The Sake, Sushi & Story of a Snow Country Port City with Jenya Yuss / Edge of Niigata
In Episode 29 of the podcast we return to Niigata Prefecture and onto Niigata City to speak with Jenya Yuss. Jenya works for Edge of Niigata, a travel company based in Niigata City and operating tours and experiences in the city and wider prefecture. As such she’s an ideal person to introduce to the story and the reasons to visit Niigata.
When Japanese think about the snow country, Niigata is one of the first prefectures to spring to mind. Subject to very heavy snowfall, Niigata is synonymous with that snow along with its rice, sake and seafood. While much of the prefecture is mountainous, Niigata City is located on the coast, on a large fertile coastal plain hence all the rice.
Like most countries, Japan’s largest cities are situated within its largest alluvial plains including Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. Facing the Sea of Japan, Niigata is also situated on a large plain and at confluence of two rivers, surrounded by wetlands, positioning it as a historically affluent and important trade and port city that connected Japan to the outside world. A place through which people passed along with traded goods. A mix of the traditional and contemporary, industrial and artisan, and of course the grittier elements you’d expect of a port city.
Jenya and I discuss the city and its history, her own story, travel experiences offered by Edge of Niigata along with tips of onward journeys further into the snow country by train and ferry. I’d like to thank Jenya and the team at Edge of Niigata for agreeing to the interview and the images used on this page and on social media. All images are the property of Edge of Niigata and cannot be used without their permission.
Should you be interested in visiting Niigata and booking a tour with Edge of Niigata, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Jenya and the team. You can find more information on the website, Instagram and YouTube at:
https://www.instagram.com/edge.of.niigata/