Niigata City (2 Nights)

First order of business is to check-off Ponshukan for its vending machine of 200 Niigata sakes.
Took a bus down to Honcho area for a healthy organic meal before exploring the city.

Built by one of Niigata's wealthiest merchant family in 1918, based on Japanese architecture and garden design from the Taisho period.
Momiji is late this season, so after touring the well-preserved heritage house and its elaborated garden, we continued to entertain ourselves with their photo albums of the garden in full red while sipping matcha in the main hall.

Niigata city was frankly pretty quiet and with absolutely nothing happening or open. We were wandering the Furumachidori, and wonder if we got to the wrong part of town or that they are closed because it is a week day ?

Walking along the tea street, we spotted a restaurant with "appealing carcass" of dried fishes. The restaurant (Ebi no Hige) was still not open and we were lucky that they responded to our knocking on the door and made a reservation for dinner at 5pm. Although we were only given a 2hr slot, we managed to tuck-in and tried majority of their specialities. The grilled nodoguro (Blackthroat Seaperch) was the highlight, perfectly grilled fatty fish. Sashimi Aori squid ( big-fin reef squid) was excellent. Niigata specialities like tare tonkotsu, suruten (shredded squid tempura), etc