#joetsumyoko

[akiva-daiki]

Lead the way  千木成林

[charlieinjapan]

Joetsu-Myoko Station is likely to be the first place you see when you arrive in town. Opened exactly 4 years ago on March 14, 2015, it is a big change to the transportation infrastructure. Now we are a mere 2 hours from Tokyo, and Osaka and the Kansai region is closer than ever. Son Yuto had a chance to ride the Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka earlier this week on the 8th grade school trip. On the day I visited, the sky was clear, the station uncrowded and friendly, and there were even some high school rockers offering live entertainment. Welcome to Joetsu! #visitjoetsu #joetsu #joetsumyoko #shinkansen #highschoolrock #welcome #welcomehome (at 北陸新幹線 上越妙高駅) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvBEllAjvmT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zcz7m6t8oo93

[sadisweetomi]

Executive ImpactThe APA way - Always Pleasant Amenities

TOKYO

Fumiko Motoya is certainly an easy person to recognize. As president of APA Hotel Co Ltd, Japan’s largest business hotel chain, her cheerful face adorns billboards, in which says “私が社長です” (I am a company president), she appears on TV, in magazines and newspapers and her face is on the company’s brands of water, curry and other products. She is also famous for her collection of colorful hats which now number about 240.

As we enter Motoya’s office, she and her husband Toshio, APA’s CEO, greet us at a large boardroom table covered with full-page ads for APA, books about the company and, of course, all the APA products.

The group currently has 415 hotels for a total of 13,253 rooms. Of those, 62 are in Tokyo’s 23 wards and a new one is about to open in Ochanomizu. The company’s success rests heavily on its 11,808,804 card members (as of Sept 30), the fact that all its hotels are within three minutes’ walk of a train or subway station and what the brand’s initials stand for — “Always Pleasant Amenities,” said Motoya. The three letters are the middle three letters of the word “Japan,” making it easy to remember, she adds.

This year has been a big year for APA in terms of overseas expansion. “We currently have 40 hotels in total across the U.S. and Canada; our first grand opening in that area was the APA Hotel Woodbridge in New Jersey on June 20, and we acquired the hotel chain Coast Hotel,” Motoya said. “We are in our second year of the expansion plan Summit 5-II that we announced in April 2015, and we have successfully opened the APA Hotel Hiroshima Eki Mae Ohashi, the largest hotel in the Chubu Shikoku area with 727 rooms. We also worked to expand our business in areas outside of Tokyo, more specifically the central cities of the regional areas.”

The next big project is a Yokohama which will have 2,400 rooms, making it Japan’s largest hotel.

“Yokohama is a great location for tourists because of the beautiful cityscape and its accessibility to Tokyo," said Motoya. "With international events such as the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics coming up, we strongly hope that a large number of tourists from around the world will come to Yokohama. We will cooperate with the city’s Kitanaka Street North District Redevelopment Promotion Plan by recovering the walls of the historical Bankokubashi Building, formerly located in the same area and now deconstructed, on the lower floors, and taking into careful consideration the design harmony with neighboring buildings. As an urban resort, which will be the new hotel’s theme, we plan on installing a large common bathtub, an outside pool and poolside restaurants. Its location near the station meets the needs of the APA hotel users; currently, there are over 11.8 million APA Hotel users and most are business persons. In addition, we think that we will be able to attract many foreign visitors as we are number one among all the business hotels in the nation, with the largest number of deals with foreign online travel agents.”

As its marketing strategy, the company has installed 103 signboards on the platforms and concourses of eight Tokyo Metro lines since December 2015. From December this year, it will put up 100 more signboards along the eight Tokyo Metro lines as well as four Toei Subway lines. “We are aiming for further brand recognition by installing a total of 496 signboards across the country, including ones in Niigata’s JR Joetsumyoko Station, and 284 signboards in 86 stations of Osaka City Subway,” said Motoya.

About 75% of APA’s guests are Japanese, but the group is gradually raising its profile among foreign visitors. “Our name has good positioning on places like Expedia, Agoda and booking.com. I think we have a lot to offer foreign guests,” Motoya said. “For example, we have free Wi-Fi and BBC broadcasts in hotel rooms. We have money exchange machines in some hotels.”

APA is further making efforts to be an eco-friendly brand. Guest rooms have LED lighting, while showers have less water pressure, meaning they conserve on water.

Then, of course, there are all the APA products. “We have sold over 1,700,000 dishes of the popular APA curry ever since its release,” Motoya said. “We based our curry on Kanazawa’s beef curry, and we received the 2016 Monde Selection Silver Quality Award. Also, our Natural Mineral Water from Fuji Streams has been recognized for its quality taste and received the 2016 Monde Selection Gold Quality Award. We distributed 10 million bottles to customers staying consecutive nights, and we are giving one bottle each to customers as part of our APA Eco Make project, where we aim to preserve water and prevent CO2 emissions through no cleaning service. For a new product, we have collaborated with Oyatsu Company, and distributed the Baby Star Ramen Kaki no Tane Mixto 1,000,000 customers. We received a lot of positive comments, especially about the packaging with a picture of my face. Others include APA Coffee, supervised by Daikanyama’s famous mobile coffee shop Motoya Express, APA Handkerchiefs sold at the front desk of some hotels, and our Original 3D Mesh Pillow (Air Relax) sold online — all of them widely popular among customers and very important for me.”

Motoya has become almost as famous for her hat collection as for being a “shacho.”

“When I wear my hats, people recognize me and I often get asked to pose for photos. I’ve heard that photos taken with me wearing a hat are supposed to bring good luck. When I don’t wear a hat on the subway or go to the supermarket, nobody recognizes me. I’ve got so many that I keep most of them in a museum that used to be an old Panasonic building but is now the Apa Hotel & Resort Jyoetsu Myoko.”

As the Olympics approach, there is concern that Japan does not have enough hotel rooms. Furthermore, hotels are facing a challenge from Airbnb’s entry into the Japanese market. But Motoya is not worried. “We think that C2C homestay services such as Airbnb will be a big help in solving the shortage of hotels with the vast increase in inbound visitors. However, there are concerns regarding subletting and unauthorized or illegal provision of services, so we strongly believe that the hotel industry is the best way for foreign visitors to experience the Japanese ‘omotenashi’ spirit,” Motoya said. “Also, homestay services are not widely common among business persons, and are only used by a number of inbound visitors. We have more than 11 million club members, so I don’t think Airbnb will affect us.”

Every time a new APA hotel opens, Motoya and her husband spend a night there, experiencing the service as a guest would. The APA group also believes in empowering women and its hotels have many women GMs. “I think women speak better English than men and are better at hospitality,” Motoya says.

There are certainly no dull days for Motoya, whose motto is “Make your work pleasure, and your work your pleasure.”

“I am a company manager, but I am also a responsible wife. I get up at around 6 a.m. and make breakfast for my husband, and send him off. I have to clean, do the laundry, and other house chores and so my days are very busy. Then, from 9 a.m. to around 6 p.m., I supervise and monitor the model houses, hotels and restaurant tenants for our hotel business, as well as apartment projects. Then there are events such as parties, opening ceremonies and conferences almost everyday. I am a visiting instructor at Tokyo International University, and I give lectures and special talk sessions. Due to my tight schedule, I haven’t been able to attend as many events as I'd like to. In the future, I would actually like to establish a university.”

And if one day, a movie is made about her life, what does she think the title should be? “I Am a Company President,” she says. What else?

For more information on the APA Group, visit www.apa.co.jp

[fdxjapan2020]

Day 22 (2) - Toyama to Takaoka with a long detour to the Joetsu region in Niigata Prefecture

Slightly disappointed by the lack of birds on the Asahi Lagoon, I decided to cycle back to Joetsu. Forever in search of new landscapes, I turned inland rather than return to the coastal route. in addition, I avoided the busier country roads by following agricultural lanes with no signposts. This was not my most inspired move as all I found ahead of me was a vast plain punctuated by small dams. At one of these, at least, I found a lonely pair of Red-breasted Mergansers.

My phone battery was almost flat, and I quickly found myself a little disoriented and with no village in sight. The rising wind and lowering temperatures encouraged me to pedal faster, and I was eventually able to find a main highway, the 253, which took me straight back to Naoetsu station from where I had started cycling in the morning. 

it was late when I reached Joetsumyoko station, and there were less Shinkansen trains to hop on for Takaoka. Tired and famished, I had a comforting noodle dinner at the station café. I didn’t expect to see tourists around this time of the day, but many arrived, all dressed warmly, and perhaps coming from Myoko-Kogen ski resort. To kill time, I also enjoyed looking at all the traditional craft on display at the station. 

Despite arriving slightly late in Takaoka, Hotel Route-Inn offered me again a warm welcome and a spacious room for 3 nights.

😴 Hotel Route-Inn Takaoka Ekimae, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture

[oniwastagram]

＼おにわさん更新情報📸／ ‪[ 新潟県妙高市 ] 旧関山宝蔵院庭園 Sekiyama Hozoin-Temple Ruins Garden, Myoko, Niigata の写真・記事を更新しました。 ーー平安時代には空海も訪れた霊山“妙高山”🏔の雪形を借景とし、古くは室町時代に歌われた庭園。国指定名勝。 ・・・・・・・・ もう雪が降り始めてるかもしれませんが…☃️2019年のGWに初めて訪れた庭園！2013年に #国指定名勝 となり、2016年から行われていた修復を2018年に終え一般公開が開始されました。 自由拝観のような形のようですが（雪深い場所なので冬期は見られないかも）、隣接している関山神社⛩で有料で解説が販売されているのでそちらを購入しつつ志納を。 まず“妙高山”について。元々“妙高山”という名前自体が仏教的な意味合い（ #須弥山 と同じ意）が込められているそうで、奈良時代に裸行上人によって開かれ、平安時代には #弘法大師 #空海 が山頂を極め、妙高山の里宮を建立したそう。 それが現在の「関山神社」の前身。この地は山岳修験の道場として最盛期にはこの地には70もの寺院が存在したとか。宝蔵院もその一つ。 時を経て、戦国時代に #織田信長 の侵攻により一帯は焼失――🔥したものの、江戸時代に入ると幕府の庇護を受け宝蔵院を含む寺院が再興、その流れで宝蔵院2世住職であり #上杉謙信 の甥とされる俊海によって関山神社の社殿が再建。 なお現在建つ社殿は江戸時代後期の1818年に完成したもので、#国登録有形文化財 になっています。また飛鳥時代の作で国指定重要文化財となっている「銅造菩薩立像」を主尊としています。 明治時代に入り神仏分離・廃仏毀釈によって宝蔵院は廃寺に。70も寺院があったとは信じられない程、英彦山とかと比べて爪痕も残っておらず跡形もなく住宅街になっている感じ…。 神社へ向かうメインストリート沿いの民家に、割と雰囲気ある池泉や岩が配されてたりするのが見えたので、お寺の跡地なんだろうな〜とは思いつつ。あと神社境���にある「妙高堂」は #木曽義仲 ゆかりの“関山神社善光寺”の名残だそう。 関山神社の石橋から北へ徒歩2分の場所に「旧関山宝蔵院庭園」はあります。この庭園は元は関山神社の別当寺だった「妙高山雲上寺宝蔵院」という天台宗の寺院の庭園として作庭されたもの。 宝蔵院は寛永寺の末寺として徳川将軍家の庇護も受け、妙高山を含む妙高五山を拝領し、妙国山麓一帯を支配していたそう。 この庭園の魅力・価値はなんと言っても妙高山の借景と、山から流れてきたように見せている5mもの滝と石組⛰ この借景を維持し続けられたのは妙国山麓に多大な影響力があった現れ――なのですが、#廃仏毀釈 後は放置・荒廃したため現在の姿は前述通り復元されたてのもの。 ちょっとスマホの画質じゃわかりづらくて残念なのですが…訪れたGWにはまだまだ山に雪が残っていて――地元・新潟の方が言うにも5月〜6月上��なら雪が残っていて最も美しいとのこと。 上越タウンジャーナルさんの『妙高山に「山」の字の雪形　江戸時代は「跳ね馬」より有名だった？』という記事によると、妙高山は『山』の字のような雪形が見えることが歴史的にも景勝として知られていたそう。 江戸時代には複数の絵図や当時宝蔵院が発行した御札にその『山』が描かれているので、この庭園は古くからその『山』の字を借景として愛されていた庭園なのだと思う。 作庭時期は不明なのですが、室町時代半ばの1478年に連歌師 #宗祇 がこの庭園を賛美した“水にすむ 心やみ山 あきの庭”という歌を残したそうなので当時には何らかの庭があったのだと思います。 滝の上（背後）には水路が続いていて、どこかに山からの湧水による水源があるのだと思うのですが――室町時代にこの滝を備えていたとしたらものすごい。 2020年には四阿といった建造物も整備されるそう。秋にも一足速く雪の借景が見られたりするのかなあ。また訪れたい！ 〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜 ‪🔗おにわさん記事URL：‬ https://oniwa.garden/sekiyama-hozoin-temple-%e9%96%a2%e5%b1%b1%e5%ae%9d%e8%94%b5%e9%99%a2%e8%b7%a1%e5%ba%ad%e5%9c%92/ ーーーーーーーー ‪#庭園 #日本庭園 ‪#garden #japanesegarden #japanesegardens #zengarden #妙高 #妙高市 #myoko #新潟 #新潟県 #niigata #上越 #上越妙高 #joetsumyoko #関山 #sekiyama #神社 #shrine #おにわさん (旧関山宝蔵院庭園) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5kQqSYg18f/?igshid=1b5nf3wkvni5f

[milehighdad]

北陸新幹線はくたか。上越妙高駅。東京行き。 Hokuriku Shinkansen Hakutaka Train.  Joetsumyoko Station.

[kembaiki]

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150626 上越妙高駅

26/05/2015 Joetsumyoko Station (Echigo TOKImeki Railway)

150626 上越妙高駅 150626 上越妙高駅 26/05/2015 Joetsumyoko Station (Echigo TOKImeki Railway)

[frmhunting]

Joetsumyoko,Niigata,Japan 2017.11.5

[helenarus]

旅程 | Journey by 千木成林

[fdxjapan2020]

Day 22 (1) - Toyama to Takaoka with a long detour to the Joetsu region in Niigata Prefecture

As a world pandemic was brewing, tourists went home, and the Shinkansen train lines lost many of its clients. At Toyama station, the Shinkansen platforms  were empty. While waiting, I had fun reading the many danger warning posters addressed to children and adults.

After leaving my non-essential luggage in a locker at Joetsumyoko station, I hopped on a local train from the Shu Kura line and disembarked at Naoetsu station. From there, I cycled straight to the sea front. Looking behind me, I could see the snow-capped Myoko mountain peaks.  I was a little tired and missed opportunities to photograph examples of the local architecture. Winter can be harsh in this region, and many of the traditional wooden houses in the villages along the coast look very solid and in darker colours.

My goal for the day was the large Niigata Kenritsu Ogatamizutomori Park located near Katamachi village. Being a Sunday and a sunny day, there were a number of young families walking and cycling around the park. Near this park is the Asahi Pond which by repute is a great birding destination in winter for observing migratory birds. However, perhaps because it was almost spring, the geese, rare ducks and swans I expected to see were absent. 

For a long time, when in Japan, only chance took me to good “birding” spots. To gather information, I used to shy away from Google searches in Japanese since my reading of Chinese script is limited. This has changed over time, and, on this particular trip, I have come across a treasure simply called “Japan-Birding “Birding Spots”: a long webpage with not only a long lists of all the best places to observe birds in Japan with details about breeds and seasons when one should visit, but all this accompanied by a Google Map layer which is now part of my list of Google maps. Combined with the monthly Birder magazine and a couple of slender field guides which are all in Japanese language, I can now travel around the country like a proper “birder”. 

😴 Hotel Route-Inn Takaoka Ekimae, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture

[milehighdad]

東京（TOKYO)6:28-8:30上越妙高(JoetsuMyoko). 北陸新幹線金沢行きはくたか。Hokuriku Shinkansen Hakutaka.隣の線路には秋田新幹線はやぶさ。Hayabusa in otherside.