Ojiya no o-miyage

In just a couple of months the harvests will be starting and people will be visiting, I hope, Niigata, some for the very first time.  Whether you are an old or new visitor no doubt you'll be after some 'o-miyage' or souvenirs of your visit, beside the Nishikigoi you will hopefully be buying.

In this post I'll give a quick run down of some of the places you may wish to try and what you'll find there.  These will all be added to the Guide to Niigata too shortly.

Sun Plaza

Sun Plaza is likely your first stop on the hunt for souvenirs.  The top pic shows the car park entrance, the bottom pic the main front entrace.  If you're staying in New Plaza Business Hotel then you are directly opposite Sun Plaza, if at Ojiya Park just 5 minutes walk.

If you go in the main entrance you enter onto the 2nd floor where you'll find the 2 main shops of interest, 1 is a souvenir shop, the other a shop specialising in locally made silk products.

You can buy all manner of products here, food, sake, Koi related 'gift' items including clothing and ceramics and other locally produced products.  On the right hand side of the photo below are some stunning paintings by 'Kondo', the artist who paints many of the Koi breeder's signs.

Kurashi ni yume

If you head from the main crossroads towards the station, before crossing the river you'll find 'Kurashi ni yume' on the right hand side.  'Kurashi ni yume' translates as 'the dream life'.

In this store you'll find a small display of the Koi decalled ceramic and lacquerwear seen in the Sun Plaza pics above.  You can also buy the Japanese version of Nishikigoi Mondo!  Maybe by the time you visit the English version too!

The store is primarily a homewares shop and you can purchase all manner of traditional Japanese ceramic wear including vases, food serving sets, tea sets, as well as lacquerwear such as in the picture below.

Ojiya Miyage

I'm not sure what the name of this shop actually is however the large white letters at the top of the building say 'Ojiya Miyage' so for the moment I'll call it that!  It is situated next to Ojiya station.

The shop is rather like a mini Sun Plaza in what it stocks, many food related products, and in the back left corner the usual range of Koi decalled ceramics, lacquerware and fabrics.  Indeed, when I visited she asked if I'd visited Sun Plaza as they stock more.  I get the impression that few foreigners visit this store however, if you are in a rush and don't wish to venture down into Ojiya then this is easily accessible and only a few hundred yards from the Miyakoya store detailed below.

Miyakoya

If you are after Koi hardware then there is one place to stop, Miyakoya.  You kind find Miyakoya here in the breeders guide - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/37.

This shop is on the site of the now closed Miyakoya Auction.  Miya-san was one of the founders of the Shinkokai, the Japanese breeders organisation.  Miyakoya are wholesale suppliers to many breeders.

The picture below shows the main shop, a veritable treasure trove.  As well as giftware, books, etc, you can get all sorts of practical items that are easy to transport such as Koi socks, airstones and other bits and bobs.  The Japanese version of Mondo is stocked here and I suspect that by the time October comes you'll be able to obtain the English version too.

The above shops should provide visitors with all the souvenir opportunities they wish for from local products through to Koi gifts and practical Koi equipment that they cannot get outside of Japan.