Day Trip (2004-10-04)
I went on a day trip with my friends joining a local tour a week ago. Our destination was the Teradomari Fish Market in Niigata (
)
(Northwestern part of Japan), a hill
side to look at cosmos which are supposed to bloom around this time but
mostly didn't due to the warm weather, and also a sake making facility
to
sample their famous vodka which contains 46% alcohol.The bus took off in Kawaguchi at 6:20am and brought us back there
around 7:15pm. Most of the trip was spent inside the bus because
there was a lot of road to cover, we traveled roughly 650km that
day. But the long ride didn't feel boring at all because I was
busy chatting
with my friends and looking at the beautiful scenery along the highway
including gazillions of cedar trees atop waves of mountains,
fog-covered hills and numerous rice paddies.
The bus also made frequent stops along the way at service areas,
thus breaking up the monotony of the ride. Besides the essential
bathrooms, all service areas have stores that sell local produce, food
and souvenirs. Since Niigata is well-known for its rice and crabs,
I saw some unusual local food such as rice ice-cream and crab potato
chips.
Lunch was served in a restaurant above a spoon factory. We ate
in a tatami room and all the other Japanese tour members were able to
sit on a cushion with their knees folded back. I lasted about 40
seconds and my legs started to give out. I had to change sitting
position every few minutes before pins and needles hit me. The
food was good but I felt pretty uncomfortable throughout the meal.
Overall speaking I had fun on the trip. I saw many things for
the first time and took some great photos. The tour company sent
everyone home with presents (pictured) and five people in the tour
group, including my friend's 5-year-old son, won extra gifts
on the bus in a game of "rock, paper and scissors" with the tour
guide. The tour only cost
US$50 per person, it's hard to imagine the company could actually make
money on it.
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