#Niigata City

[sharp7datwikk]

新潟 TRIP 202403 – その陸：さんかくとまる

先月末の3月25日（月）～26日（火）にかけて、初めての新潟県へと出掛けてきました。 そもそも日本海側で訪れたことがあるのは京都府と福井県だけでもあったので、結構貴重なことでした。　今回は急遽の必要に終われた形で、特段の予定があったわけではないのですが、されど行かざるを得ないというか、行くことが確定していた話。　さりとて、初の新潟にウキウキしないわけはなく、意気揚々と『新潟 TRIP 202403』へ！！ 2日目は、新潟を離れる日。　だからこそ、米を食べたかったのです。 『今世司酒造 株式会社』での酒蔵見学を終え、次に向かったのは『農家の息子がつくる食堂 さんかくとまる』。　『万代シティバスセンター』を中心に構成された一大商業地区『万代シティ』にある『万代シルバーホテル』2階に、『BANDAI FOOD…

[redheadinjapan]

Niigata Station Is Opening The First of Three New Sections

The Niigata station construction will soon start paying off as Niigata station is opening several new sections over the next few months. Ever since I arrived in Niigata a year and a half ago, Niigata station has been under construction, sometimes opening sections and closing others. However, we’re nearing the end of one of the major projects: the station building. Many new stores are set to open on the second floor by the end of March as well as the new bus tunnel under the station, and more will be coming before summer.

On March 27th, Niigata station will officially open most of the second floor. Two small sections–one on the east side and one on the west side–will remain closed until next month, but there will be almost 60 new stores available by the end of March. Most of the stores in this section seem to be food and snack shops, though there will be some general stores and services. There will be rice cracker stores like Happy Shop (soft rice crackers) and Bakauke (Niigata rice crackers), as well as coffee shops and cafes like Kaldi Coffee Farm and Tully’s Coffee. Everything from gelato shops to sake stores to snack stands and even a Japanese omelet cafe will be opening. There will even be a 500 yen store, adding to the existing bargain stores Can Do (100 yen store) and 3 Coins (300 yen store).

If you want more information, check out the Niigata CoCoLo website: https://jenic.jp/cocolo/newopen/#f1-east_wrapper

While the second floor will be open next Wednesday, we’ll have to wait a few more days for the new bus terminal under the station, which won’t open until March 31st. This new terminal is meant to connect the north and south sides of the station, which were previously separated by the station building. A combined B12/S61 line will go all the way from City Hall through Furumachi and Niigata station to Kameda Aeon Mall, making travel more convenient. Several other lines will also change their routes to go through the station, including S5, E9, and S9, and two morning direct routes will be added for S90 and W14/W24/W46, which won’t stop at the station at all. 

You can check out the new bus stop location map and routes here: https://www.niigata-kotsu.co.jp/~noriai/news/infomation/2024/2024_kouka_station.html

Even more excitingly, just today they opened a brand new grocery store in Niigata station! Seijo Ishii is the newest centrally located grocery store and the first of its kind in Niigata prefecture. This will be great for people living around the station and those passing through as there hasn’t been a grocery store inside the station since construction started. Seijo Ishii is known for its premium raisin cheesecake, cup desserts, and cheeses, and it features many great products from around the world. Next to Seijo Ishii supermarket is also Niigata station’s new tourism center, which opened earlier this month and has information about tourism across the prefecture.

Niigata station is opening a wide variety of stores for the first time since last year, which is especially exciting for anyone like me who lives in the area. And this isn’t the only change Niigata Station will see this year. In the next few months, even more stores will open along with the new first floor of Niigata station. Currently, the grand opening is set to be April 25th, just before Golden Week, while the last to open will be a small first-floor food court on May 29th. While there’s still work to do on the station, I’m excited to see what Niigata station has for us on March 27th.

[theyshapedlikefriends]

Niigata City Aquarium “Marine Pia Heart” - Baikal Seal

[jaehyun-updates]

200118 NCT Jaehyun at Neo City: Japan - The Origin in Niigata‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ © pianissimo do not edit, crop, or remove the watermark

[ashitakaxsan]

Young Rumiko Takahashi selfdrawing ,with her friends goofing off at Niigata Chuo High School. She's on the right taking Komawari's pose from Gaki Deka.

[moibakadesu]

Haruka’s victim of his “murder” was he himself (The suicide theory)

This is a theory that I had since t1 there have been even more points for me to work with (I just never had time/peace of mind to do so), so let’s get into it, shall we?

First of all, as should be obvious from the title, there is a cw for suicide and also one for child abuse and neglect, as well as dead animals because we can’t talk about Haruka without going into these topics.

So what we are going to talk about today is:

Haruka’s victim of his “murder” was he himself

You might wonder now: But how is he walking around in Milgram then? We are looking at a magical song prison that bends the fabric of reality, I don’t think being a sort of purgatory is that much out of the question. I am not one to think that ALL of our current prisoners are dead, but for some it seems like an option. Note Yuno asking so pointedly in her t2 VD “Am I really still alive?” which seemed like a big hint. And also (MILGRAM NOVEL 2 SPOILER) in the second novel there is a part where literally falls the statement of “of course there are people who are already dead, it would be more strange if we wouldn’t have these”. As well as there being a suicide case.

And even if we would not go into that direction, we would still have the option of a failed suicide attempt which resulted in a temporary stopped heart = on paper you can be declared dead. With Milgram’s very loose definition of “being responsible for the loss of a human life” this seems very much like it could qualify as well.

So what gave me the idea that this could be the case for Haruka? The first thing that made my interest perk up was this screen here from Undercover:

In these shots with the silhouettes from the prisoners we presumably have a location where their murder happened or is heavily connected to it. And in some cases we even have the victims present in the shots.

What differentiates the prisoners from their victims is that all prisoner silhouettes have this gray hatching on them while their victims are a solid black color (it’s a bit unclear with Kazui, because he and Hinako are pretty small in his scene).

So with that in mind what falls to attention in Haruka’s shot? Yes, he is a solid black.

And that sprung the idea of: what if Haruka is the victim?

Well, he is, in more sense than one, but we are only concentrating on his “murder” for now.

Let’s now go through his first MV Weakness with this in mind, because it is already ripe with a lot of possible suicidal imagery. We won’t go over his first VD, because … well, there are simply no real hints in that one yet.

Weakness analysis

Right away at 0:08 we start with a scene transition of Haruka sinking into water. As you are probably all aware water is a big recurring theme with him, it draws itself through his MVs as well as being present in image material and merchandise related to him. Prior to ending up in Milgram he was also living in the city Niigata, which is literally called “the city of water”. So we can assume that it is of pretty big significance to his character.

The overall imagery of drowning and suffocating also appears repeatedly with him, so my assumptions of how he might have taken his life are either by, well, drowning or by hanging himself (due to imagery we will later get to in AKAA).

At 0:41 we have Haruka pushing his younger self into a “scribble-puddle”, leading us to another transition of Haruka once again sinking into the watery depths.

I think this is both a representation of Haruka’s loathing and jealousy of his younger self which still was somewhat loved by his mother until his disabilities became too noticeable to be ignored as well as an actual stand-in for killing yourself.

At this point let’s talk a little bit about the little girl that is assumed to be Haruka’s victim, shall we?

Well, in a broad sense we can say: yes, she is his victim. But the twist is this, recently I saw a theory that made a big amount of sense to me, especially taken in account with the suicide theory. Basically, I think the little girl never existed in reality. She was just a figment of Haruka's imagination, a sort of “Imaginary friend”, his idealized version of what “Haruka” should have been. We know from his t2 interrogation questions that his mother always wanted a girl instead of a boy, going so far as to picking the name beforehand and not changing it even after she knew she was expecting a boy.

I could even imagine that his mother might have tried to raise him as a girl up to a certain age, her terrible overall parenting surely gives me the impression that she would do something that twisted.

So Haruka’s delusion of “his perfect loveable self” might have intermingled with himself taking his life. Because something that always threw me off was that in the end of AKAA when we get the split second of him strangling the girl it is clearly a grown up Haruka putting his hands on her neck. But in Weakness they are around the same age apparently. Why is this? Well, of course the “perfect little girl his mother wanted” would stay a little girl forever in his mind.

So he is fully convinced that he killed that girl, in his mind she was real after all.

This might be completely off the mark, but even if it is, I still could imagine Haruka taking his life after having committed the murder of the girl. Going over his second VD again personally I am leaning more towards the option that the girl was his little sister, with how much attention he puts on it having been a murder out of jealousy.

But the lyrics going along with him pushing the girl in Weakness could also allude to the possibility of that “imaginary girl” theory.

And right here at 1:20 down in the water we go again, directly after the scene above.

And at 2:05 we are at the well known stone smashing scene. The action in the screen is not the main point in this case though, here we have the first appearance of the lyrics of:

Haruka usually doesn’t consider the abuse received by his mother as bad, any attention received from her is good attention in his eyes, so he wouldn’t see himself as a victim for that, right?

So what could it imply?

Maybe becoming your own victim?

Because a lot more importantly, these lyrics make another reappearance right away. When?

When Haruka strangles his younger self. (Right after another “falling in water” scene at that.)

And at the end we literally have Haruka kneeling over his dead self, admitting that “it was me”.

It is also important to note that this is the only instance in the MV where he is not waking up in his bed again.

So that is all already plenty to go from, isn’t it? But don’t worry, there will be plenty more. (Or do worry, my heart cries daily for poor Haruka.)

To go chronologically let us look at his second VD:

Metamorphosis of the Weak

This will be quick, we only have to take a look at the very end here where Haruka comes up with his suicide threat. It’s his first instinct after threatening to kill Es and becoming aware again that he can’t do that. He is making that statement with astounding ease, almost as if … he went through with it before. He knows he is capable of doing it, so he is certain and confident of himself.

On that note, I am like 99,9% certain that he won’t be successful with whatever attempt he might be starting, there will be an intervention or a reason why it’s not possible of some sort. It will most likely go against Milgram’s purpose of judging these prisoners, so it won’t be allowed that somebody escapes proper judgment by putting an end to themselves. (MILGRAM NOVEL 2 SPOILERS: Jackalope in the novel also makes a point of this, saying that the prisoners there are disposable only after they have been judged.)

But I wrote a whole post about all the reason I am certain they won't kill him off in the middle of the trials, if you want feel free to read up on that as well!

So without further ado let us go to Haruka’s second MV:

All knowing and all Agony analysis

We start at 0:12 with Haruka in his solitary confinement, the room getting flooded with water.

Here we are again with the theme of him getting submerged in water.

And the next scene of him submerged in water right here at 0:35 in the mirror (btw. I love the direction of this MV, the blurred writing appearing in the mirror like it is getting drifted ashore by the water being one of the parts of this).

Now here at 1:29 we have a very interesting scene.

Sadly AKAA is riddled with a very spotty translation of the lyrics that doesn’t convey the meaning a lot of times or even leaves out some things.

This part here is the perfect example, the more fitting translation here would be: “if with the push of one button I could be reborn”

The translation exchanges the reborn with reset which doesn’t really carry the same meaning in this context, being reborn is something that you get after dying. I don’t think this is a coincidence at all. Also important detail here is that we have the frames with the butterfly specimens on the wall. The butterfly is a symbol of death and rebirth as well. This goes well with the name of Haruka’s second VD, because “metamorphosis” is the term for the transformation that a butterfly undergoes in the cocoon.

And here another important part that gets lost in translation:

In Japanese it would more correctly translate to “I don't want to die, I don’t want to die”.

Because, yes, I do think that Haruka committed suicide. Do I think that he did it because he wanted to die? No, that was not the main objective for him. In my opinion it was either, like before mentioned, to be reborn so that he can be a more loveable self in the next life or it was the last final desperate cry for attention from his mother after even killing the target of his jealousy didn't give the desired results.

It probably also ties in with his situation in Milgram, he does not want to die, to get wiped out, but his death is once again the only means to an end that he can see in this situation, in this case forcing an innocent vote for Muu with his life as the bargaining chip. (And well, we all know how well that gamble turned out for him ...)

And then at 2:09 we have the scene of Haruka standing on the chair.

You know what people often stand on chairs for? Hanging themselves. Doesn’t help that the barred up window in the back sort of alludes to the rope of a noose the way one of the bars is placed directly behind of him.

And here once more, with the infamous “dreaMu” line.

As I mentioned before, I suspect his pre-Milgram suicide was by drowning, but these images could very well allude to his threat spoken in the prison to secure Muu’s innocent vote. I personally wonder how Haruka could even be aware of this option to take his own life, because I can hardly imagine him having knowledge about this with his “sheltered” lifestyle, but who knows. 

Good luck attempting that in the prison though, as far as I am aware there are no fixtures there that would allow for it, and we are talking about a person that can’t even tie his own shoes, let alone tie a noose that would hold up his whole body weight.

Here we also have another very bad translation choice, and I’m not talking about the “dreaMu”. No, the problem is that they just didn’t include the whole second part of that line which would be “and spread my wings wide”, perfectly going along with Haruka spreading his arms like wings.

As if to take flight. This could be calling back to the butterfly symbolism as well as jumping, “taking flight”, from the chair …

And at 3:00 we reach another part of the MV where Haruka gets submerged in fluid. But this time it’s not water.

We have seen this fluid before in the MV, notably when the preserved animals started “melting”.

Preservation is the important word here, because this fluid is most likely formaldehyde (or formalin), used to preserve dead bodies. Fun fact, this is technically not the first time we see it, it might be present in Weakness as well.

This bottle here right at the beginning looks a lot like bottles that get used to store it. It is also a clear fluid before it comes into contact with what gets preserved.

As to why Haruka has knowledge about this sort of thing is, that I could imagine that his mother had to do with animal specimen preservation, either as a hobby or for work, so he is familiar with the function of it. On that note, he might even have started killing animals to bring his mother more bodies for her hobby/work and to be praised for it.

So we are closing the MV with Haruka sitting and swaying in his “formaldehyde tank”, the very substance in which dead things are preserved, repeating the lines of wanting to be reborn to be the favorite next time, in his next life basically.

(Oh my sweet boy, you don’t have to try so hard, you are already my favorite.)

And this is it, my theory that Haruka is literally a dead boy walking in this prison.

My heart bleeds for him, because for him it’s absolutely impossible to get any sort of happy end at the finale of Milgram and I think he would have deserved the world. Just a family that would have supported and understood him properly, a way more normal life, how his biggest wish is.

[thekimonogallery]

"Kaze no Uta" 1981 Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Bandaijima Museum collection. Tatsumi Hashimoto (1928-2016 real name: Seikichi) is a Japanese-style painter from Kamo City, Japan.

[thisworld1]

Cherry blossoms blooming in the terraced rice fields taken in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.  Photography by Koki UedaMore

[inukag]

Sooo I went to Japan for 2 weeks! It was amazing! Extremely hot but I still enjoyed everything and want to go back ASAP 😭

I wanted to share the Inuyasha merch I’ve been able to find! Which is not a lot, lol. Urusei Yatsura's Lum was EVERYWHERE (especially thanks to the recent reboot) and I also saw Ranma 1/2 stuff quite a bit, but Inuyasha was nowhere to be found except in Nakano Broadway...

Starting from top left: A doujinshi I found at a Mandarake, a CD with some of the opening/endings and a pack of playing cards with art from the second movie. Below that I have a Inuyasha acrylic (found that one in a Animate at Ikebukuro), a small shippo figure and volume 4 of Yashahime (with Momo on the cover 🥰). Then below that I got 2 volumes of the wide ban edition of the manga (1 and 30 so the first and last volumes) and the Shonen Sunday S magazine with the latest Yashahime manga chapter. Above that there's Hisui from a Yashahime gachapon and above the beautiful miko Kagome figurine ♥

She's supposed to sit on a bottle so I cut the top of a plastic bottle, added some wrapping paper and a scrunchy to make some kind of base for her to sit on! I've always wanted that figurine but it's super expensive online so I'm glad I found her at a decent price. The world needs more miko Kagome merch 🙏

This is the back of the inukag doujinshi I bought, I haven't been able to find that artist online 🤔 If anyone know where I can find them, let me know!

Funny thing, the only time I saw the Yashahime gachapon was at Tokyo tower. I tried it really hoping I would get either Moroha, Hisui or Kohaku and not the others so I'm very glad I got Hisui! 3 out of 8 is not good odds lmao.

I KNOW there's some actual Inuyasha gachapon out there but I never saw any! Even that Yashahime one was mostly empty 😭

I also visited Niigata, the home city of Rumiko Takahashi. In the Manga and Anime museum there I bought this special fan that was released for the 35th anniversary of Takahashi's career. There was also the same for Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2. I thought it was a really cool find!

Anyway, Japan let me down a bit in terms of Inuyasha merch but everything else was great (except the weather, seriously don't go in Japan in the summer it's too hot). I definitely want to go back in the spring and see the cherry blossom. I'd also like to visit the south more, like Osaka and Hiroshima.

Yashahime might be a disaster but it's actually thanks to that series that I met the amazing girls I went on this trip with, and for that I am so thankful. We went through hell following that series every week but we ended up with forging really strong bonds and traveling with them felt like being with family!

The real Inuyasha sequel was truly the friends we made along the way 😌🌈✨

[konishirrr]

How they would propose

→Atsushi

·i feel like he'd take you out to a small café to have fun and mentally prepare himself

·he would try to act normal and 'totally not nervous' but fails

·takes u to his fav place in yokohama ←bet its super pretty too

·gets down on one knee while ur looking around

·prolly closed his eyes waiting for u to say smth

·so happy one of his hands turned into a paw

→Chuuya

·took u outside of the bustling city

·the most romantic i can think of is either chiba or niigata pref. ←totally not biased

·takes u out on a picnic dinner while renting a cabin nearby

·proposes when the cloud finally turn a light pink and purple

·got nervous and tried looking away but mustered enough courage to look back at u while waiting for ur reply

·was so happy started flying ←betting 10¥ he made u start floating too

→Fyodor

·probably thought either winter or fall was the best time to propose

·so on the very rare occasion he was finally free, it started snowing

·put on classical music ad made hot chocolate for u ←prolly added smth special too like mini marshmallows, etc

··makes everything warm and asks u to dance with him

·slowly gets down on one knee after dancing

·prolly cuddled together afterwards

→Dazai

·prolly does it on Valentines :p

·got u flowers and showered u with affection all day

·when it got dark, prolly took u out like a small light up show that rlly didnt have any ppl

·started talking abt life and slowly made it to his conclusion that he wanted u y his side

·doesn't even wait for ur reply just slips the ring onto ur finger lowkey

·before yall enter the door of u 2s apartment spins u around and asks if u rlly are okay w ur spouse being him and kisses u afterwards

im actually wayy to scared to re read this :')

[sharp7datwikk]

新潟 TRIP 202403 – その伍：今世司酒造

先月末の3月25日（月）～26日（火）にかけて、初めての新潟県へと出掛けてきました。 そもそも日本海側で訪れたことがあるのは京都府と福井県だけでもあったので、結構貴重なことでした。　今回は急遽の必要に終われた形で、特段の予定があったわけではないのですが、されど行かざるを得ないというか、行くことが確定していた話。　さりとて、初の新潟にウキウキしないわけはなく、意気揚々と『新潟 TRIP 202403』へ！！ 2日目は、雨模様でもあったので、初日からずらした酒蔵見学をし、後はご当地ものを食べて帰ろうじゃないかと、あっさりとした計画でした。　ホテルの朝食を食べ、ややゆっくりとチェックアウトを済ませ、向かった先は『今世司酒造…

[redheadinjapan]

New Year’s in Niigata City: Celebrate at Hakusan Shrine

Okay, I recognize that this is very, very late, but I wanted to write about New Year’s in Niigata City before I leave at the end of this year. As I mentioned in my New Year's post last year, New Year’s in Japan is focused more on the first few days of the year rather than the night before as it often is in the US. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to do on New Year’s Eve in Niigata City. It just might not be as big of a party as in the US.

I can’t talk about New Year’s in Niigata City without bringing up Hakusan Shrine. Hakusan shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Niigata City, which many people go to for New Year’s Eve for their hatsumode, or first prayer of the year. There are, of course, other shrines as well, including Yahiko Shrine and Gokoku Shrine, but Hakusan is somewhat close to Niigata Station, making it a popular destination. The shrine stays open through the night for people to visit and buy Omamori, or charms. While there wasn’t a cool lion dance or performance like there was at the shrine in Tokyo, there was a big fire to burn Omamori for purification and good luck. Plus, for 300 yen, you can fish for a New Year's fortune.

Like most shrines do for New Year's, Hakusan Shrine had rows of food stands set up for people to pass through as they waited to pray. They set up the stands along the walkway into the shrine anytime there’s a big event–including Sakura season in the spring and the wind chime festival in the summer–and New Year’s is certainly a big event in Japan. They usually have all of your typical stands at a Japanese festival–yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, fruit candies–in addition to some of Niigata’s specialties, like Poppoyaki, the little pancake sticks they serve at many Niigata festivals.

Then, for the first few days of the New Year, many stores in Bandai City and all around Niigata have the same fun New Year’s sales as stores across Japan. These can range from regular in-store sales for the first few days of the year (usually the 1st through the 3rd or 4th) to specialty bags you can sign up for or buy in stores. These bags, known as Fukubukuro or Lucky Bags, come with a variety of the store’s products and might even include some New Year’s exclusive items. A friend and I split a Lucky Bag from Imayotsukasa Sake Brewery that came with three sake, one of which was only available in the Lucky Bag.

You may have also seen that this year there was a big earthquake near Niigata on January 1st. While this is not typical of New Year's in Niigata, it was an interesting and somewhat frightening way to start this New Year. It was my first big earthquake, so there was a lot of frantic researching, trying to figure out what to do and if I needed to do anything at all other than stay put. Luckily, things turned out alright for me in the end and Niigata City suffered minimal damage, but some of the closer areas are still recovering.

While most New Year’s in Niigata City won’t go off with quite as much of a bang, there’s still plenty to do. Your celebration will certainly look different from New Year’s in the US, but you can drop by a shrine on New Year’s Eve with some friends for food and prayers, then shop until your heart’s content during the sales over the next few days. Overall, not a bad way to start the New Year.

[theyshapedlikefriends]

Who is your most favorite of these"niche japanese plushie" below:

[rhythmicallben]

I will be exhibiting my work in Niigata City in May! Please come and see!

https://x.com/utsurou_iro

[uenodivision]

Hypnosis Mic Shuffle Team, Vol. 3 (Part 3) (Cont.)

Chinen Sisters

Kira "Huntress" Chinen

Taria "Misfit" Chinen

Murder in Ōta City Tonight

Unbearable Hotheads

Oki "ATLAS" Teagan

Ryuko "Mista Z.B." Umemoto

You Can't Touch Us (Don't Try)

Dirty Hands

Asuka "TREA$URE" Koizumi

Fumio "Dissector" Shimizu

Win or Lose? (You Decide)

Dog & Cat

Tasuku "Katame" Kawanoe

Yano "Y-STARR" Ietsuna

Rivals!

Headaches of the Police

Joey "Joker" Kurusu

Lyall "Corvus" Shiba

Why So Serious?

Contagious Energy!

Ryūnosuke "Fist N Fury" Sekiguchi

Yuuya "ARROW" Kanata

Get Up and Do Something!

Dream a Little Dream... (Rush Hour Solo)

Cadets

Aranai "Ride or Die" Norikoru

Sumire "Diabla" Shinomiya

Kaoru "Arachne" Shinozaki

Kanra "D. Vil" Akemi

Yuuya "ARROW" Kanata

Yano "Y-STARR" Ietsuna

Joey "Joker" Kurusu

Lyall "Corvus" Shiba

Move Your Body or You Die! (Yuriko Kuromiya's Training Camp from Hell) (Black Dalhia Solo)

Hip-Hop, Eat Your Heart Out (Ride or Die Solo)

You All Are Just Toys (Cinder Solo)

@ota-division @ginza-division @suginami-division @enoshima-division @fukuokadivision1 @toyama-division @kanazawa-division @niigata-division @naha-division @naradivision @akihabara-division03 @shinagawa-division @edogawa-division @katsushika-division

[corvid-language-library]

I've made the decision to stay here in Japan for at least another year, and I have a few goals to make me feel like I'm experiencing life here to the fullest. Some (most) of them are silly little goals that feel big because of the language barrier (exacerbated by my natural shyness), but some of them are more exciting goals for sure!

Get my hair cut

Take a ballet or other dance class

Get a library card

Have a 10-minute conversation with a native speaker in Japanese that's not an italki lesson

Make a new Japanese friend

Go to the dentist

Go to a prefecture I haven't been to before*

Sing a Japanese song at karaoke

Go skiing in Zao Onsen (or some other nearby resort)

Try to get a debit card

Be able to point to every prefecture on a map and name their capital cities**

*Prefectures I went to in 2023:

Tokyo

Aichi

Gifu (briefly)

Yamagata

Miyagi

Chiba (I'm not sure going to the airport counts as going somewhere tbh, but it looked very nice from the train window!)

Prefectures I'd like to/plan to visit in 2024

Hokkaido

Aomori

Osaka

Kyoto

Nara

I'm hoping to either do a little tour around Hokkaido/Tohoku in summer OR a little tour around Kansai in winter, depending on what time I can get off when and if I have to go back to the UK in that time. And I may go somewhere for a couple of days for Golden Week, but I've not decided.

**Prefectures I can currently point to on a map:

Hokkaido (capital: Sapporo ☑️)

Aomori (capital: Aomori ☑️)

Akita (capital: Akita ☑️)

Iwate (capital: Morioka ◻️)

Yamagata (capital: Yamagata ☑️)

Miyagi (capital: Sendai ☑️)

Fukushima (capital: Fukushima ☑️)

Niigata (capital: Niigata ◻️)

Chiba (capital: Chiba ☑️)

Okinawa (capital: Naha ◻️)

I also know the rough locations of: Gunma, Tokyo, Ibaraki, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Yamanashi, Saitama, Aichi, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano and Fukuoka