Japan's best rice grows here, and where the rice goes, sake follows. Over 90 breweries line the prefecture. Beyond the paddies, Sado Island preserves traditions the mainland forgot, and the Fuji Rock Festival draws crowds to the mountains each summer.
What Niigata is known for
Top-rated in Niigata
Kodo Village Rehearsal Hall
4.8culture
Training base of the world-famous Kodo taiko ensemble with open rehearsals and workshops.
Yahiko Shrine
4.5shrine
Niigata's most sacred Shinto shrine traces its history back 2,400 years to when it enshrined a deity who taught the people agriculture and fishing.
Imayo Tsukasa Sake Brewery
4.5restaurant
Edo-era brewery near Niigata Station offering free tours and tastings of pure junmai sake.
Shomyoji Temple
4.4temple
This temple overlooking the Sea of Japan is best known for its connection to Ryokan (1758–1831), an unconventional priest celebrated as a poet and calligrapher.
Shukunegi Tarai (tub boat)
4.5landmark
Ride iconic circular tub boats once used by ama divers, paddled by women in traditional dress around Sado's rocky coves.
Sado Island
4.4nature
Taiko drumming center on Sado Island housing two enormous drums hand-carved from a 600-year-old zelkova log.
Sanjo Blacksmith
4.5landmark
Hands-on knife-making workshops with experienced Sanjo-Tsubame blacksmiths in northern Niigata.
Kiyotsu Gorge
4.6nature
Kiyotsu Gorge, through which the Kiyotsu River flows, stretches 12.5 kilometers from Tōkamachi to Yuzawa Yagisawa and is one of Japan’s largest gorges.
