I rode local train from Tokyo to Akita to find the best sake in Japan!

I rode local train from Tokyo to Akita to find the best sake in Japan!

Hi my friends. I’m at Tokyo station about heading back to my home in Kira. But going straight home is kind of boring. So I’m taking only local train and then make it a throw trip shipping sake along the way. Plan is to stop in Nigara and Yamagara both famous for sake. Hop off, look around, enjoy a drinking and eat place. It’s slow, cozy kind of journey. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the video till the end. For this trip, I bought a station. It’s a pass that let you ride a local train as much as you want during the set period. I’m using the 3 days version. If you are visiting from overseas, Japan raid pass is kind of similar. It’s even like only for the blood train, but it’s good for explore the country in a similar way, just faster. I jump on. I haven’t eaten much yet. I was feel like no sandwiches. Then I spot a good looking bakery. Let’s go inside. They’ve got tons of option like sweet pastry, sandwiches, and coffees. Looks super stylish here. And I’m going to go with ham and cheese French toast and melon pang. That’s a classic sweet melon flavor Japanese bread. Looks so great. Filming in Japan still makes me shy, especially with the people around. Look at this. Luffy, sweet. So good. Anyway, it’s been a while since I had a melon pal. So good. But I feel a little bit guilty. Sometimes a sweet bread like this just hit the spot. So, what’s your favorite kind of bread? You don’t really see this style in traditional Japanese breakfast. It’s a little bit more like, you know, cafe side. The outside sweets and cheese, but the ham and cheese inside of salty. I think it’s perfect balance. By the way, in Japanese, we say oshi, it means delicious. Hopefully I can get a seat. Top priority. Grab a seat. I got one. Mission complete. Heads up. This footage is from about half years ago. So we might catch some cherry bros. And in Japan you start on the left side escalator and then the people walk on the right. That’s the rule. So I got here Omia station now. So I’m going to change the train and then I’ll go to Takosaki station. Yeah, it was so great cuz it’s just about 10 minutes till the next train. I think I want to have the something drink. Look at this. This is a sing and go through. All right. Time to find like a platform. Even on the stairs, everyone keeps to the left. Japan rules are really strict but feels too much sometimes. To be honest, I don’t really see this anywhere else in the road. So from now I’m going to ride on train like 1 hour and a half. So it’s going to be a long journey. This is something so fun. It’s my first time to try local train so many times endlessly, you know, for 3 days. This unlimited local train pass. I feel like it could be offered to visitors too. I think a lot of people want to slow trip like this. So next ride it’s going to be an hour and a half to go. I got a seat. It’s always priority. I’m closing my eyes for the vlog. But honestly, you can’t sleep on the train. You guys sleep in train. One things I love about Japan, even if you are fallleep, nobody steal your wallet. So try when you visit Japan. Oh, it’s starting look more like a residental. from here you will get more and more which actually I thought there’s something special about a long train ride watching the scenery you’ve never seen just drive by it gives you a space to think just be I used to take a long train in India or other countries So, I love this peaceful life. Just relaxing on the train. Honestly, the best. I’ve ride at Takasaki station. It feels smaller and simpler than Tokyo or Omia. And the sound of the train actually depend on the region. Even the colors and the shapes are different. That’s one of the fun things about traveling here. All right, I’m going to walk around Takasaki station for a bit. It’s actually pretty even week day. I got about 40 minutes until the next train. Kind of awkward amount of time. So I think I’m not getting to stop grab some coffee and just chill a bit. The weather is getting better now. Also building around. It’s pretty boring. They’ve got Uniuru and Emuji here. Feels nice. Good vibes. All right, let’s go find Starbucks. It’s kind of fun coming to a city where you don’t know anyone even within Japan. So travel like this feel refreshing once in a while. This place is like a classic Japanese department store. Lots of different shops inside. Here is a drug store, Matsumoto Kyoshi. And right next to it, it’s Starbucks. My friend from abroad always buy stuff from Matsor Kyoshi cosmetic eye drop and then sort of things in Tokyo. They even had the taxfree shopping. So it’s super popular for the tourists. Here it is everyone’s favorite Starbucks. I always go for a plain black coffee. Cheers. What do you guys usually order the Starbucks? Anyway, it’s almost time for the next drink. So, let’s head into the platform. Pretty empty. Plenty of seat of available. Mission complete. I got the seat. This is a big difference from Tokyo. You can actually sit down. Everyone imagine Japanese train as P. But once you got outside the city, it’s totally different. It’s getting dark before I even notice. Times really flies when you’re on train. The sky went from blue to black in a second. It’s so empty now here. Like whenever like you uh ride on a train especially you know countryside you guys really have to be careful because some trains they’re going to finish at you know super early. If you wanted to travel like a spontaneous you know you have to go early otherwise maybe you cannot get your destination. And look at this nobody’s uh riding in this coach. So I got it here. I’m in a com station and then I have to wait here like 2 hours. I think I need to find some place to eat. So around this station, uh there’s nothing. So all shop closed. I think I need to find some convenience store, whatever. It can be tough finding a place to eat in the countryside, but you know, I see a few lights ahead. Maybe a hotel area. Nice. I can hear the running water nearby. Oh yeah, it’s a river here. There’s so many hotel around there tonight. I was I wanted to try something a Japanese sake in Nigara, but I don’t know. I think I’m going to get there pretty late, so I’m not sure I can get any. This is a kind of a trip I love. No plan, no rush, just going with the flow. If it weren’t for this journey, I’d probably never come to a place like this. Let’s keep looking for place to eat. No one’s around and then it feels calm and in quiet. It kind of feeling like in hot spring time. The smell really nice atmosphere. Look at this. 7:00 p.m. Nobody walking this street. Looks good. Bears too. House hot pot. Then I found this cozy restaurant place. I end up this uh you know Italian restaurant, but it looks so cute. Warm nights, good music, great vibes. I order simple margarita pizza. Look at this. Classic and then huge. I’m so hungry. A little soul treat for tonight. Hands clean. Time to eat. Let’s eat. Credit for the meals and then people who made it. This the cheese is incredible. But the cheese, honestly, I’ve never had the pizza in Italy. But I feel like a Japanese pizza could compete. Maybe one day I would try the real things there. Still, I want you guys try the Japanese pizza. This area is called like a Minakami city in northern Guma Prefecture and yeah this place is famous for the onsen and some uh outdoor and the winter time is you can do some skiing and snowboarding. Yeah, kind of small resort. So yeah, this one place I didn’t know it but probably good place to stay. Oh, the dish was so good. I didn’t expect so much cuz, you know, late and a lot of shops closed, but it was good. Okay, now I’m heading back to the station and wait, you know, next train off season, I don’t know, but I feel like a little bit ghost town. Yeah. Oh my goodness, it’s so warm here. It was so cold out there. So, I’m going to grabing a hot cocoa. A Japanese vending machine must have warm drinks. Look at this. Such a lifesaver. They even have a banana latte and other fun stuff as well. And you can choose the things like, you know, extra cream or more sugar. I’ve never seen that outside of Japan. Honestly, this vending machine is something Japanese should be proud of. Three, two, one. Got it. Look at this. Got a pour here. It’s so hot. Come. Cheers. So warm and so sweet. I will just relax here for a while and then pass the time. I think only two people are here. So empty here. Not much happening now. So, let’s skip ahead. I arrived at the Nagoka station. It’s around 10:50 p.m. Yeah, it’s exhausting but fun. Like, you know, stopping at the random station, seeing new places. Even editing this later feels enjoyable. I got a final train here. Finally, I got here Nigata Station. I got here Nata station. It’s the last train and then it’s close to midnight. Yeah, so tired. I left Tokyo around 2:00 p.m. and now I’m finally here in Nigata. I think about the 10 hours total. Yeah, this is a Nigata station. Pretty huge and cool. And it’s my first time to be here. Here’s a tonight hotel, Apa Hotel. You probably seen them in Tokyo. Feels a little bit different. Maybe a premium one. Yeah, I didn’t notice when I booked, but it’s really nice. Clean, bright, and elegant. Looks great. Yeah, I have a couple times stayed in Apple, but I think this is the best one. I think this Yes. Let’s check out the room. Big double size bed and big large TV like this one. Rooms are clean. And this is a bathroom and then toilet. It’s compact but a spotless. And it has shampoos and then stuff. And look at this. This outlets is different type of the outlet. Good morning. This is my first day in Yeah, I want to try something local food and the sake here. On my way to the main restaurant, I found this nostalgic old street. There’s a salmon hanging to try. It has such a classic touch. It feels really It really feels like a step back in the time. I love this old school vibe. Yeah, I walked in and the place also feels timeless like old style shopping arcade. And this one I want this a restaurant I wasn’t heading to. Let’s look around. I’m hoping to enjoy some local sake and fresh sashimi here. The smell is seafood is everywhere. You can really tell it’s fresh. Looks so cool. You know, they’ve got crabs, some fish. They even have the oyster. Yeah. Perfect for a seafood lover. Salmon and everything are here. Yeah. Looks amazing. Look at this. This is a sake. All the famous brand from Nigara Prefecture. And for me, I order one of the most popular ones. I order this one. Sashimi A 1,800 yen. It’s affordable. This is sashimi set. Tuna, shrimp, and salmon. Old soft fresh. And the rice is koshikari, the most famous rice brand in Japan. Even miso soup smells amazing. And the sake I bought earlier. A perfect combo. That’s it. Great for the food and for everyone who made it. You can have sushimi without wasabi. Mix it well with soy sauce. And then dip it in generously. And after Yeah. You need to bite the rice. Oh my goodness. This is incredible. So simple. Yes. So satisfying. The flavor feels like um homecooked food. The miso soup is rich with seafood brew. So warm and comforting. Yeah, I would say it’s perfect. The sashimi freshness is on another level. Surprisingly amazing. And then the rice, the perfect texture. And here is my sake haka. Love this old style button design. You don’t see that much anymore. Come bite. It’s so sweet. There’s no bitter taste. Mildly sweet. No harsh alcohol flavor. Just perfect. It’s so good. It’s so hard right now. It’s just some lemon. And now I’m drinking a sake. And this is one of the best. I feel like I’m drinking something sweet water. It says like the alcohol is 15.5%. We need to take care of otherwise it’s really makes you drank. So definitely I recommend if you come to the other place and this one if this is a must you have to drink this. It was so good. So now I’m heading to the Nigara station and I’m moving to the Yamagata Prefecture. Just one couple and then I feel like little bit tipsy. Yeah, it’s so strong. Now I’ve arrived at Nigata Station heading to Ponchkan, a place where you can taste tons of sake. They’ve got a sake, beer, everything. And then here is a little cup called Oo. And I can even see the haka again here. Time to start tasting musake. There are so many kind of sake here. And you can casually sample and then compare them all. Here how it works. For 500 yen, you got five coins and you insert the coin and then choose your sake and then pour. Some bottle cost two or three coins depending on the reality. If you want it tomorrow, you can always buy extra coin at the counter. And this one is for all kind of like sake. So they have 101 species of the sake. This is a the ranking yiki. This is the best one I think. And the number is 22. So let’s find 22. So I can put it here and then corner. I think I can put this one this and then we can try sake. So cool, isn’t it? Compite. It’s not that much so sweet. It’s more a little bit. It’s fruity but not so sweet. The aroma is fruity but there’s slight alcohol sharpness to it. I don’t know. It’s hard to describe without tasting. So definitely you should give it a try. You know this is their soul. It’s so good with salt. I pretty much enjoy, you know, the sake. So, I’m moving to the Yamaga. Okay. Well, I’m waiting train for 1 hour. So, I bought this one. Perumiing sweet and tangy. We are temp in the countryside now. So, getting seed is easy. I’ll be on the train for about a one to two hours. Bit by bit, the scenery feels more rural. I got here Moroccan station. It really does feel like the countryside out here. I don’t know. There is something I can see, but let’s see. This is a tourist information center. I stopped by the tourist information center to look up some spot. Seems like this region is famous for you know the salmon. Look at this. This is a kiss salmon. They raise the fish here. Look at this. You could see so many fishes hanging like this. I got information about the coffee shop around here. So, let’s go and then kill the time 1 hour. This one, look at this cohesive. It has that cute slightly old fashion look. Yeah, it’s feel so little. And then here they have so many manga comics. Yeah. So cute. It’s a tiny coffee shop run by the old lady. The owner is 77 years old and is still going. Yeah, I’m really respect that. And then she said she wanted to keep running until 80. Even the teacups are double. It was good. She’s 77 years old and she wanted to try until 80. Yeah, she’s so talkative and it’s really great encounter new people, local. Yeah, that’s amazing. Right. Hopping another train. This is the one driver of many train. Look at this. The river makes it feel even more r So finally I got here to station. So today I’m going to stay over here and try um sake and local food. So it’s a little bit chilled outside. The evening lights is gorgeous. I see uh Apple Hotel, you know, two days in R. Compared to the last night’s Apple, this one feels more like a standard. Yeah, this is the room tour. Um water and big TV and so much, you know, hunger and stuff. And yeah, it’s always nice shampoo and shower. Yeah. And it cost only like 5,000 yen. This is really good quality. If you wanted to stay in Tokyo, could be double or triple. But in a rural area, it’s just, you know, 5,000 yen. So, it’s it’s about affordable. Time to grab a dinner ramen tonight. So, first of all, I will eat a local ramen here. I’m so excited to eat. I’m so hungry. Yeah. Here we are. You buy the ticket from the vending machine here. Lots of custom options with a thicker noodle stand. A richer brew. Look at the portion size. There’s something about eating ramen alone. You just focus on the bowl. It’s so good. Some people might not love the sound, but that’s how you enjoy it here in Japan. The noodle have great chew, springy, and firm. The brute, it’s packed with flavor. No slurping noodles brings the aroma up to your nose. That’s a part of the taste. It was good. And I’m so full. Uh I want to try something sake. So I come back to the station. Now I’m at the bar near the station. First up is Rudyono umi. A clear elegant sake. So bitter. It’s easy to drink. I think it’s good for the beginners. It’s a love mountain. It’s so good. The flavor is comes to my nose. When you drink, it’s something like you know the smells of the flower. It’s coming to my nose. My you know look at this. This is a different you know you can see a little bit white how this is one of the classic one. Oh, that’s so different. M. It’s a little bit bitter. It’s not like a fruity kind of juice. It’s more like alcohol. But it’s good. There are so many kinds of dried here. so much. You can try a lot of pieces here and it’s really close to the station. So definitely this is my recommendation. So full tipsy. It’s time to go back to the hotel. I bought this. This is a m soup of freshwater clam. This tips you don’t have the hung over. This sake is so sweet and you don’t feel like so much alcohol. So easy to get drunk. So it’s better to drink, you know, this so good after drinking. Makes me so warm. Good morning. Today I’m going to Akira, my hometown, and then I’m going to drink with my friend. But on the way I’m going to stop by um Sakara and then have lunch and you know explore a little bit. So let’s go. I’m seeing this anime character here. So, I got a here station. So, I’m going to eat lunch and then explore a little bit here. They are local. So, easy to deposit your backpack. This is a place I wanted to come. I love this place. Tatami floors and then classic Japanese vibes. I’m ordering their popular tonkatu. Look at this. Such clean, classic, looks amazing. The colors perfect. All of his like comforting home cooking like somebody your mom or grandma would make. crispy on the outside and the inside. It’s a meal few of the layer at the park. A bite with sauce, you know, incredible. So crunchy. Then rice. Wow, that’s good. Seriously delicious. The Yamaga poke is was famous in lots of grand brands. No wonder it tastes this good. So if you visit Yagara, yeah, try this poke. It was so good. I really recommend this place you guys. So So now I’m heading to the the place. I can try some, you know, sake and a little bit and everything. I mean, you know, I can try, you know, a lot of species of desake. Check out this street. Such a strong local vibes. On the way, you know, I spotted a shrine. I’m going to go in for a quick visit. Oh, look at this. There’s a cat inside of the shrine. Look at this. Yeah, it’s beautiful. I think I know I cannot cross to her or him. So peaceful. I got here sakatano. Inside they sell sake and then souvenirs. Here’s a sake section. There’s also a food court. Looks like a squid. It’s a local specialtity here. I came here mainly to taste the sake. These are the name of the brand. I mean name for the company. Just one cup is 100. I want to get like this. Oh my goodness. It’s really really feel like it’s strong alcohol and then it’s kind of bitter for me. Like I like I like more like kind of fruity and then like sweet one. This is kind of sweet one. So yeah, this is my favorite. It’s sweet, but at the same time feels a little bit alcohol. It’s good for tasting and then if you love something, you can buy it here. Yeah, that is so good. Yeah, I still have 1 hour and a half. So maybe a little bit explore around the area. By the way, look at the mountain. The top of the mountain. You can see the snow still. It’s so lovely day. And there another cat. Oh, look at this. The cat looks so beautiful. Oh, the same cat, I think. Oh, this is the same cat when I see the in Hi. Yeah, I think this is the same cat when I see in a shrine, I think. Oh, what the coins is. Oh. Oh my goodness. I run into her again. Yeah. Cool. came back to the station and I’m I’m going to wait like maybe uh 30 minutes. There are lots of souvenirs here. I got a little hungry. I grabbed a dessert. So smooth and rich. Really good. Even you can see the Japanese garden, too. All right, time for the last leg. Heading back to Akido tonight. I’m going to meet my friend and then we will watch some isakaya to try Japanese sake from my hometown. Hopefully you guys get some ideas about sake, especially in northern Japan. And this is a train. Yeah, I usually use this train. This one are really familiar with me. This is a tree the final train. They have plenty of empty seats so you can relax. From the window you can see the mountain with a bit of snow on top. almost in GA. The end of the trip always put me in a reflective mood and here we are Akita station. That’s a long journey back to the familia site. Finally, I got here a station. Yeah, I don’t know how many hours I ride on the train, but finally I came back to my hometown. Look at this. This is Namahag, one of the traditional demon in my hometown. So, I have the another videos to show this event. So, you can check this one. Oh my goodness, it was such a long journey. I’m going to drink with my friend, but I’m still have time. I will explore the station a little bit. This is Akita dog. I also have the another videos about the dog. Yeah. Let’s take a look around this. You know, this is a souvenir area. This is all sake. This one you can try some Japanese sake. Yeah. It’s just, you know, close to the gate from the station. So, this is the place to be. Today, um I will introduce my favorite places. So, now it’s 5:30 and I’m going to meet my friends. So, let’s get out here. We started with asaki beer. Look at the bubbles. Insanely good after long trip like this. Amazing. We ordered the skirt steak and iners Oh my god, so good. Next up, our regular place, Shuya, a true local spot, you know, packed with the people from the neighborhood. They have loads of Akira sake. Come fried potatoes. Yeah, this is one of the uh butter lice with an egg on top and then including is squid. Simple, salty and so good. And then aramasa again. Aramasa number six. This the best. And we even got some sushimi on the house. Sushimi. I know. Sashimi with sake is the best combo. So fresh and then rice is great. Honestly, the perfect weight. And this trip, these three days I spend so much time on train and then I drink a lot of sake. So I want to say in Nigara my favorite sake is Hakisan and in Yamagara I would say um the mountain is the best and in Akira Alamasa. Yeah. Each prefecture has different kind of taste. In total I would say Alamasa is the best. Yeah, it’s not just for the you know it’s from my hometown but it’s so also like you know I love the taste and I don’t know how many hours I spent maybe more than 24 hours you know to come back to my hometown you know it’s only local train but it’s really amazing thank you so much for watching this my videos so if you like Japanese local hidden gem yeah please subscribe comment and likes yeah it’s really helped me so thank you so much for watching videos see you in the next

Join me as I travel from Tokyo to Akita, Japan, taking only local trains! This slow travel vlog follows my journey with stops in Niigata and Yamagata to sample local food and sake. Experience the beauty of the Japanese countryside and the charm of rail transport.

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