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Historic Site: Sado Gold Mine
There is a 12.5kg solid gold bar at Sado Gold Mine Museum, but I couldn’t get it out with one hand! The Sado Gold Mine (officially named Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine) is the largest gold and silver mine in Japan, located on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. It was mined for 388 years from its discovery in the Edo period (1601) to its closure in the Heisei period (1989). The total length of the tunnels is 400 km, of which about 300 m is open to the public as a sightseeing course at the “Historic Site: Sado Gold Mine”. At the “Historic Site: Sado Gold Mine,” visitors can see […]
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Summary of sightseeing spots on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecutre
Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is 1.5 times the size of Tokyo’s 23 wards. It would be a bit too much to do on a day trip just to visit the popular tourist spots such as “Sado Gold Mine,” “Tarai Boat” and “Toki (Japanese crested ibis)”! Sado Island is an island in Niigata Prefecture located in the Sea of Japan. Its area is approximately 854 km². It is the second-largest island in Japan, after Okinawa Island, except for the four main islands such as Honshu and except for the Northern Territories. It is about 1.5 times the size of Tokyo’s 23 wards. Since there are few bus services and tourist […]
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Kakubei Jishi Lion (Echigo Jishi Lion), a traditional performing art in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture
Only a very elderly person can think of a boy named “Sugisaku” of Kakubei Jishi Lion played by Hibari Misora. “Echigo Jishi Lion” is also known as “Kakubei Jishi Lion” and is a local performing art in Niigata City (former Tsukigata Village), Niigata Prefecture. Jishi (or Shishi) means a lion in Japanese. But until the early Showa era (20th century), it was a lion dance performed by children aged 6 to 13 who put lion masks. It was also a street performance to show handstand and group gymnastic with the sound of light drums. The origin of Echigo Jishi Lion is that in the middle of the Edo period (18th […]
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the roots of folk song “Sado Okesa”
Is there anyone else who wants to know the roots of Japan’s representative folk song “Sado Okesa”? In Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, there is Japan’s famous folk song called “Sado Okesa” that has been handed down since the Edo period (17th century to mid-19th century); however, it came to be called “Sado Okesa” since the end of the Taisho era (1920s). Kitamae-bune Cargo Ships west route map “Sado Okesa” is based on “Ushibuka Haiya Bushi” in Kumamoto Prefecture. In the Edo period, “Haiya Bushi” was sung in drinking bouts of sailors of Kitamae-Bune Cargo Ships that transported goods from Osaka to Hokkaido by stopping by the ports on the Sea […]
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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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Tourist spots in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture related to salmon called Iyoboya
People on Murakami City, Niigata love salmon very much. They eat everything from head to tail of salmon, so cats in Murakami City surely feel bitter because they cannot have a tiny share of it. I just cannot help feeling sorry to them. In Murakami district of Niigata Prefecture, salmon is called as “Iyoboya” for a long time. In Murakami, both “Iyo” and “Boya” are words expressing fish, so Iyoboya means “fish of fish”. Miomote River flowing to Murakami was known as a salmon river since the Heian era, and its salmon was dedicated to the Imperial Court as a tax. In the Edo era, salmon became an important source […]
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Shibata Castle
Pay attention to the roof of three-story yagura (turret) of Shibata castle! There are three Shachihoko (fish shaped ornaments placed on a roof of castles), and it is absolutely wonderful for castle lovers. This is a related castle of Ako Roshi (loadless samurai of Ako domain), Yasubei Horie! Shibata Castle is one of the “Japan’s Top 100 Castles” in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture. Since the surroundings of the castle were wetland and many irises were growing naturally, so it was called as the iris castle. Originally, it was a castle of Shibata family, a clan of Echigo (present Niigata Prefecture) since Kamakura Era, but in 1587, Shibata family was destroyed […]
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Sasagawa Nagare Coastline
When I saw the sun set into Sea of Japan from Sasagawa Nagare, I suddenly feel sad and cried out “Mom! Oh, mother!” without thinking. Sasagawa Nagare is a coastline of about 11km at Sanpoku area of Murakami where is in the northern tip of Niigata Prefecture. This coastline is a place of scenic beauty which has fantastically shaped rocks, solitary islands, caves etc., which eroded by the waves of Sea of Japan continues. Also it is one of the most famous coastal scenic spots and selected as one of 100 Landscapes of Japan. In 1927, it was designated as a national site of scenic beauty and natural monument of […]
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Hisui Coast (Jade Coast) and Fossa Magna Museum
I will teach you how to find jades at “Jade Coast” in Niigata! The stone you picked from the coast can be appraised by a stone professor at Fossa Magna Museum for free. The coast in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture is familiar with the nickname of “Hisui Coast (Jade Coast)”. This is because the mountain of Hime River and Oumi River flowing in Itoigawa City is the largest jade production area of Japan and on this coast, you can pick up the jade carried from upstream. (Collection of jade is forbidden at Hime River and Oumi River since it is designated as natural monuments of Japan.) The coast in Itoigawa […]
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Nishimikawa Placer Gold Mine (Gold Panning Experience)
Everyone who wants to be a billionaire gather! Why don’t you pick up gold dust on the oldest gold mine in Sado Island, Nishimikawa Placer Gold Mine? Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is a very famous for Sado Gold Mine as it called “Gold Island”, but in fact, there are 55 gold and silver mines on Sado Island. Among them, there are 4 main mines, such as Nishimikawa Placer Gold Mine, Niibo Silver Mine, Tsurushi Silver Mine, and Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine (commonly called Sado Gold Mine). In July 2024, it was decided that the Nishimikawa Placer Gold Mine was registered as a World Heritage Site as one of the […]
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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 […]