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.
Naena Falls
4.4nature
Naena Falls in Niigata was born about 30,000 years ago when a volcanic eruption dammed the Seki River, forming a lake that eventually spilled westward over a natural edge.
Tōkamachi City Museum
4.4museum
The Tōkamachi City Museum was founded in 1979 and is broadly divided into three zones that interweave the history of Tōkamachi and the Shinano River Basin.
Sasagawa Nagare
4.4nature
Sasagawa Nagare is an eleven-kilometer stretch of coastline north of central Murakami that is popular among swimmers in summer.
Bandai Bridge
4.4landmark
Niigata's iconic bridge crossing Japan's longest river, the Shinano, dividing the city into two distinct halves.
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.