Niigata- An Older, Simpler Way of Life - CYCLE AROUND JAPAN Highlights

The best way to discover little-known sites and make even familiar places feel brand new is to go exploring by bicycle This time we're in Niigata, Japan's premier rice growing region Our road takes us across vast areas of farmland We'll discover still thriving local craft traditions We'll meet enthusiasts committed to bringing their local lagoon back to life Come with us on a 280 kilometer ride to get a feel for how Japan's countryside must have been in the old days Niigata City on the Sea of Japan coast We begin our journey near the mouth of the Shinano River the longest river in Japan Hey guys, I have just arrived here in Niigata our cyclist is Yanni Olsen from Sweden a Fascination with Japanese culture brought her here where she works as a model and reporter With an open easygoing personality Yanni gets along with everyone Now Niigata actually has a lot of really big fields out here So I think it's gonna be perfect for a really refreshing autumn ride now I can't wait to see what kind of people and also what kind of yummy food I will meet along the way Okay, let's go It's 18 degrees Celsius this morning perfect cycling weather once Yanni warms up a little Look at that view now. I started feeling Niigata It's beautiful It's a big sandbar pig I wonder if it's made naturally or If people made it That's huge Running along the coast for 70 kilometers. These sand dunes were formed by sediment carried by the Shinano and other large rivers Okay, I think we have like sand fields over here or something Is this a daikon farm? Yes it is Iwasaki Osamu and Hiroko work these fields together The stress is hard to take away So it's hard to get rid of the debris Yanni decides to help Oh it's true! It comes out right away It's huge! You can pick it up with one hand It's so easy Yanni can't stop Yanni is now riding back towards the central part of Niigata City That is a really beautiful pond over here in the city This low-lying area used to be all marshland and the city still contains many ponds and lakes Yanni has arranged to meet two of the locals beside one of the bigger lakes Masui Katsuhiro and Ono Hikoe are boat guides on the Toyonogata Lagoon Masui is actually the last remaining Toyonogata fisherman He'll demonstrate his traditional technique for us Over 1,000 years ago this area was part of the sea The sand dunes gradually formed a barrier leaving several of these inland lagoons This is a gill net As he pulls the boat forward the net stretches out behind like a curtain The noise from the two circling boats drives the fish into the net where they're trapped Time to haul in the net It's a funa, a type of carp It's a good size It's a pretty good size How many fish can you catch in a day? About two boxes Two boxes? Wow No matter how you look at it, you can't catch a lot You can catch a lot because you're a fisherman Toyonogata Lagoon was an important part of local life for other things besides fishing Right up until the mid-20th century this whole area was a network of waterways People moved between home and rice paddy by boat And farmers took mud from the lagoon bed to fertilize their fields As Japan's economy grew rapidly in the latter half of the 20th century Wastewater from new houses and factories dirtied the lagoons Government and community efforts would gradually restore the water quality But fishing had stopped and no one used the lagoons anymore Spurred on by love of their lagoon Masui and Ono are trying to get people to use it again Teaching school children about the wildlife And organizing groups to clean up trash Two men with a shared dream To restore this lagoon to what it was in their childhood days A 6am start for Yanni today Her next stop will be the village of Sekikawa What a beautiful morning guys This is why you should wake up early when you go bicycling It's beautiful Pretty Look at that The fog is so cool Let's go where it's a bit flat What's that? Cats They're so cute Look at the one up on the top there Yanni has been told about a nearby place that makes these curious objects Hello I saw this outside What is this? This is something that cats love because it's cool in summer and warm in winter In your house? Yes, in the cat house Rice has been grown around here since ancient times And it's long been common to make daily necessities out of rice straw Mothers kept their babies in woven baskets called chigura To keep an eye on them as they did farm work About 100 years ago, people started making chigura for cats too For the last 30 years, Ito Mari has devoted herself to this craft You can't use dirty straw You have to go to Hasaka prefecture, help out, and then buy it It's the hardest part No, it's not It's a lot of work This is not the only area making neko chigura But Sekikawa's reputation for quality brings in orders from all over Japan This area is very strict She's strict She's been speaking in English If it doesn't work, everyone cuts it with scissors or breaks it It's a re-do A re-do? In the old days, people cut it with scissors I was cut too Cut and re-do It's a product She's at a high level She's following the old way Most of the 20 or so people now making these neko chigura Are past retirement age They enjoy this work, which gives them a sense of purpose I'm happy that I got to learn these techniques My husband passed away So I couldn't come I was busy I took a five-year break But he kept telling me to come I'm very grateful that I'm back It's a very comfortable place Working with their hands A source of both pride and pleasure for these ladies The final day Today, Yanni is in Murakami In the northernmost part of Niigata What's inside all these buildings? About 400 years ago, Murakami was a prosperous castle town Its many machiya townhouses preserve the look of that period Yanni is going to see a traditional craft with deep roots in this town I think this is it Hello Nice to meet you, I'm Yanni Welcome I heard you sell traditional things here Can you show me what you sell? This is a traditional Murakami craft It's called Chiburi-tsui-shu It's very detailed That's the charm It's all hand-made Murakami was a lacquer-producing region And the local lord encouraged his artisans to develop this craft Creating finely carved objects with a lacquer-producing technique Mitsugi Kawamura has been doing this for 65 years Hello She's my wife Nice to meet you Nice to meet you, I'm Yanni It's a very detailed craft This is the most difficult part It's so detailed This is called Jimon It's a traditional Japanese pattern First you carve this It's easy to carve a straight line But it's quite difficult When you carve it, you can't see it But when you apply lacquer, you can see the grooves Once Kazuko has finished carving an item Mitsugi coats it with lacquer He uses this tapping technique To prevent a build-up of lacquer From hiding the fine details of the design After each coat of lacquer He uses a brush to smooth the surface Over the next couple of weeks He'll apply multiple coats Giving a very durable finish Mitsugi began helping his father in the workshop When he was still in junior high school After leaving school He trained in the craft And took over the family business At its peak Their workshop employed over a dozen artisans But over the years Demand gradually declined Now everyone lives in a different place In Yoma There are no tatami mats So even if you put a traditional item there It doesn't fit If you don't change the design It doesn't fit the lifestyle If you don't change it There's no demand That's how it is Kazuko had always loved to draw And she decided to train as a woodcarver Working together The couple started producing A fresh and colorful range Of lacquer products Even though my husband painted it I'm the one who failed I see Why did you paint it like this? I learn from it I'm worried about it When I tell people They say, I see It's annoying I'm happy Some customers Tell me they're looking forward to seeing my work That's a good thing Yes, it is I'm looking forward to seeing How they react When they see my work I'm looking forward to it Designs may change But the traditional skills of the artisan Live on Yanni presses on Northwards up the coast She aims to reach her goal A lighthouse In time to see the sunset We even have rice fields Right in front of the ocean Wow It's beautiful And windy Look at these cliffs And there it is The lighthouse Our goal is out there to the left It's the lighthouse out there Look at this We made it Yanni is just in time To watch a spectacular sunset Over the sea For those that want to get out of the city And have more of a relaxing autumn ride Niigata is the place to come During this trip I could really feel the love The people living here have for Niigata They are very flexible Adapting their creations And the way they work to the modern day In order to protect the things That are precious to them When you have something you want to protect You will at times run into hardships But they all live with a positive outlook While supporting each other The reason they might be able to do that Is because of the strong connection They have as family and friends I definitely want to come back here again People in the past Had a deep appreciation For the little things We hardly notice in our daily lives That's something they haven't forgotten Here in Niigata