3 November 2026
The smaller yet bigger city
Niigata to Toyama on multiple trains
Now that I am in Toyama, where I have been once before, I can already reconfirm my suspicions that despite having half the population of Niigata that it has twice as much dense central shopping area and buildings and stuff or however you best want to describe vibrancy.
Getting here was 2 trains, first I took a limited express regular train named Shirayuki from Niigata to Joetsumyoko. This took about 2 hours, stopped at many stations despite being a limited express, and required a physical ticket. It was also almost empty, even though today is a public holiday in Japan for culture day. I guess the train has no culture.
Joetsumyoko station exists in the middle of nowhere on the edge of Myoko (which is the actual nearby town) purely for people to transfer to the Shinkansen. There are a few shops in the station, but outside, nothing. I had about 40 minutes to walk around to confirm this.
Then it was time to board a 40 minute bullet train ride to Toyama, this was somewhat busier, but still not full. Confusingly, the ticket for this leg was linked to my IC card, and so I could not use a Shinkansen tranfer gate, but alas there wasn't one anyway, because the limited express Shirayuki which is run by JR and starts at JR Niigata station uses a private track to arrive at Joetsumyoko station so they do not even have an IC card reader and use a human to physically check tickets. Confused yet? Everyone including locals were, despite huge signs trying to explain it all in 10 languages.
My hotel here in Toyama is a Dormy Inn, about a km from the station, past the castle as you shall see. It is older, but cheap, well under $100 AUD per night.
Now for a few more photos than I normally take on a train day.
Now that I am leaving Niigata, it is time for decent weather. Despite the clouds here, the sky was mainly blue sky. It is also a legal requirement that all Japanese train stations have a major redevelopment going on at all times in the station forecourt.
Here it is, limited express Shirayuki 4, which used to go all the way to Toyama before the bullet train replaced it for part of the journey.
The inside is quite old, but I had the carriage nearly to myself. The seat padding was almost non existent, I could feel the seat rails.
Joetsumyoko station, it was certainly a station.
Here it is from the outside, no shops around, just a business hotel and a car rental.
Toyama on the other hand, a bustling metropolis, although this is not the best angle to show that. My hotel however is about a kilometre or so from the station.
I actually remember crossing this drain the last time I was here, even though I do not remember the castle. Weird.
However, here is the castle, which is one block from my hotel.
As I was still early, a rare exterior shot of my dormy inn, they use a lower case font so I shall too. It is certainly dated looking, but just wait!
My room is very interesting, an L shaped desk with a sink in it. Cool. I can sit here and work and wash things all at once.
But even more exciting, the toilet tank fills up from the tap above it, whenever you flush the toilet the tap comes on for as long as the flush takes to refill the tank, amazing technology! I am here for 4 nights, and will take every opportunity to appreciate this marvel of the modern world.