Niigata Prefecture (新潟県) needs no introduction as it renowned the world over for producing Japan’s arguably most delicious rice and sake. But do you know that it is home to scrumptious fruits, delectable seafood, and exquisite artisanal products as well? What’s more, it is a mere two hours from Tokyo (東京) by Shinkansen (bullet train),…

As you probably already know, Japan has a lot of weird and interesting innovations which includes a variety of out-of-this-world vending machines. Some of the most bizarre and craziest ones include the banana vending machine, the rice vending machine, and the egg vending machine. With that said, how would you react if a sake vending…

The Ponshukan Sake and Rice Museum, in the area of Echigo-Yuzawa Station in Niigata, is famous for a few things – mainly for its sake, sake bath, and “bakudan onigiri.” Continue reading to find out more about them! Sake-tasting One of the best things in Ponshukan is its huge variety of sake that you can…