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Niigata

Leading ski getaway famous for rice and sake

About Niigata
Photo: Krishna.Wu / Shutterstock.com

Top Attractions in Niigata

Around Niigata

Sado Island

Sado Island

Sado island has a great cultural history which you can encounter on almost every corner. You can experience natural beauty an...

Niigata
Niigata City

Niigata City

Niigata City has a long history as a port city, it is the most populated city in the prefecture, and is the largest coastal c...

Niigata
Tokamachi

Tokamachi

Tokamachi is located in the southern region of Niigata Prefecture. It only takes around 2 hours by shinkansen to get here fro...

Niigata

Top Articles

Upcoming Niigata Events

Apallusion

Apallusion

Kim

Apallusion is an illumination event held at the APA Resort in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.

Niigata
Uono River Ayu Festival

Uono River Ayu Festival

Kim

The Uono River is a popular spot for fishing, and the most notable catch is ayu, or sweet fish. The Uono River Ayu Festival s...

Niigata
Echigo Winery Grape Festival

Echigo Winery Grape Festival

Kim

The Echigo Winery is situated in the heart of Niigata's snow country, and holds an annual Grape Festival where you can enjoy ...

Niigata

Where to eat in Niigata

Garden Cafe Ichishima

Garden Cafe Ichishima

Kim

Garden Cafe Ichishima is located in Shibata, Niigata Prefecture, and offers a range of tasty eats and drinks with views out o...

Niigata
Shiroyama Honten

Shiroyama Honten

Kim

If you like your meal served with a view, Niigata's Shiroyama Honten is the place to go. The restaurant faces out to the beau...

Niigata
Biens Popolo

Biens Popolo

Kim

Biens Popolo in Sanjo, Niigata, offers a range of sweet treats that look as amazing as they taste. You can either choose to e...

Niigata

Places to stay in Niigata

Latest Niigata Reports

Yahiko Station

Yahiko Station

Kim

Japan is home to some pretty impressive architectural displays – both traditional and modern – and that extends to many of th...

Niigata
Ijimino Park Iris Garden

Ijimino Park Iris Garden

Kim

Located in the Shibata area of Niigata Prefecture, Ijimino Park is one of Japan's best parks for fans of irises. The grounds ...

Niigata
 Ikedaya in Niigata

Ikedaya in Niigata

Gaurav Raja Dahal

Used during the Edo period as the alternate residence for the Damiyo’s ministers, the rooms inside this historical inn contai...

Niigata
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About Niigata

Niigata
Okinawa Nagasaki Fukuoka Saga Kumamoto Kagoshima Miyazaki Oita Ehime Kochi Tokushima Kagawa Yamaguchi Hiroshima Okayama Tottori Shimane Hyogo Kyoto Osaka Wakayama Nara Shiga Mie Fukui Ishikawa Toyama Gifu Aichi Nagano Shizuoka Niigata Yamanashi Kanagawa Tokyo Saitama Gunma Tochigi Chiba Ibaraki Fukushima Miyagi Yamagata Iwate Akita Aomori Hokkaido
Region Chubu
Island Honshu
Capital Niigata
Population 2,374,450
Area 12,584.10 sq. km

What’s the most important food in the everyday diets of Japanese people? The answer is rice, and no prefecture does it better than Niigata Prefecture (新潟県, Niigata-ken) and their Koshi Hikari brand when it comes to rice. And that also means you can find some of Japan’s top sake there too.

Niigata is also one of the top hot springs and winter sports destinations as well; the popular Naeba Ski Resort doubles as the host of the Fuji Rock Festival (Japan’s largest outdoor music event) in late July. The Nagaoka Festival almost immediately after it is one of the three biggest fireworks displays in Japan.

Niigata’s beaches are wildly underrated, often overlooked at the expense of those on the Pacific coast. The idyllic island of Sado is famous for being the breeding spot of the rare Japanese crested ibis and for its gold mine. 

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