| Niigata (prefecture) ((ja)新潟 県, Niigata-ken) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Chūbu |
| Regional capital | Niigata |
| Area | 12 582,47 km² |
| Population | 2 190 793 hab. () |
| Density | 174,11 inhab./km² |
| Spindle | UTC 09:00, Japan Standard Time |
| Location | |
&groups=aller,circuler,voir,faire,acheter,manger,sortir,loger,ville,destination,diplomatie,masque,around,buy,city,do,drink,eat,go,listing,other,see,sleep,vicinity,view,black,blue,brown,chocolate,forestgreen,gold,gray,grey,lime,maroon,mediumaquamarine,navy,red,royalblue,silver,steelblue,teal,fuchsia) 37 ° 37 ′ 0 ″ N 138 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
| Touristic site | |
Niigata is a prefecture japanese, located on the sea coast of Japan, in the central region of Chūbu.
Understand
Niigata was once divided into provinces of Echigo (越 後), on the main island of Honshū, and of Sado (佐渡), a large offshore island.
Cities
Kaetsu region (下 越 地方)
- 1 Niigata (新潟) – The capital, and an important port city on the north coast.
- 2 Murakami (村上) – A walled town which is famous for its thermal springs and salmon.
- 3 Shibata (新 発 田) – A walled city which is famous for Tsukioka Onsen.
Chūetsu region (中 越 地方)
- 4 Kashiwazaki (柏 崎)
- 5 Minami-uonuma (南 魚 沼)
- 6 Nagaoka (長 岡) – The 2e largest city in the prefecture.
- 7 Izumozaki (出 雲 崎) – A small town, birthplace in XVIIIe century of the monk-poet Ryōkan.
- 8 Tokamachi (十 日 町) – Famous for its Snow Festival, the first in Japan.
- 9 Yuzawa (湯 沢) – A popular onsen town and ski resort.
Jōetsu region (上 越 地方)
- 10 Jōetsu (上 越) – Railway hub, also having the port of Naoetsu.
- 11 Itoigawa (糸 魚 川) – Famous for the Itoigawa Geopark.
- 12 Myōkō (妙 高) – Well known for its onsen and great ski slopes. The nearby Nojiri Lake is also a popular summer retreat.
Sado Island
- 13 Sado (佐渡)
Other destinations
- 1 Sado Island (佐渡 ヶ 島) – To the tragic story of the exiles and slave workers in the gold mines, now known for its beauty and a great music festival.
- 2 Oze national park (尾 瀬 国立 公園, Oze kokuritsu kōen)
- 3 Jōshin'etsukōgen National Park (上 信 越高 原 国立 公園 Jōshin'etsu-kōgen Kokuritsu Kōen) – The second largest national park in Japan.
To go
By plane
- 1 Niigata Airport (新潟 空港 Niigata Kūkō, IATA : KIJ) – Niigata Airport receives international flights from Korea (Seoul daily with Korean Air), China (Shanghai and Xian three times a week with China Eastern, Harbin four times a week with China Southern), and Guam (twice a week with Continental). There are also many domestic connections with Osaka (25 100 JPY go), Sapporo (28 700 JPY go), Fukuoka (31 700 JPY the outward journey) and other cities. The prefectural government has produced an airport guide on its website (in), which might prove useful.
By train
Line Shinkansen Jōetsu connects Niigata To Tokyo in about 2 h, Passing by YuzawaAlternatively, the line Shinkansen Nagano connects Nagano To Tokyo also in about 2 h. From Nagano you can take an express or local train to Myōkō and Jōetsu in Niigata Prefecture.
Circulate
Do
Every year around the last ten days of July a large fireworks display takes place in Kashiwazaki, which is well known to those who are launched over the Sea of Japan and reaches around 15 000 shots.
Niigata is the heart of snow country from Japan, which means it's a great place for skiing (see destinations above).
To buy
Eat
Niigata is famous for its rice Koshihikari, generally considered one of the best in the country.
Have a drink / Go out
Thanks to its famous rice and the abundance of mountain streams, Niigata produces some of the best sakes of the country, whose famous labels like Kubota (久保 田), Koshinokanbai (越 乃 寒梅) and Hakkaisan (八 海山).
Housing
Around
- Yamagata Prefecture (山形)
- Fukushima Prefecture (福島)
- Tochigi Prefecture (栃 木)
- Gunma Prefecture (群 馬)
- Nagano Prefecture (長野)
- Toyama Prefecture (富山)
