Loading...

Jun 7, 2017

Living in snow country!

We are moving in the next couple of months from Tokyo (where we have been for several years now) to Niigata. Has anyone got any experience living in Niigata and can tell me just what I'm in for when it comes to winters? I know they're meant to be pretty intense - but I'd like to know from someone who has lived there or is living there right now. Also - if you have any tips for your favorite cold weather gear here, I'd love to hear those recommendations too.

Living
0 7
Report as spam
genkidesu

genkidesu

Love to travel, interested in J-beauty products and consider myself a convenience store snack aficionado. Navigating the ever-present challenges of expat life, particularly about my TCK's (third culture kids).

Follow

7 Answers

Best Answer

  • KamaT

    KamaT

    on Jun 7

    I'll be upfront and say that I'm not living in Niigata but as for warm gear in Japan, my partner swears by the HEATTECH upgrade from Uniqlo, HEATTECH Ultra Warm, or something like that. For my winter gear I've been impressed with an Arc'teryx jacket I've had for a while now. Canadian brand; super warm and light. Expensive though. You can do a search for stores / retailers in Japan here ... http://www.amerjapan.com/arcteryx/store/ Also, I can hand on heart say that my electric blanket is one of the best things I've bought in Japan. I was never keen on the idea of sleeping on something that had an electric current pumping through it, but I can't image winters without it. And given the often poor insulation in Japan, I really recommend getting one if you haven't already. I've visited the Tokamachi area of Niigata, which was a great experience. Really nice place, although that was out of the winter season.

    0
  • Bella

    Bella

    on Jun 8

    I used to live in Yamagata. It's pretty cold and snowy during the winter there. I refused to get a KEROSENE heater because of the smell. I just used my AC to warm my room a bit, then I have my carbon/electric heater, and an electric blanket. My electricity bill during the winter is about 4000-5000 yen. It wasn't that bad. I also have an electric carpet and I drink a lot of HOT tea to keep my body warm. Some of my friends have a KOTATSU, which is pretty comfy, but it will make you lazy and not stand up from where you are seated. xD

    0
  • Amandee

    Amandee

    on Jun 8

    Sorry for another non-Niigata answer but I must recommend the Heattech Ultra too! I'm originally from sunny California and layer upppp in the winter here but I was able to walk around comfortably in Hokkaido on new years with Heattech Ultra leggings and long sleeve shirt underneath just 1 other layer. Plus they're fleece lined.

    0
  • BigfamJapan

    BigfamJapan

    on Jun 9

    Also have not lived in Niigata, only visited it! But my best friend lived there for 2 years. What I remember; having to make sure the pipes didn't freeze when going away for a weekend, having to leave the wipers pointing out on the car windscreen so that the snow wouldn't damage them, lots of shovelling!, investing in a decent pair(s) of snow boots, great snowboarding, kerosene heater, fan heater, kotatsu, bulk supplies of hokkairo (absolutely essential!), padded water proof trousers (like ski suit trousers), and unlimited supplies of winter accessories (gloves, hats, scarfs!). I personally find the HeatTech really good too!

    0
  • Babina

    Babina

    on Jun 11

    It is going to be a lot of snow during the winter . Get prepared to shovel your parking lots. But there are upsides too, you can enjoy skiing. Niigata has great sake and great rice so that will keep you warm.

    -1
  • Babina

    Babina

    on Jun 11

    It is going to be a lot of snow during the winter . Get prepared to shovel your parking lots. But there are upsides too, you can enjoy skiing. Niigata has great sake and great rice so that will keep you warm.

    0
  • cheeseris

    cheeseris

    on Jul 25

    I go to Niigata during winter for leisure. There are lots of ski resorts in there. It DOES get pretty cold especially if you're gonna live near the mountains.

    0

Awaiting More Answers

5 Answers

Your donabe reccos, please!

Nuts, I broke my seasoned donabe! It fell off the fridge and snapped in half. I am bereft. If you follow me, you know that I eschew fancy electronic rice cookers and prepare my rice in a donabe. Have you got reccos for a donabe perfect for rice? A go-to for hot pot?

TonetoEdo

TonetoEdo

22 hours ago

5 Answers

What are our consumer rights in Japan?

Do you know your consumer rights in Japan? And if so, would you be willing to share anything about them? For example, what is the policy on returns? I am very familiar with my consumer rights in my home country, and they are very widely publicized back home, but information doesn't seem to be as transparent or readily available here. Or is that just me?

BigfamJapan

BigfamJapan

on Mar 15

15 Answers

What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture?

Today, February 20th, is Ehime Prefecture Day. What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture, what is the very first thing that comes to mind when I say "Ehime Prefecture"!?

BigfamJapan

BigfamJapan

on Feb 20

4 Answers

What do you most associate with Fukui Prefecture?

It is "Hometown Day" in Fukui Prefecture today. Whether you have been there or not, what do you most associate with Fukui Prefecture?

BigfamJapan

BigfamJapan

on Feb 7

8 Answers

Do you have a favorite mascot?

The other day, on "Strawberry Day" I wrote about "Yoshimin", the strawberry mascot of Yoshimi. I thought it might be fun to introduce a few others, so I've just written about "Tokimo" the mascot of Kawagoe. And I plan to introduce a couple of my favorites. It begs the question, do you have a favorite mascot? And how about writing a post on City-cost about your favorite or a local mascot? Pictured "Umerin" who I plan to write about next!

BigfamJapan

BigfamJapan

on Jan 17

4 Answers

Growing Mushrooms

Here's for a weird hobby. I just saw a video by an American Youtuber that I plan to watch about growing shiitake mushrooms. From what I've seen, it probably needs a bit of space. There was a local market in Fukuoka Prefecture that had a "mushroom room" where they grew and sold mushrooms like maitake and eringi. I also saw a video of a couple in Paris that built a mushroom growing shower room! The local hardware store sells "seeded" logs and shiitake mushroom growing kits. I have seen the logs around people's homes on occasion. It seems like a very odd, but sustainable hobby. Has anyone tried it, or is anyone interested to try this? I wonder how involved or beginner friendly it is.

helloalissa

helloalissa

on Dec 29

6 Answers

Hair Color Treatments for Greying Hair

For those of you who have colored grey hair, I'm curious about the hair color treatments available in most drugstores. They seem simpler to use than box dyes. It's been many years since I've colored my hair. It's a chestnut brown and my grey is more silver. I don't hate it but the grey is dry and making me feel like I look older than I am. I'm especially interested in the natural brands that are non-permanent. For example Rishiri Kombu sounds like a decent option. Looking forward to your recommendations and experience.

helloalissa

helloalissa

on Aug 3

7 Answers

Entrance ceremony clothes

Soon my kid will have his entrance ceremony at school, and I'm looking for those typical Japanese style ceremony clothes for myself. I'm 1.80m, not so skinny woman, which has huge problems to even find normal clothes in Japan. Does anybody have the same problem and might have any advice, where to get those ceremony clothes in a taller size?

BlueButterfly

BlueButterfly

on Feb 17

13 Answers

What shampoo brand do you recommend for dandruff?

I have been dealing with this dandruff situation for quite a while now and I still can't seem to figure out how to get rid of this problem. I have tried several shampoo brands/products like head and shoulders, ANGFA organic shampoo and the Honey Deep Moist Shampoo. And none of them worked so far. Some say it's because of hot shower. Well I do shower every day, but I don't use hot shower all the time. I rinse my hair thoroughly after applying shampoo and conditioner. I also tried applying shampoo every other day just to make my hair less dry but I still none of those tricks are working. If there is a product that you recommend that suits every man's budget then I would appreciate it so much.

Ekimsaido

Ekimsaido

on Jun 15

9 Answers

What are the must-sees in your prefecture (beyond the big three)?

Sustainable tourism is a hot topic that some City Cost members have covered in their blogs. For those correspondents outside the Big Three - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka - what do you recommend visitors must see in your prefecture? My home base is Chiba Prefecture. I highly recommend visitors check out Narita Omotesando to connect with Edo's past and visit Shinshoji to get a sense of the history of Japan. The adjacent city, Sakura, is another I recommend for the National History Museum and Edo to Taisho era streetscapes.

TonetoEdo

TonetoEdo

on May 5

8 Answers

What's in your toshikoshi soba?

What do you put in your toshikoshi soba? One year I sauteed some chicken and naganegi to start a broth augmented with tsuyu, cooked the soba separately, and served the broth with kamaboko slices.

TonetoEdo

TonetoEdo

on Dec 30

2 Answers

Transferring Pension

I'm currently sorting through EVERYTHING I bought back from Japan with me, so you'll get all your new blogs soon. I came across some documents that I actually completed when I came back from Japan, which was to do with pensions. This took me a while to figure out because it was complicated. Would you like to know how to transfer your pension to you from Japan? People say you can't. The things is... you can.

smallbigjapan

smallbigjapan

on Dec 8