Niigata Prefecture: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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Niigata Prefecture: Guide
is located on Honshū island on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata, Niigata|Niigata. The name Niigata literally means "New Lagoon".
History
Niigata prefecture was originally divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province until the Meiji Restoration. During the Sengoku period it was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin.
Niigata-shi (the city) is the largest and most important among the cities which face the Sea of Japan. It has been an important seaport since the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry (naval officer)|Matthew Perry in the mid-1800s, especially for trade with Russia and northern Korea, and was the first port on the Sea of Japan to be opened to foreign trade.
The Etsuzankai organization, led by prime minister Tanaka Kakuei, was highly influential in bringing infrastructure improvements to Niigata in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Joetsu Shinkansen high speed rail line and Kanetsu Expressway to Tokyo.
Today, Niigata is well-known for being visited by a freighter from North Korea once a month: one of the few direct contacts between the Free world and the communist country.
On October 23, 2004, the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake|Chuetsu Earthquake struck Niigata Prefecture, causing shaking measured at Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale|Shindo 6+ at Ojiya, Niigata|Ojiya.
On January 9, 2006, a heavy winter storm caused much trouble in the prefecture and its surroundings. At least 71 people died and over a thousand were injured.
Geography
Niigata prefecture stretches about 240 km along the Sea of Japan from southwest to north east, with a coastal plain between the mountains and the sea. It also includes Sado Island.
Because of the shape, Niigata prefecture is often called small Honshū-Main Island. It could be placed in either the Hokuriku or Koshinetsu regions, each considered part of the greater Chubu region.
The prefecture is generally divided into four geographical areas: Joetsu (in the south), Chuetsu (in the center), Kaetsu (in the north), and Sado Island. It is home to the mouth of the Shinano River, the longest river in Japan.
Cities
20 cities are located in Niigata Prefecture:
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Towns and villages
Towns and villages in each Districts of Japan|district:
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ǂ Scheduled to be dissolved following mergers.
Mergers
January 1, 2001-the town of Kurosaki, Niigata|Kurosaki from Nishikanbara District, Niigata|Nishikanbara District was amagalated into the city of Niigata, Niigata|Niigata.
July 7, 2003-the town of Toyoura, Niigata|Toyoura from Kitakanbara District, Niigata|Kitakanbara Districtwas amagalated into the city of Shibata, Niigata|Shibata.
March 1, 2004-the city of Ryotsu, Niigata|Ryotsu merged with all towns and villages within Sado District, Niigata|Sado District(dissolved with this merger) to form the city of Sado, Niigata|Sado.
April 1, 2004-the towns of Suibara, Niigata|Suibara and Yasuda, Niigata|Yasuda and the villages of Kyogase, Niigata|Kyogase and Sasakami, Niigata|Sasakami (all from Kitakanbara District, Niigata|Kitakanbara District) merged to form the city of Agano, Niigata|Agano.
November 1, 2004
January 1, 2005-The town of Yasuzuka, Niigata|Yasuzuka and the villages of Maki, Niigata (Kubiki)|Maki, Oshima, Niigata|Oshima and Uragawara, Niigata|Uragawara (all from Higashikubiki District, Niigata|Higashikubiki District) the towns of Itakura, Niigata|Itakura, Kakizaki, Niigata|Kakizaki, Ogata, Niigata|Ogata and Yoshikawa, Niigata|Yoshikawa and the villages of Kiyosato, Niigata|Kiyosato, Kubiki, Niigata|Kubiki, Nakagou, Niigata|Nakagou and Sanwa, Niigata|Sanwa (all from Nakakubiki District, Niigata|Nakakubiki District)+the town of Nadachi, Niigata|Nadachi from Nishikubiki District, Niigata|Nishikubiki District=>the city of Joetsu, Niigata|Joetsu.
March 19, 2005-The city of Itoigawa, Niigata|Itoigawa merged with the remainng parts of Nishikubiki District, Niigata|Nishikubiki District (Dissolved by this action) to form the city of Itoigawa, Niigata|Itoigawa.
March 21, 2005-The city of Niitsu, Niigata|Niitsu, Shirone, Niigata|Shirone and Toyosaka, Niigata|Toyosaka, the towns of Kameda, Niigata|Kameda, Kosudo, Niigata|Kosudo and Yokogoshi, Niigata|Yokogoshi from Nakakanbara District, Niigata|Nakakanbara District and the town of Nishikawa, Niigata|Nishikawa and the villages of Ajikata, Niigata|Ajikata, Iwamuro, Niigata|Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Niigata|Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi, Niigata|Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata, Niigata|Tsukigata from Nishikanbara District, Niigata|Nishikanbara District were all merged into the city of Niigata, Niigata|Niigata.
April 1, 2005,
May 1, 2005
September 1, 2005-The town of Nakajo, Niigata|Nakajo+Kurokawa, Niigata|Kurokawa (both from Kitakanbara District, Niigata|Kitakanbara District) merged to form the city of Tainai, Niigata|Tainai.
October 1, 2005-The town of Shiozawa, Niigata|Shiozawa from Minamiuonuma District, Niigata|Minamiuonuma District merged into the city of Minamiuonuma, Niigata|Minamiuonuma.
October 10, 2005-The town of Maki, Niigata (Kambara)|Maki from Nishikanbara District, Niigata|Nishikanbara District merged into the city of Niigata, Niigata|Niigata.
January 1, 2006
March 20, 2006-The city of Tsubame, Niigata|Tsubame merged with the towns of Bunsui, Niigata|Bunsui and Yoshida, Niigata|Yoshida from Nishikanbara District, Niigata|Nishikanbara District to create the city of Tsubame, Niigata|Tsubame.
Rice-related industries are also very important to the local economy. Niigata prefecture is known throughout Japan for its quality sake, senbei, Mochi (food)|mochi, and arare. In sake production, Niigata is third in the country after Gunma Prefecture|Gunma and Kyoto Prefecture|Kyoto prefectures.
The prefecture is famous as the original home of the ornamental carp known as koi, and the best-quality koi are still considered to come from the farms of Niigata.
The production volume of azaleas and cut lilies grown in Niigata is one of the highest in Japan. Niigata also enjoys increasing volumes of cut flowers and flower bulb production: along with Toyama prefecture, Niigata produces the most tulips in the country.
Ginsan on Sado Island was an active gold mine until its closing in 1989.
Metal manufacturing is also prevalent. Sanjo, Niigata|Sanjo and Tsubame, Niigata|Tsubame produce 9% of all metal silverware in Japan, by far the most for one area in the country. After Osaka, the two cities also produce the most scissors, Japanese kitchen knives|kitchen knives, and spanner|wrenches.
Niigata supposedly produces the most textile manufacturing|knitted textile products in the country. However, it has been suggested that some of these are actually from China.
The nuclear power plant with the highest energy output in the world is located in the tiny village of Kariwa, Niigata|Kariwa.
Like much of Japan, Niigata shows signs of an aging population, specifically in the more rural areas.
Football (soccer)
Basketball
Sado Island off the west coast of Niigata is also another popular tourist spot. It is easily accessible via ferry.
http://www.pref.niigata.jp/seisaku/kokusai/english/symbol/symbol.html
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This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Niigata Prefecture". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
:The towns of Muika, Niigata|Muika and Yamato, Niigata|Yamato from Minamiuonuma District, Niigata|Minamiuonuma District merged to form the city of Minamiuonuma, Niigata|Minamiuonuma.
:The towns of Horinouchi, Niigata|Horinouchi and Koide, Niigata|Koide and the villages of Hirokami, Niigata|Hirokami, Irihirose, Niigata|Irihirose, Sumon, Niigata|Sumon and Yunotani, Niigata|Yunotani (all from Kitauonuma District, Niigata|Kitauonuma District) merged to form the city of Uonuma, Niigata|Uonuma.
:The remaining parts of Nakakubiki District, Niigata|Nakakubiki District(dissolved by this action) were merged into the city of Arai. Arai changed its name to Myoko, Niigata (city)|Myoko at the same time.
:The town of Oguni, Niigata|Oguni from Kariwa District, Niigata|Kariwa District, the village of Yamakoshi, Niigata|Yamakoshi from Koshi District, Niigata|Koshi District, the town of Nakanoshima, Niigata|Nakanoshima from Minamikanbara District, Niigata|Minamikanbara District and the towns of Koshiji, Niigata|Koshiji and Mishima, Niigata|Mishima from Santo District, Niigata|Santo District merged into the city of Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka. (Koshi District, Niigata|Koshi District was thereby dissolved.)
:The city of Tokamachi, Niigata|Tokamachi merged with the towns of Matsudai, Niigata|Matsudai and Matsunoyama, Niigata|Matsunoyama from Higashikubiki District, Niigata|Higashikubiki District(dissolved by this merger) and the town of Kawanishi, Niigata|Kawanishi and the village of Nakasato, Niigata|Nakasato from Nakauonuma District, Niigata|Nakauonuma District to create the city of Tokamachi, Niigata|Tokamachi.
:All municipalities within Higashikanbara District, Niigata|Higashikanbara District merged to form the town of Aga, Niigata|Aga.
:The towns of Nishiyama, Niigata|Nishiyama and Takayanagi, Niigata|Takayanagi from Kariwa District, Niigata|Kariwa District were merged into the city of Kashiwazaki, Niigata|Kashiwazaki.
:The town of Shiunji, Niigata|Shiunji and the village of Kajikawa, Niigata|Kajikawa from Kitakanbara District, Niigata|Kitakanbara District were merged into the city of Shibata, Niigata|Shibata.
:The city of Sanjo, Niigata|Sanjo merged with the town of Sakae, Niigata|Sakae and the village of Shitada, Niigata|Shitada (both from Minamikanbara District, Niigata|Minamikanbara District) to create the city of Sanjo, Niigata|Sanjo.
:the city of Gosen, Niigata|Gosen merged with the town of Muramatsu, Niigata|Muramatsu from Nakakanbara District, Niigata|Nakakanbara District(dissolved by this merger) to form the city of Gosen, Niigata|Gosen.
:The city of Tochio, Niigata|Tochio, the towns of Teradomari, Niigata|Teradomari and Yoita, Niigata|Yoita and the village of Washima, Niigata|Washima from Santo District, Niigata|Santo District were all absorbed into the city of Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka.Future mergers
The city of Murakami, Niigata|Murakami is scheduled to merge with the municipalities of Kamihayashi, Niigata|Kamihayashi, Asahi, Niigata|Asahi, Sanpoku, Niigata|Sanpoku, and Awashimaura, Niigata|Awashima from Iwafune District, Niigata|Iwafune District somewhere around April 2008. Economy
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
The major industry in Niigata is agriculture. Rice is the principal product, with Niigata ranking 2nd (after Hokkaidō) among the prefectures for total rice output. The area around Uonuma is especially known for its Koshihikari variety of rice, which is widely thought of as the highest quality rice in Japan. Mining and manufacturing
Niigata is a source for crude oil, not often found on the Japanese islands. Relating to this, there is also much production of kerosene heaters (useful in the cold Niigata winters). Demographics
In 1885, Niigata was the most populous prefecture, beating out even Tokyo and Osaka prefecture. However, according to the 2003 census Niigata ranks as the 14th most populous. Culture
Food
Niigata is known for the following regional specialities:
Uonuma, Niigata|Uonuma koshihikari rice: considered the best quality rice in Japan.
Shoyu (soy-sauce) and Yofu (western-style) katsudon.
Shoyu sekihan.
Noppe|Noppe stew.
Wappa-han (seafood and rice steamed in a bamboo basket).
Sasa-mochi balls filled with red bean paste, seasoned with Artemisia vulgaris|mugwort and wrapped in bamboo leaves).
Po-po-yaki (steamed bread flavored with brown sugar).
Hegi-soba (soba from the Uonuma, Niigata|Uonuma and Ojiya areas that uses a special kind of seaweed).
"Tsubame, Niigata|Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata|Sanjo ramen" (ramen made using thick udon-style noodles).
Tochio aburage.
Kirazu (dishes using Okara (food)|okara).
Kakinomoto (edible chrysanthemums).
Kanzuri (a special seasoning from Myoko, Niigata (city)|Myoko made by leaving chili pepper exposed on snow, then adding flour, salt and yuzu).Niigata's firsts
Joetsu is the home to Japan's first vineyard.
Nagaoka was home to the first drive-through restaurant in Japan.
Shirone in Niigata City was the first place to grow Western pears in Japan.
Joetsu is the original birthplace of the Japan Post|Japanese postal service.
Snow skiing was first introduced into Japan in the Joetsu region.Niigata in film and literature
Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata set in Yuzawa, Niigata|Yuzawa.
Blue (manga)|Blue: a 1996 manga and 2001 film about high-school girls, set in Niigata City.
Whiteout (film)|Whiteout: a 1995 novel and 2000 action film.
: a 2006 Itoigawa). Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Niigata.
Albirex Niigata (Niigata, Niigata|Niigata, Seiro, Niigata|Seiro)
Niigata Albirex (Niigata, Niigata|Niigata) Tourism
Much of the tourism in Niigata centers around the popular winter activies of skiing and going to onsen, especially in the and Yuzawa areas. Prefectural symbols
Notables
Politics and the military
Hachiro Arita (1884-1965), former Foreign Minister of Japan, from Sado Island.
Kita Ikki (1883-1937), nationalist author and intellectual, from Sado Island.
Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943), former commander of the Japanese Imperial Navy, from Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka.
Kakuei Tanaka (1918-1993), former Japanese Prime Minister|Prime Minister, from Kashiwazaki.
Hisashi Owada (born 1932), diplomat and father of Crown Princess Masako, from Shibata.
Makiko Tanaka (born 1944), first female Foreign Minister of Japan, from Kashiwazaki. Currently an independent politician.Arts and culture
Ryōkan (1758-1831), Zen Buddhist monk and poet, from Izumozaki, Niigata|Izumozaki.
Enryo Inoue|Inoue Enryo (1858-1919), Buddhist philosopher, from Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka.
Yaichi Aizu (1881-1956), poet, Calligraphy|calligrapher and historian, from Niigata City.
Hayashi Fubo (1900-1935), novelist from Sado Island.
Ango Sakaguchi (1906-1955), novelist and essayist, from Niigata City.
Haruo Minami (1923-2001), enka singer, from Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka.
Yoshifumi Kondo (1950-1998), Animation|animator, from Gosen.
Kimio Yanagisawa (born 1948), manga artist, from Gosen.
Rumiko Takahashi (born 1957), manga artist, from Niigata City.
Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (born 1955), bass player for the Japanese rock group Southern All Stars, from Agano.
Ken Watanabe (born 1959), stage, TV and film actor, from Uonuma, Niigata|Niigata.
Takeshi Obata (born 1969), manga artist, from Niigata City.
Nobuhiro Watsuki (born 1970), manga artist, from Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka.
Yoko Ishida (born 1973), singer, from Niigata City.
Makoto Ogawa (born 1987) and Koharu Kusumi (born 1992), members of J-pop girl-group Morning Musume, from, respectively, Kashiwazaki and Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka.Sports
Giant Baba|Shohei Baba (1938-1999), Japanese professional wrestling|professional wrestler, from Sanjo, Niigata|Sanjo.
Killer Khan (born 1947), professional wrestler, from Tsubame, Niigata|Tsubame. Professional sports clubs
Albirex Niigata: J-League Division 1 Soccer Club.
Albirex Niigata: BJ (Basketball Japan) League team. External links