Shibata Rice Harvesting Tour: EP 1

Shibata Rice Harvesting Tour: EP 1

Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] The following day after our arrival, our 808 entourage headed to Tokyo station and boarded the Shinkansen for Ichigo Yuzawa, making our way to Nigata’s Nagono Prefecture to kick off the very first non-stop travel sheata rice harvest tour. Tucked away in the rugged mountains of Japan’s Nigata Prefecture, the Kiltsuko Art Tunnel is part modern masterpiece, part geological wonder, and an all-around mind-bending experience. To get there, you wind through a landscape that feels like a scene out of a Studio Ghibli film. Thick forest, the serene sound of the flowing surrounding waters, and rolling mountainous mist are all found here at Kyotu Gorge. Originally built to provide access to the gorge, it was transformed in 2018 by inspired and innovative Chinese design firm Mad Architects. The end result is a hallucinatory art installation that plays with light, reflection, and the raw power of the natural world. The walls shimmer with mirrors and steel, turning every step into an interaction between you and the environment. This reflective dome seen here is actually the bathroom. At the first lookout point, this mirrored capsule has a one-way window covered in metallic film. You can see out while on the inside, and thankfully people outside cannot see in. At the tunnel’s far end, we arrived at the main attraction, the infinity mirror room, a vast mirrored hall that opens onto the jagged cliffs and rushing waters of the gorge beyond. The floor is a shallow pool of water, turning the entire space into an optical illusion where the earth and sky melt into one. It’s like standing on the edge of another dimension, half expecting to step forward and disappear into eternity. [Music] We are on a very special non-stop travel TV trip to a new area that uh Jim Yak, of course, Elfe at Non-Stop Travel and I came here last year and decided this would be a great place to introduce a new experience. Yeah, it’s a great place. It’s right outside of uh Nigata. So, when you go to Nigata Station, it’s about 30-minute drive. And now we’re here starting our day and working our way to Shibata City. Actually, right now we’re in Nag no heisova is our lunch. You can hear all the the wonderful slurping and chattering and eating and people are having a great time here in which we will too. I love Okay, this is uh one of the nebutsu. Do you know what nebutsu is? Nebutsu is like a regional favorite, a very special dish that that area is known for. So, this is my favorite too. So the is known for their their soba hegy sobba and the word hegi actually describes the the wooden box a tray that uh it’s plained wood and they wind sobba like this you know by hand and then it’s served on here. Normally soba has like buckwheat yes you know but way back in nigata or numa area where this is one of the specialties that it was actually developed didn’t have buckwheat so they used like bock root. Oh so it’s a little bit different. That’s why it’s so chewy, right? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And what a nice selection. And I like that they give us all these little side dishes, too. You know, little accents. And Go ahead, please. You’re my guest. Oh, you try first. I see a dish here. Uh-huh. Is this the ah fine ground bulma? Yes. Sesame seed. So, I’m going to put some in my show you. Yeah. Oh, you’re living on the edge. Yeah. Yeah. Grab a whole bunch. There you go. All right. I like that. Melissa’s all in. So, I like Hiso because it’s chewier. I think we have success. I see a smile cracking. Yeah. She’s nodding. She’s Her head’s like, “No, no, it can’t be this good.” But it is. But it is fun. I love it. Good. Yeah. I’m going to dive into And it’s so good for you. I was also told that Nigata was kind of a textile Yes. area. Part of the reason that they put some of the things that they do into the Heisoba um is like a nod to that textile era weaving. Yeah. You do that with their ni actually. Lots of layers to niata. And uh of course everyone knows how good the rice is there. Yeah. And the fish, you know, it’s right next to Nihonkai, Japan Sea. Okay. I think I’m ready to I think I’m ready to have this here. Oh, that’s a champion slurp right there. That’s good stuff. Yeah, the sesame just adds another layer of umami to the sesame makes everything just better. You are a champion slipper. Mhm. How about a tempura with our Oh. Japanese tempura is just hits different. I know. I always say this on all the shows. The shrimp to batter ratio is where it should be. Yes. I’ve had some back home where on a plate lunch they’ll say it’s tempura and it’s like 90% batter and you put that part of the shrimp. Yeah. So good. nu soba [Music] m fantastic refreshing light yeah it’s late too so this particular spot here it’s Michino aki which is like a side of the road type of station or shop a lot of good omeiyag as I understand from IU and Guys, they have really good soft crepe here. Karag here is really good. Karag. Then our tour manager, Kora Aini, issued a challenge that she’s going to have the grasshopper soft cream. Grasshopper. Like it’s made out of grasshoppers. Real grasshoppers on there. I’m not sure how that’s going to go, but it’s okay cuz probably make for good television. I know. I love that kind of stuff. We’re in Japan. How bad can it be? Grasshopper. Nah, we’ll see. We’ll see. We’re going to finish up our soba and then get to the challenge that we have to face with the critters on ice cream. Can’t wait. So, uh, we just came off of our lunch and I was handed this cup, this golden nectar of lume. Oh, it’s it’s like liquid candy. All right, it’s coming back home to the 808 state. I will actually get two to support the economy here. So this is the one that I just had. This is umeshu. I I read very little kanji, but I did teach myself to read this kanji. Tastes good. Yeah. So that that beautiful thing there means alcohol. Japanese alcohol. Yeah. And the top one is ume. So that’s how we have the ume. It was really good though. Really? It was fantastic. You know, I’m really proud of you because I think we just we just left the lunch place like 30 seconds ago and you found it so quickly. I’m a shopper. Okay. Right over here, T. Right here. Spawn Mill. This one is really good. This was really good. Really good. Ted should know because we were on a cruise together through just different parts of Japan and lots of alcohol being had because on NCL you have a wonderful drink package. Yes. Or you can drink. So this actually Ted’s seal of approval. The ume I had a cup. It’s nectar is fantastic. Is only one bottle coming back with you, Ted, to the Well, I’ll be going to some more places. Look at that. This is a This is a pro shopper here. You know, you know. Okay. I know. We’re going to go visit some more. So, or I got a You could get two and then we could have room party at your room and then we could share. There you go. I’m just throwing that out of the universe. You never know. You never know. Sounds good. Buddy Ted right here. So, we’re here. Uh, we just finished a wonderful lunch and bit of shopping. I picked up a really good We made shoe and someone’s enjoying their grasshopper soft cream over here. Let me clean my mouth. Anyway, you’re selling it really well, brother. Oh, you’re selling it very, very well. Uh, how do you like it? Oh, it tastes real good. Tastes really good. Good. Yeah. He’s inviting you to try some, obviously. I love that you’re so adventurous. Especially tastes good with Oh, yes. I bought I bought two of these. That’s a something. Yes. I got to hang out with you more. I think I like how you rolled. So, here with Charles and Barbara and I noticed you already leveled the area that was full of grasshopper originally. Is the first time you had like a sweet savory dessert like this? You know, I didn’t even know this was the one. Oh, really? Delicious, though. Oh my god, I love it. Made out of leaves, you know, muggler. But now that I know that, that’s even better. Delicious. That first time it was uh really wonderful. I like that adventurous spirit. Tasty. Here. My buddy Dennis. Now Dennis and I go way back. Yep. We went to Singapore, Vietnam, Japan. That’s right. All over together. And now you have a very special ice cream there. Correct. And I was going to say Dennis, there’s something that’s sitting on your ice cream. And now I realize what it is. Yeah. These I think deep fried grasshoppers. Got the grasshopper, brother. You got two of them, I think. Tastes like dried fish and then when you crunch it, it kind of like chewing on you know those dried dried shrimp. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Small dry shrimp. Yeah. Because it has that uh outer shell that that tight. So it’s crunchy and it’s salty and it’s not bad. Great. You guys also try it. I I I love dry shrimp cuz my daddy saw it and I used to eat that when I were kids. The grasshopper is on a little bit different pl you know. I love all Japanese food. I’m not I’m not quite sure that that that’s uh it’s not bad. Not bad. Okay, I got to try it, I guess. Cora Cora, come slide in here. Slide in the middle of here, please. And so Dennis and I go way back and he showed me the the greatness that is uh soft cream by Grasshopper. And please have a bite. I already did. Thank you. I saved that for you. But it it wasn’t on camera. I saved it for you. It didn’t happen. If a if a tree falls in a forest, it’s kind of salty. It’s kind of teriyak. Sort of. Kind of. Yeah. Teriyak. Salty. Yeah. Salty. Try it. Bali. So big though. It is very big. Couldn’t they use smaller, younger? I don’t know, man. Okay. This is uh gas. Ha. Matcha. No. Mug wart. Could be mugwart. It’s not like matcha, but mugwart. Yeah. Mugwart. Boy, even the name of the ice cream sounds a little bit off. Okay. Yeah. Not bad. Crunchy. Crunchy. Salty. Salty. Oh, I guess something might eat. Just kidding. I feel like I need to eat as much ice cream to help. Not that bad. Mask the sensation of the Not that bad. Oh, part of the shell of the the grasshopper you was the foot. The foot. Thank you. I was wondering what part of the grasshopper that the foot tried to come back out. Thank you so much, Cora, for sharing. You’re welcome. Dennis, you’re the man. Look at this. He’s already done with his ice cream. Yeah, my second one. A champ. Dennis is a champ. We’re going to continue or not continue eating more of this grasshopper ice cream. It’s very interesting though. I will say that. Um, for those that want the sweet savor savory kind of sensation when you have a dessert, that’s great. But grasshopper, maybe just don’t think about the grasshopper part, right? That’s it. It’ll be good. Spinach. Yeah. Yeah. Try it out for yourself, folks. Hold on. Okay. So, Wilfred, what is this? This is the ume at the bottom or the plum at the bottom of the choya wine. That’s a bag of all that. That’s right. And and this will knock you out even just one. And it was only 400 yen. Only 400. All one bag is 400. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. How much y I got on me now? Tucked away in the quiet town of Abuse in the Nagono Prefecture, the Hokaan Museum stands as both a time capsule and the celebration of one of Japan’s most legendary artists, Katsushika Hokusai. This quaint, unassuming town became Hooksai’s final creative playground, where well into his later years, he produced some of his most vivid and dynamic works. For Ukioa woodblock art enthusiasts, the museum feels like stepping into a portal where history, artistry, and obsession collide. If art history had its rock stars, Hookai would be among the greats. Restless, eccentric, and relentlessly prolific, he was a showman with an almost obsessive drive to create. Over the course of his life, he changed his name more than 30 times and moved residences at least 93 times, convinced that clutter stifled his creativity. Hokai’s artistic output was staggering, over 30,000 works in total. But his most famous piece, the Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura or Great Wave Off Kanagawa, remains an enduring cultural phenomenon. This iconic print has transcended its Ukioa roots, rippling through time and across mediums, from fine art to pop culture and t-shirts, including this one I picked up on this trip. Born in 1760 at the height of Japan’s Edeto period, Hokai’s artistic journey began early. Even in his final years, his work pulsed with life, color, and motion. A testament to a restless genius who never stopped chasing perfection. Continuing our journey and our enjoyment here in this beautiful, beautiful area. This is the abuse area and uh we’re about a little under an hour outside of Nagano where we’re staying at the beautiful Nokong. And uh Ooh, I love me some chestnuts, Melissa. I’ve had chestnut like desserts and pastries, but I’ve never seen them in the show before. Like they’re actually roasting them, not an open fire. Wait, wait, wait, wait. You never seen them? I’ve kind of sheltered. I’ve I don’t know how to eat this. Like I You never went a Shika before back in the day. I guess I I don’t know. Wow. I don’t know. Oh, I learned something new today. Mhm. M I get it. Good, right? M. Fresh. It turns to that peanut butter effect when you try talking. I know. Takes a little bit longer to try to annunciate and pronunciate words. All right, look what we have here. Here corals try to run away. We have of course the crew that is found some succession shopping. What did you get? We found some ceramics that are made here. But this is Oh wow. You can see it’s rock. Yeah. Rockware. The texture in that texture. Look at this. Yeah. It’s only 1,400 yen. Yep. Oh man. So nice pieces. Pretty well done. And I love the fact it’s a small town small area. So we’re just contributing directly to the merchants here. Yeah. Kept hearing that the roasted garlic was fantastic here in this little town of Ugus, which is this Kora. I think you bought the last two. I did. I did. Oh, is this for Triton and Pali? Is that Is that how Kora and Kora? Cora and Kora for beer and for fake. Yeah. Jean Cliff, how about another tour manager for me next time? [Music] We tried the grasshopper soft cream and Cora loved that experience so so much. I’m going to buy some. She’s going to buy some. Her gets to go home with us to share with Jean. To share with Jean, you’re so lucky. So here has amazing mushrooms as I understand it. Shall we try? Let’s try some. You were here in before with me d right. Yes. So and you had this before? Yeah. Oh wow. So tender. So good. I could eat this whole thing. Gigantic stake. Well, you know, Melissa, I don’t cook. Can you cook this for me? If I cook it, I’m going to eat all of this. Can I buy the extra? How about I buy it and cook it for us? This is absolutely fantastic and one of the many treasures you can find here in the Abuse Shopping Street right outside of the Hokai Museum. So many good things here. [Music] We’re having some of the local recommended ice cream here in the shop Luc. Now I have miso caramel. Cora wants coffee. She wants the mega avocado on steroid. Nice. Edwin and Gary, you guys are doing the other recommended one. This is like Mlan soft cream. Supposed to be the number one number one seller, I guess, in front in this shop. Okay, are you guys ready? Ready to do this? Do enjoy. Caramel and miso with vanilla soft cream. Winners. Absolutely wonderful. Sweet, savory. It’s kind of like having to show you soft cream I had before. Obus milk has a different taste. It’s I don’t know how to explain it cuz it’s different from Hokkaido milk. It’s It’s kind of fresh. You feel like the cow is standing right behind you. Nice. The cow is standing behind you. Delicious creamy milk coffee. Delicious. Are you going to be um completely on fire after that cuz it’s espresso? Yep. Double shot. This is excellent. Where else do you find chestnut flavored ice cream? Excellent. Tastes terrific. I like to say more, but I’m too busy eating. More to come, folks. Smile for tuning in and hanging out with us here. Let’s go. Oasis Minoiki, which is a basically it stands for like a roadside store. And it’s always a good thing to do whenever you have a long long ride between different activities on a tour or you’re moving from one city to another. And a great place to do a bio break cuz sometimes these rides are very very long. So here in this is a really this is one of the larger ones I’ve seen. A lot of fresh fruits that we saw outside and we took a look at what they have here. What are we buying? What are we buying? Hey, you’re running away. Stop running away. What do you have? You’re such a honey bunny. You know that. Okay, I’ll try again later. Thank you, sweetheart. This looks really good. You know, everything look good. I know. Everything looks so good. That’s why it’s so hard to chew. This is an Ringo pie. This is apple. Look at that. So, it’s like a crusty, crunchy, croissant-like outside with apple filling and cream on the inside. Okay. I saw Paula earlier with some white peach. Yeah. Yes. And then now we we’ve obviously elevated our shopping game. What is this? Chestnut candy. Chestnut candy. Nice. And chestnut crackers. And chestnut crackers. So, it looks like that also holds true for Debbie over here. Got grapes with chocolate. Uh, you mentioned earlier you like grapes. So, okay. I like grapes. So, we got the chocolate. Nice. I’m not sure what this one is. This is ebie sambe. So, this is shrimp sambe. This tastes really good. Yeah, my husband saw it and he likes it. It go It really goes good with beer and those kinds of things. Not that we drink. It works. Thank you for supporting the community and economy here. More shopping, more food, and more fun. Folks, thank you. [Music]

We’re back with a brand-new adventure — the Doko Ga TV Shibata Rice Harvest Tour Video Diary Series! Episode 1 takes us through the stunning Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel, where art meets nature, followed by fresh hegisoba, plum wine, and even grasshopper soft cream at Uono no Sato. We wrap up with a visit to the Hokusai Museum and the charming streets of Obuse Town — the perfect start to our harvest journey with Doko Ga TV x Non-Stop Travel!

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