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Oyashirazu･Koshirazu Cliff
The world hardest road to go through! I visited the exceedingly steep cliff of Hokuriku “Oyashirazu” and felt a mother’s cry calling a child and child’s sob calling a mother! Oyashirazu is about 15km length of precipitous terrain where the cliff of Hida mountains (known as the North Alps) located at the western end of Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture. It is officially called “Oyashirazu･Koshirazu”. Near Oyashirazu･Koshirazu, the cliff of Hida mountains fall into the Sea of Japan directly and its steep geographical feature make it difficult to cross the mountains. So, in the old days, travelers come and go from Echigo (present Niigata Prefecture) and Etchu (present Toyama Prefecture) sometime […]
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Nishikigoi no Sato (Nishikigoi museum)
Would you like to have a beautiful Nishikigoi (colored carp) as a pet? You can keep Nishikigoi even if you do not have a pond at home! Staff of “Nishikigoi no Sato (Nishikigoi village)” take care of your Nishikigoi and you do not even have to pay for their food! Ojiya City of Niigata Prefecture is the birthplace of Nishikigoi. In Ojiya, an exhibition of Nishikigoi is held every spring and autumn, and a lot of Nishikigoi lovers come to appreciate best Nishikigoi in Ojiya. “Nishikigoi no Sato” is only one Nishikigoi museum in Japan. You can freely enjoy the beautiful appearance of Nishikigoi called “Swim Jewelry” anytime you want. […]
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Streetscape of Murakami, a castle town in the Edo period
I walked through the streets of Murakami, where Machiya traditional wooden townhouse remain. Murakami, located in the northernmost part of Niigata Prefecture was flourished as a castle town of the domain of Murakami during the Edo era, and there are samurai residence and houses of Edo and Meiji era called as “machiya (town house)”, that shop and house are added together still remained. In addition, Miomote River flowing through Murakami is known as a salmon river since Heian era, and a unique salmon culture still remains. The townscape of Murakami is also used for an advertisement of JR East. In front of the shop where the big shop curtain written […]
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Fukuura Hakkei (Fukuura Eight Views）
The travel of collecting stamp in Kashiwazaki! Let’s join Kashiwazaki fan club, travel capes of Kashiwazaki, complete all stamps and get a premium card! In Kashiwazaki located in the southwest part of Niigata prefecture, the coastline eroded by rough waves of the sea of Japan are continued. Among them, the most beautiful landscapes are called “Fukuura Hakkei (Fukuura eight views)” Those beautiful landscapes are “Daruma rock”, “Cape Banjin”, “Onodachi”, “Kamomegahana”, “Shojo cave”, “Matsugasaki”, “Hijirigahana” and “Ushigakubi”. At there, you can enjoy various kind of landscapes of reefs, capes, caves, cliffs and faults. In 1271, saint Nichiren enraged Kamakura shogunate government and banished to Sado Island. In 1274, he was pardoned […]
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Swan of Lake Hyoko
Swans flew to Lake Hyoko! If you want to see them, recommended time will be morning and evening! Please also enjoy the feeding show by Uncle Swan! Lake Hyoko, a famous swan landing zone is located in Suibara area of Agano City, Niigata Prefecture. Lake Hyoko was originally an agricultural pond about 0.1㎢ built in Edo era. At that time, it was “gourd-shaped”, so it started to call as “Lake Hyoko (Lake Gourd) ”. It was 1950 that the swan flew for the first time. Zhusaburo Yoshikawa (commonly known as Uncle Swan) has succeeded to feed wild swans which is very cautious for the first-time in Japan, Lake Hyoko was designated […]
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Sasayama Ruin and Tokamachi City Museum (flame-shaped earthenware)
“What’s this!?” The master artist Taro Okamoto also surprised when he saw it for first time! I will introduce avant-garde earthenware of Jomon period from Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture! A lot of ruins of the middle Jomon period which was about 5000 years to 4500 years ago have been found in the Shinano River basin (in and out of Nagaoka City, Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town) flowing in Niigata prefecture. Speaking of Jomon earthenware excavated in Niigata prefecture, the most famous is the “Kaen-gata Doki (flame-shaped earthenware),” which all Japanese people have seen in their elementary school textbooks, but it was first excavated in 1936 at the Umataka ruin in Nagaoka […]
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Bijin Bayashi (Beauty Forest)
The shower of negative ions come down! Refresh in Bijin Bayashi (Beauty Forest), a beauty beech grove! Both of your heart and body will be beautiful. In Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, the beech grove of about 90 years old is extending in the hills of Matsunoyama. At the beginning of the Showa era, in order to make charcoal, all beeches around here have been cut down. However, since the year prior of cutting down was a great harvesting year of acorns once in several years, beeches grew together all at once and became a beech forest with same trunk size and height. Its tall and slim figure was too beautiful, […]
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Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel
Kiyotsu Gorge which is the three-great gorge in Japan, despite being unexplored region, why men and women of all ages can visit there easily? Kiyotsu Gorge is a great gorge of about 13 km in length, formed by Kiyotsu River which is a tributary of Shinano River in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture. It is located in Joshinetsu-kogen National Park, and together with Kurobe Gorge (Toyama prefecture) and Osugi Canyon (Mie prefecture), Kiyotsu Gorge, it is one of the three great gorges in Japan. It is also designated as a scenic spot and a natural monument of Japan. Kiyotsu Gorge has the magnificent beauty of gorge, huge quay walls beside Kiyotsu River […]
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“Ushi no Tsunotsuki” (bullfighting competition) of Yamakoshi and Ojiya of Niigata
The bullfighting competition of Yamakoshi and Ojiya of Niigata, “Ushi no Tsunotsuki” is a traditional event that handed down for 1,000 years. There is no winner or loser, the fight always end in a draw. We want everyone to know what the cow is thinking now…, you should also pay attention to unique announcement at the site! Ushi no Tsunotsuki is the bullfighting competition which is held in Nagaoka City (Old name: Yamakoshi village) and Ojiya City, Niigata prefecture. Long time ago, those areas were called as Echigo Nijiyu-mura village. Its history is long and it is said that this bullfighting is handed down for more than 1,000 years. A […]
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Highlights of Izumozaki Town, Niigata Prefecture, with a focus on Echigo Izumozaki Tenryo no Sato
Let’s go and see the sunset of Izumozaki where the sea and the sky are dyed in orange! The sunset from Izumozaki is said to be the largest in the world. Izumozaki is located approximately in the center of Niigata prefecture. This beautiful city is well known the song in “Oku no Hosomichi” of Basho Matsuo, “Araumi ya/ Sado ni yokotau / Amanogawa (Turbulent the sea/ Across to Sado stretches / The Milky Way)”. This haiku talks about the scenery of Sado Island commanded by raging waters of the Sea of Japan. In the Edo period, it became the region under Tokugawa Shogunate’s direct control (shogunal demesne). This place was […]
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Sightseeing spots around Niigata Port with an exotic atmosphere
Feel the taste of port town Niigata, and its history and culture meet at the riverbank of Shinano River. A small journey around Niigata Port filled with an air of exoticism. Niigata Port was designated as one of the five ports (five ports including Niigata, Hakodate, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki) to open by Ansei Treaties and opened in 1868. In 2019, Niigata port celebrated its 150th anniversary since opening door to abroad. Currently Niigata Port is comprised by two ports, Niigata West Port and Niigata East Port. Originally Niigata Port was opened by utilizing the estuary of Shinano River, but this port in Shinano River is called Niigata West Port […]
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Niigata Furumachi Geigi (Niigata Geisha）
Great news for those longing for the high social class! With amount of high school student’s earning money from a part time job, you can enjoy delicious cuisine at Niigata’s long established restaurant and experience Ozashiki Asobi (playing games with Geisha) with Niigata Geisha. Furumachi Geigi in Niigata is one of the three major Geisha in Japan along with Gion in Kyoto, Shinbashi in Tokyo. Furumachi Geigi has more than 200 years of tradition and one of the representative culture of port town Niigata. Between the middle of Edo period to Meiji era, Niigata was a port town flourished as a port of call of Kitamae-bune in the Japan Sea […]