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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

Tokamachi Snow Festival

Tokamachi Snow Festival

Kim

The Tokamachi Snow Festival has been held annually since 1950, and provides a fun way to enjoy the snow that this region of J...

Niigata
Urasa Naked Man Festival

Urasa Naked Man Festival

Kim

Urasa's Naked Man Festival lays claim to being one of Japan's most unique winter festivals. Participants push and jostle thei...

Niigata
Nagaoka Flower Fair

Nagaoka Flower Fair

Kim

Running for over 30 years now, the Nagaoka Flower Fair presents the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of seasonal springtim...

Niigata

Where to eat in Niigata

Kukai Bistro

Kukai Bistro

Kim

If you're a meat-lover, Kukai Bistro in Minamiuonuma is worth a visit. Their menu has a focus on steaks and hamburgers, and t...

Niigata
Minamiuonuma Majidon Project

Minamiuonuma Majidon Project

Kim

The annual Minamiuonuma Majidon Competition is a way to promote the region's delicious koshihikari rice in unique ways. Dozen...

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

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
Autumn in Snow Country 10

Autumn in Snow Country

Kim

Autumn in Niigata's snow country provides numerous opportunities to appreciate the colors of the season.

Niigata
Gosen Tulip Festival

Gosen Tulip Festival

Kim

There are numerous colorful blooms to enjoy across Japan during spring, and tulips are just one of them. If you're in Niigata...

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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