Niigata Higashi Port, the only core international port on the Sea of Japan coast, straddling the northern wards of Niigata City and the town of Seiro.

A foreign community exists in and around the area. In a series of three reports, we have spotlighted the foreign culture that has taken root in Niigata.

The first article is 'Walking around Donggang'. Russian and Pakistani communities are said to exist in the Donggang area.

Many of them apparently work in used car sales around the port.

Group of containers stacked in the East Port.

This time, I visited a settlement called Yokodoi, on the west bank of the East Harbour.

There is a ryotei restaurant along the main road called 'Yamagai', which is thought to have closed down. I parked my car in the car park there at around 11am. Next door is the famous curry restaurant 'Nile'.

After getting out of the car and walking a few steps, a red Japanese car crossed in front of us. Several people in the car had a foreign look (Russian?) and looked at us repeatedly with wary eyes. They looked at us repeatedly with wary eyes.

It's probably no wonder that people look at you strangely when you walk along a country road as if you are a stranger. But wait. I don't know which one of us is the foreigner anymore. The area around Yokodoi is filled with a kind of peculiar air of 'foreigner's territory'.

Now turn down the alley and start exploring in earnest.

There is a cluster of dealers with used cars lined up in various places on a site that appears to have formerly been a field. A prefabricated hut stands in the middle of the site or on the road side, which serves as the dealers' office. A whiteboard was attached to the wall of the prefab hut, on which was handwritten the name of a person of Pakistani descent in katakana next to the title "Representative Director".

Yokodoi. Area lined with used car dealers.

Also eye-catching were signs written in Russian and Urdu (Pakistan's official language). We did not know what the text meant, but there was no doubt that they were advertisements for suppliers. Foreign languages were also used on road signs.

Kisaki Community Council Crime Prevention Group? There is something of a disturbing atmosphere.

But what does it say? 'one way' (?). Is it.

After passing through the seller's block, I found myself in a normal residential area. I couldn't help but smile as I felt at ease, as if I had just returned to Japan from a foreign country. As I walked along, I was barked at several times by dogs. The dogs are kept in private homes, but they often bark at me when people pass by their houses. I wonder if it means that they are well trained as guard dogs.

I came across a place that looked like a small general shop in town with a sign that read 'Cigarettes', so I went in. The shop is called Iura Shoten. When I entered the shop, the owner, who was in his late 60s, came out. I greeted him briefly and asked him about the town.

-There are a number of what look like foreign language signs on the side of the road, what are they?

Owner: Oh, that. There used to be a lot of foreign used car dealers coming and going on the road in front of this shop. But the number has decreased recently. It seems that the higher tariffs are making it more difficult for them to do business.

-(As a region) do you have a lot of relations with foreigners?

Owner: Not particularly. Where did you come from and what are you doing here?

-I'm from Nishi-ku, Niigata City. I came here to do a bit of research because I wanted to talk to some foreigners in Donggang. By the way, do you know a shop called Yamaguchi along the road? I parked my car in the parking lot there, is that okay?

Owner: It's alright. The mountain side closed after his wife passed away, five or six years ago, I think. But still, there's probably nothing around here. There's a diner over there called Hoseimaru that seems to be all the rage.

-I see. But it's cold today. Do you sell anything warm?

Shopkeeper: I don't have any. You can go to Plant 4 and they sell everything. We won't have anything. I might close the shop soon.

The owner laughed when he said so. He was friendly and seemed to be able to tell me anything. But I couldn't get much information about foreigners. (Oh, I forgot to ask for the Japanese translation of the road signs...)

We left the Iura shop and returned to the parking lot of the 'Yamagai'. On the way back, the red crane of the East Port could be seen from the residential area.

Crane at East Port, visible from the side causeway.

Although this is supposed to be Japan, we could not hide our surprise at how much of the area looked like 'foreign territory'. After a quick walk around, we decided to enter the curry shop 'Nile'.

-Continued in the next article, "Foreign Culture Report in Niigata Higashi Port, Part 2: Curry shop full of foreigners, 'Nile'".

Spotlight.

Niigata Harbour Office Higashiminato-ku

• Address: 4-1214 Higashiminato, Seiko-cho, Kita-Pambara-gun, 957-0101 Niigata Port Office, Niigata Regional Promotion Bureau, Higashiminato Branch Office
• Tel: 025-256-2503
• Fax: 025-256-2765
• E-mail：ngt112151@pref.niigata.lg.jp
• WEB：http://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/niigata_kouwan/index.html
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