4 ways to spend autumn in Minamiuonuma

Fall is my favorite time of year in Japan, and there are plenty of different ways to enjoy the season here in Minamiuonuma – or in some of the surrounding municipalities! This list covers four of my favorite ways to embrace autumn in the local area.

1. Visit Echigo Winery for their annual Grape Festival

Many people immediately associate this part of Niigata Prefecture with sake breweries, and there are a number of them here – but there's also a winery! Echigo Winery produces a variety of beverages, including red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, and rosé, and they host an annual grape festival which is suitable for the entire family. It includes opportunities for grape picking, outdoor stage performances, and lots of food and beverages for sale. This year’s event was held on the second weekend of September, so you’ll have to wait until 2022 to enjoy it again -- but it’s a fun activity if you’re ever in the area.

The annual grape festival at Echigo Winery is a great way to spend an autumn weekend

2. Enjoy autumn leaves at a variety of locations

It wouldn’t be an autumn list without mentioning autumn leaves, and there are plenty of great places to enjoy their beauty in this part of Japan. Lake Okutadami is one of them, and the colors of the changing foliage surrounding the man-made lake is something worth seeing. Yairo no Mori Park in Urasa is a favorite for families, and it’s a great place to allow the kiddos to run around while you take in the scenery. We also love Lake Daigenta in the neighboring Yuzawa area - the leaves reflecting off the water’s surface is always such a breathtaking experience.

One of my all-time favorite autumn destinations is Lake Daigenta in Yuzawa

3. Appreciate Japan's national flower at Bishamondo Temple

Each year in late October, Urasa’s Bishamondo Temple hosts a chrysanthemum festival, and it's a great opportunity to see a wide variety of these beautiful blooms. The flowers on display are grown by the local towns of Minami-Uonuma City, Uonuma-shi, Tokamachi-shi, Ojiya-shi, Yuzawa-machi, Tsunan-machi and Nagaoka-shi. Some of the flowers on display are even grown by local school children! Bishamondo is also the home of the annual Naked Pushing Festival, which is one of the region’s best events.

Colorful chrysanthemums at Bishamondo Temple in Urasa

4. Savor freshly harvested rice at the Majidon festival

Autumn is rice harvesting time, and I may be biased, but Niigata’s koshihikari rice is the best rice out there. If you’d like to enjoy some of it for yourself, I highly recommend trying out some of the local restaurants involved in the Minamiuonuma Majidon Festival. The restaurants battle it out to see who can create the most popular donburi (rice bowl) dish, and this year’s event has a record 68 businesses taking part! You’ll find everything from a loco moco donburi at Restaurant Kirinko, to a Mexican spiced chicken donburi at Family Dining Kodamaya. The full list of participating restaurants for this year can be found on the official website.

The Minamiuonuma Majidon event includes over 60 restaurants serving up a range of donburi (rice bowl) dishes