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
Teradomari Shrine and Temple Stamp Pilgrimage
4.9culture
Shrine and temple stamps issued by religious institutions across Japan are called goshuin (“crimson seals”).
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.
Kiyotsu Gorge
4.4nature
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.
The Amatomi Trail
4.4landmark
Welcome to the Amatomi Trail, a long trail with two courses through Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park.