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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

Niigata City Marathon

Niigata City Marathon

Kim

Now in its 40th year, the Niigata City Marathon has a course that takes participants past some of the urban area's scenic spo...

Niigata
Sado Toki Marathon

Sado Toki Marathon

Kim

The Sado Toki Marathon offers full and half-marathon events alongside a 10km and shorter fun run routes.

Niigata
Murakami Machiya Doll Tour

Murakami Machiya Doll Tour

Kim

The annual Murakami Machiya Doll Tour involves traditional hina dolls on display at equally historic venues–machiya are tradi...

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
Echigo Tsukemen Ishin

Echigo Tsukemen Ishin

Sleiman Azizi

Part of CoCoLo Yuzawa shopping precinct in Echigo Yuzawa Station, Echigo Tsukemen Ishin is dipping ramen bar known for its si...

Niigata

Places to stay in Niigata

Hotel Futaba

Hotel Futaba

Kim

Hotel Futaba is located a short distance from Echigo Yuzawa station and combines comfortable accommodation with onsen facilit...

Niigata

Latest Niigata Reports

JR Tadami Line

JR Tadami Line

Kim

The JR Tadami line is a scenic railway route that runs through the mountainous regions of Fukushima and Niigata prefectures. ...

Niigata
Kajikawachisui Memorial Park

Kajikawachisui Memorial Park

Kim

For those living in or visiting Niigata Prefecture during sakura season, one of the region's best spots to explore is the Kaj...

Niigata
Muramatsu Park

Muramatsu Park

Kim

Of the myriad destinations to appreciate sakura season in Niigata, Muramatsu Park is widely regarded as one of the best. With...

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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