Geography
Niigata Prefecture is literally “surrounded” by mountains along its borders; they create a kind of fence, separating it from other parts of Japan. Its territory, facing the Sea of Japan, is located west of the Japanese Alps that divide the island of Honshu in half. Accordingly, Niigata is located in the "Ura-Nihon" region, meaning "Back Japan", as opposed to the side facing the Pacific Ocean, "Omote-Nihon", meaning "Front Japan". In Ura-Nihon, winters are snowy and cloudy, in contrast to the sunny and dry winters in Omota-Nihon. Moreover, this climate is conducive to the development of winter sports, which is what Niigata is famous for; in Japan it is called “yukiguni” - “land of snow”.
History
The largest number of Shinto shrines and idols are located in Niigata Prefecture, which speaks of the rich historical and religious traditions of this region. With the advent of the Meiji era (after 1868), Niigata was declared a free port and became the first Japanese city to engage in unrestricted trade with Western powers. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".
Culture, attractions
and entertainment
For the Japanese themselves, Niigata is known primarily for its high-quality rice: local rice is considered to be the most delicious in Japan. In addition, Niigata is a real paradise for skiers and snowboarders. The Yuzawa mountain region combines twenty separate first-class ski resorts, with excellent slopes and infrastructure, among which are the Gala Yuzawa and Ishiuchi Maruyama resorts. This entire resort area lies about two hours from Tokyo or less on the Shinkansen super express, making it accessible to a huge number of people who want to ride in the mountains. The convenience of the transport infrastructure also allows you to go to full-fledged ski resorts for the weekend, without the need to take a separate vacation. At local resorts, one-day ski passes are widely used, as well as so-called “sunset tickets”, from 15 to 17 hours. Here in Yuzawa there are also many hot thermal springs, which makes it possible to combine skiing with a relaxing thermal bath at the hotel or right on the ski slopes.
At the end of August, the nationally famous three-day Fuji rock festival is held annually at the Naeba ski resort, where not only Japanese, but also Western performers come.
In addition, Sado Island, located in the Sea of Japan about 50 km from the city of Niigata, deserves special attention. For a long time, prominent political emigrants were exiled to this island, among whom was even one of the emperors of Japan, Juntoku. Many of the captives worked here at the Sado Kinzan gold mine. And today a museum is opened in the Sado Kinzan mine.
The island is also famous for its picturesque scenery in the Senkaku Bay area. You can take a half-hour journey along it on boats with a transparent bottom, through which you can see the steep cliffs going into the depths.
Another famous annual festival held in Niigata Prefecture, specifically in the town of Ogi on the southern tip of the island, is the Taiko Drum Festival, a Japanese percussion instrument that is famous throughout the world and has its origins in ancient times.
The city of Niigata can be reached from Tokyo by the Shinkansen super express in two hours, and Sado Island can be reached from Niigata Airport by local flight in 25 minutes or by ferry in two hours.
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