The old custom house 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan
Now that the weather is starting to get a little friendlier, let's go for another walk and enjoy the winter white magic. In a short time it will look completely different outside, but to be honest, I'm not in such a hurry. I would rather linger a little longer in this magical wintry atmosphere around us and look at my world from this side.
But we are not quite there yet and the snow will hold on for a few more days. And the world around us still seems so quiet and sleepy, even though in many places life continues to go on. But that day we didn't want to go there, we had chosen a place we had already passed in warmer weather and which I was curious to see how it would look now with all the snow around.
Our destination was the former customs house of the city of Niigata, which was built about 150 years ago at the mouth of the Shinano River. Work has long since stopped here but fortunately this historic building has survived the changing times, so you can still see a bit of local history here today.
That day, during our little tour around the building, we were the only visitors, so there was only the sounds of our boots trudging through the deep snow as we approached the old customs house.
Even on that winter day, it was still easy to admire the so-called Giyōfū style in which the former customs house was built. Here, Western and Japanese elements are mixed into a charming design style. Of course, this time couldn't make out the red roof tiles, but the tower on the roof, which is designed like a small pagoda, looked perhaps all the more charming.
This is a view from the street side, where the front doors were locked. However, on the back side you can also go inside the building, where there is a small recreation room and some information about the history of the building.
Here's another view from the side, where you can clearly see the special stylistic elements.
Right next to the old customs house stands this stone warehouse building, which used to be used for storing goods which can in by sea. This one also looked extremely attractive and charming on this winter day, and we surely walked up close to it as well. Fortunately, there were already a few pre-trodden paths through the snow.
Most impressive about the building are its massive concrete doors, behind which in the old days some pretty interesting goods must have been stored. It would be interesting to get a real glimpse into this bygone era and see what really went on here a century and a half ago. At that time, Japan had opened up to the outside world for the first time and the port of Niigata was allowed to welcome ships from all over the world for the first time as well. I am sure the atmosphere around here was quite an exciting and vibrant one.
At the end, we take a long look back. Even from a distance, the old customs house looks very attractive, especially on this snowy winter day. The sky had now closed in and except for the red shutters, the color white seemed to dominate everything.
The next time we will probably come here in warmer weather. Then we want to visit the museum next door, where there will be a lot to learn about the history of the city and its region. It's always good to have a few destinations up your sleeve to look forward to. And we still have quite a few places we want to visit this year. I wonder if we'll be able to do it all?
