Natas Fair 2013 : Hokuriku, the Snow Country of Japan
I've been working as a temp interpreter and booth assistant at the bi-annual NATAS Travel Fair for the past 3 days. It was my second time baito-ing at NATAS, and I definitely enjoyed it much more than my first because of the wonderful people I got to work with.
For this year, I was allocated to the Hokuriku region of Japan. When I first heard the name Hokuriku at PASONA, I was totally confused as to where it was even located. But after this three days interpreting and promoting this region, I've come to be much more familiar with the area and am definitely looking forward to traveling to Hokuriku in my future Japan travels.
A short introduction:
Hokuriku region, located in Central Japan along the Sea of Japan.
Hokuriku region (北陸地方), or literally "Northlands region" is located in the northwestern/central part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan and is easily accessible from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. The Hokuriku region includes the three prefectures of Ishikawa(石川), Fukui（福井） and Toyama（富山）.
Easily accessible from International Airports of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.
Getting there
Train journeys from Tokyo and Osaka are about 3-4 hours, depending on which prefecture you are heading to and what train you are taking. There are also domestic airports in each prefecture, flight time is about an hour from Tokyo and Osaka. The three prefectures are very close to each other and is about 1hr apart by train. Many visitors seem to enjoy driving through the three prefectures so as to enjoy the beautiful coastal and mountain scenery.
So then, what is so special about Hokuriku?
Not a very famous region in Japan yet, Hokuriku has a rather similar climate and scenery to Hokkaido, making it a perfect spot for visitors seeking refuge in quiet yet beautiful small Japan towns. Located right along the coast, it is famous for its fresh seafood and amazing coastal scenery.
Fukui coastal scenery
Ishikawa: The only beach in Japan that cars are allowed to drive on
But yet because it is located behind the near the mountains too, it has beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers and waterfalls too.
Dam along the Tateyama Kurobe Alphine route in Toyama
"gassho-style" thatched roof houses, a UNESCO World Heritage site at Gokayama, Toyama
And of course, there's the famous Tateyama Kurobe Alphine route in Toyama.
The snow walls can get up to 17m tall or even higher depending on the winter's snowfall. To see this magnificent view of the snow walls, visit here between mid April to end of May as the snow walls will start to melt in June. Also, do take note this area is closed in Winter (Dec to mid April) because of the heavy and dangerous snowfall.
It's not a well-known fact to many people, but Hokuriku has the highest volume of snowfall of any inhabited and arable region in the world. In other words, it has more snowfall than Hokkaido though Hokkaido is no doubt colder. Thus, skiers and snowboarders will definitely enjoy this region. In fact, Japanese Studies students who have read Kawabata Yasunari's classic Snow Country (雪国) and have been wondering where Snow Country is, will be happy to know that Kawabata was referring to the Hokuriku region of Japan.
1-left. 九ちゃんmascot from Kyushuu! Huili and I were so tempted to kick him and pin him down.
1-right. Our Hokuriku booth
2-left: All the brochures and pamphlets at our Hokuriku Booth
2-right: The Samurai armour at the Matsumoto booth
3: Gifts from the Hokuriku representatives to me and Huili
Lastly, would like to thank the three representatives from Hokuriku - Sado-san, Kato-san and Kobayashi-san for their understanding and help over the three days. And of course, the random Ojisans (whom unfortunately I still don't know who they are) who came over to help and chat with us baito-ers. It was great working with all of you and learning so much about Japan.
And of course, lots of thanks to Huili and Haruka, the two wonderful SGrean girls whom I've come to know through this baito. This is precisely the reason why I love working baitos like this, because I get to know people like you two and Jin. (Huili is actually my Japanese Studies kouhai!!) Hopefully we'll be able to work together again some day. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these photos except for the very last one. Found them online from random websites.