Niigata (prefecture) - prefecture of Japan
Niigata Prefecture (dead link: January 2023) (新潟県 Niigata-ken) is on the Sea of Japan coast of the central Chubu region of Japan.
Understand
Niigata used to be divided into the provinces of Echigo (越後), on the mainland, and Sado (佐渡), a large island off the coast.
Read
My Mother is a Tractor, by Nicholas Klar. A former English teacher with a witty and informative take on Japanese society. Written from the depths of the Niigata countryside.
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Cities
Kaetsu Region (下越地方)
- Niigata — the prefectural capital
- Murakami — castle town which is famous for hotsprings and salmon
- Shibata — castle town which is famous for Tsukioka Onsen Chuetsu Region (中越地方)
- Nagaoka — the second largest city in the prefecture
- Kashiwazaki
- Izumozaki — Small town birthplace of the 18th-century monk-poet Ryōkan
- Minami-Uonuma
- Sanjo
- Tokamachi — famous for its snow festival, the first in Japan
- Yuzawa — popular spa and ski resort Joetsu Region (上越地方)
- Joetsu — train hub also featuring the port of Naoetsu
- Itoigawa — famous for Itoigawa Geopark.
- Myoko — well known for its onsen and great skiing. Nearby Lake Nojiri is also a popular summer retreat. Sado Island (佐渡島)
- Sado
Other destinations
- Sado Island — with a tragic history of exiles and slave labor gold mines, now known for its scenic beauty and a large music festival
- Joshin'etsukogen National Park - the second largest national park in Japan.
- Oze National Park
- Awashima - Island with long history and great beaches.
Get in
By plane
Niigata Airport handles international (IATA: KIJ) flights from Korea (Seoul daily on Korean Air), China (Shanghai and Xian three times weekly on China Eastern, Harbin four times weekly on China Southern), and Guam (twice weekly on Continental). There are also frequent domestic flights from Osaka (¥25,100 one way), Sapporo (¥28,700 one way), Fukuoka (¥31,700 one way), and other cities. The prefectural government has produced an airport guide (), which may be useful.
By train
The Joetsu Shinkansen line connects Niigata to Tokyo in around 2 hours, passing through Yuzawa on the way.
Alternatively, the Nagano Shinkansen line connects Nagano to Tokyo also in around 2 hours. From Nagano one can take an express or local train onwards to Myoko and Joetsu in Niigata Prefecture
Get around
See
Every year, around the last ten days of July, there is a big fireworks display in Kashiwazaki, which is well known for the ones which are shot off over the Japan Sea. Moreover, the number of the fireworks shot off there is about 15,000 shots and those are so beautiful.
Do
Niigata is the heart of Japan's Snow Country, which means it's a great place for skiing (see above destinations).
Eat
Niigata is famed for its koshihikari rice, generally considered one of the best grades in the country.
Drink
Thanks to its famous rice and abundance of mountain streams, Niigata produces some of the best sake in the country including famous labels like Kubota (久保田), Koshinokanbai (越乃寒梅) and Hakkaisan (八海山).