Niigata Daiichi Hotel

LOCAL FOODS

by kiwigal_1

Niigata is known for its rice , Koshihikari in Japanese. It has a reputation for being some of the best rice in Japan! As you can see from the picture (taken from a train not far from Niigata Station), much of Niigata is covered in rice fields.

Where there is good rice there is bound to be good sake ! Sake, rice wine, is probably the national drink of Japan so the Japanese appreciate a good quality sake.

Sasadango is a sweet snack made from glutinous white rice filled with sweet bean paste. I normally don't like bean paste but this is pretty good stuff! They wrap up the whole thing in bamboo leaves.

Of course we can't forget seafood ! Niigata has a wide-range of fresh seafood year round that can be tried in most restaurants or you can buy it fresh and cook it yourself. The best places to get fish are Honcho and Hakusan markets.

The Sea of Japan

by Marisola

"Sunburn and Crab"

Niigata, located on the Sea of Japan, is where I got the worst sunburn of my life. It hurt so bad! When I see the Japanese flag with that red sun, I know what that means to me! Sunburn!

I also had a wonderful meal of crab at the sea. They have many make-shift stalls where they cook crab fresh daily. We ate crab, crab, and more crab, and it was fabulous!

Do some people wind up
With the one that they adore
In a heart-shaped hotel room?
It's what a heart is for
The bubble floats so madly
Will it stay sky-high?
Hello, partner
Kiss your name bye-bye
Oh, sometimes...

Romantic Piscean
Seeks angel in disguise
Chinese speaking girlfriend
Big brown eyes
Liverpudlian lady
Sophisticated male
Hello, partner
Tell me love can't fail

And it's you and me in the summertime
We'll be hand in hand down in the park
With a squeeze and a sigh
And that twinkle in your eye
And all the sunshine banishes the dark

Do some people wind up
With the one that they abhor
In a distant hell-hole room?
The third world war
But all I see is films
Where colorless despair
Meant angry young men
With immaculate hair
Oh, sometimes...

Get up, a voice inside says
There's no time for looking down
Only a pound, a word
And you're talking to the town
But how do you coin the phrase, though
That will set your soul apart?
Just to touch a lonely heart

And it's you and me in the summertime
And we'll be hand in hand down in the park.
With a squeeze and a sigh
And that twinkle in your eye
And all the sunshine banishes the dark

And it's you I need in the summertime
As I turn my white skin red
Two peas from the same pod, yes we are!
Or have I read too much fiction?
Is this how it happens?
How does it happen?
(Now, right now...)

(The Sundays)