The Italia Ken

Niigata has several bowling alleys

by KevinMichael

A number of Japanese people are fairly serious about bowling as a sport. If you're going to be a regular bowler then you're better off buying a pair of bowling shoes as it'll cost you a lot less in the long run to do so. It usually costs about 300 yen to rent bowling shoes. You can buy a pair of bowling shoes for about 3000 yen.

Morning Views in Niigata

by KevinMichael

"My Everyday View"

I ride my mountain bike to work everyday and this is what I get to see. This is the best part of my ride as I love to see the snowcapped mountains.

"The Seasons Bring Me Many Delights"

There's nothing like a morning ride along the coast to see something like this. In Winter, I can see the snow melting as it falls into the sea. Steam rises from the sea as the air's temperature drops lower than the sea itself.

"View of Nikko Hotel from Bandai Bridge"

Every season is beautiful in Niigata. From and near Bandai Bridge we can enjoy the changes of the seasons in Niigata city.

"FRESH Clean air in Niigata"

One of the many things I love about the center of Niigata city is that we have clean air for the vast majority of the year.

For an asthmatic like me this makes living in Niigata far easier than living in California where I risk having asthma attacks during smoggy summer months.

Niigata city is blessed with regular winds, rain, and a lack of traffic jams. Granted traffic is a not so fast during the rush hours but really it's nothing. So many people use trains, buses, taxis, bicycles, and walking for getting around. This makes for higher air quality than you'll find in most cities in the world with populations of 750,000 or more.

Another contributing factor to Niigata's clean air is that it is the biggest city in this area. The next closest significantly large city is 1 hour away by car.

When does the air quality decline?

About the only time that the air quality declines is when dust storms from China blow yellow sand all over everything sometime in spring. But, that only lasts a few days.

The only other time seems to be when the farmers secretely (is it a secret???) burn the rice stalks for a day here or there during the night when everyone is sleeping in the months of August or September. I guess they figure people won't notice. That's about the only time my wife and I suffer from slight respiratory distress. This period doesn't last long either. However, one must wonder how bad those pesticide saturated stalks and the ash produced from their burning might be on the overall populations health.

"Waking up to Snow in Niigata"

When I see this, I know it's going to be a tough ride (a ride my bicycle through the snow). In the worst case scenarios, I have to walk. I don't have to spend an hour or more digging out my car like my neighbors do.