “snow country” that Niigata produces some amazing winter athletes. This year there will be 11 athletes representing Niigata and going for the gold. Niigata’s Snowboarding Team Read more…
The creators of Pokémon have released a statement saying: “It seems that not all utility holes are man-made; rumor has it that Diglett may be responsible for digging large enough holes to be mistaken for utility holes and some artists took it upon themselves to “mark” the covers to differentiate Read more…
One of Japan’s biggest sporting events is undoubtedly the All Japan High School Summer Baseball Tournament otherwise known as “Koshien”. The tournament, taking place annually in Hyogo, is a two-week affair. Forty-Nine teams, each representing their home prefecture (with Hokkaido and Tokyo sending 2 teams each), participate in a single-elimination Read more…
Farewell fair Shinkansen, I hardly knew you. With the corona virus’ arrival in Japan not long after my own, there really hasn’t been much opportunity to ride the double decker Max Toki Shinkansen to Tokyo. But for many other Niigata residents, and former ALT’s that’s not the case. So for Read more…
Are you a “Kimetsu no Yaiba” fan? Are you a sports fan? Do you like stamp rallies? Do you have FOMO and love to get all the limited edition items you can? If you answered yes to any of those items, then we may have found just the event Read more…
Question: Where does the oldest pottery in the world come from? It may come as a surprise to you, or maybe not since you’re most likely living here, but the answer is Japan! The Jomon period encompasses a great period ranging from 14,500 to 300 BCE. It was during this Read more…
“Why are you putting your foot there?” “No, no, grab that one!” “No one needs that much chalk!” These are just a few of the things that I yelled at the TV while watching one of the Olympics’ newest sports, Sport Climbing. The Sports Climbing competition kicked Read more…
With temperatures of over 33 degrees this past week, summer is out in full force. And one of the best ways to cool off and beat the summer heat is with a big bowl of Japanese Shaved-Ice, or Kakigori. While Kakigori may typically be associated with summer festivals, it is Read more…
Niigata is home to 9 bright Olympic and Paralympic Athletes trying for the gold in the Tokyo Olympics beginning this weekend. They will be representing our second-hometown on the court, track, water, field and even in the air over then next few weeks. Niigata Olympic Athletes Hirano Ayumu, from Murakami, Read more…