A trip to Niigata: Unohama Onsen and Kasugayama

Mermaid at the Beach at Unohama Onsen

With so many spots still to explore in Japan (see our Hello Kitty map), we decided to take advantage of the newly extended Hokuriku Shinkansen to explore the formerly rather inaccessible Sea of Japan coast for a weekend getaway. The line has been extended from Nagano to Kanazawa. Since we had already visited both endpoints on former occasions, I was trying to decide on one of the places in between. But frankly, it seemed that none of them is touristically very developed. I first thought of Unazuki-onsen (it being a hot-spring resort), but then decided against it as the sightseeing railroad into the neighboring Kurobe Gorge has not yet reopened after winter. In the end, I decided on Unohama Onsen in Niigata Prefecture, because, again, hot springs. That the place is directly on the beach seemed another plus.

View of the Niigata Coast from Kasugayama

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