History / Culture / Tour Spots in Niigata Area

  • Kimura Tea Ceremony Museum
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    4.0
    8 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Kashiwazakishi Midorichou 3-1 Inside Matsuyunzan
    A 25-minute walk or seven-minute drive from Kashiwazaki Station on the JR Shinetsu Main Line. This Tea Ceremony Museum is within the Shoun Sanso Japanese Garden that was built in 1926. On display are many books and tools collected by Kimura Shigeyoshi who, as a tea ceremony teacher, taught many students and sought to popularize the tea ceremony. One of the biggest draws is that the tea utensils on display can actually be used for tea ceremonies. There is an outdoor tea room allowing you to enjoy your tea while gazing at the green leaves or autumn colors.

    数寄者の茶道具コレクションを中心とした茶道専門の美術館です。展示物の見事さもさることながら、隣の茶室では実際に収蔵品で抹茶を頂けます。展示物と同時に茶室で使用する茶道具の一覧も公開されてますので、使ってみたい方は好みの茶碗が使われているときに来館すると良いでしょう。なお、呈茶席のメインとなる貴重な茶碗は1席1名しか飲めませんので、電話予約をお勧めします。

  • Ryokan no Sato Art Museum
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    4.0
    8 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Nagaoka-shi Shimazaki 3938
    "The art museum is on Washima, where celebrated monk Ryokan Taigu spent his autumn years. It exhibits works by famous cultural figures, centering around documents and poems by Ryokan and his favored pupil Teishin-ni. Inside the museum, they fun the film ""Washimano Ryokan/Ryokan to Teishin-ni"" on a massive screen, offering an up-close look at the man's character, described as a man of ""gentle face and kind words.” There is a free calligraphy and origami activity area, to help visitors experience the soul of Ryokan themselves. Many visitors pass by on their trips to visit nearby his Bodai-ji, Ryusen-ji temple, as well as the Kimura's house where Ryokan spent his later years."

    小島谷駅から徒歩15分ほど。 入館料は500円。隣接する「菊盛記念美術館」との共通券は800円だが、特別割引が実施されており600円となっていた。展示室内撮影不可。この地(旧島崎村、現長岡市島崎)は良寛が晩年を過ごした場所。当館入口近くにあるビデオコーナーでは良寛を紹介する映像を上映。展示室には良寛と貞心尼の間でやり取りされた和歌などが展示されている。貞心尼は良寛の弟子であるが、和歌の内容はまるで...

  • Suibara Magistrate Samurai Office
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    3.0
    9 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Agano Tojocho 10-5
    A restoration of the government office established on the grounds of the former SuibaraCastlein1746 to establish the direct control of the Shogunate. Reproduced is the public office where official duties including civil affairs and managing land taxes would be performed, the Shirasu court of law where criminals would be examined, and the offices where government officials would perform their duties. The area governed by this office was not restricted to Agano City but spread as far as the northern areas of Niigata City, Shibata City, and Tainai City, an area said to range from nearly 20 to 340 square kilometers. Positioned next to the Suibara Furusato Agricultural History Museum many visitors visit both locations together.

    水原駅から瓢湖に行く途中にあり立ち寄りました。江戸時代に幕府の直轄領地を置いた代官所で再建された建物です。水原親憲(ちかのり)の武者姿が入口付近にあり、昔の代官所を観ることができました○

  • Kashiwazaki City Museum
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    3.0
    8 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Kashiwazakishi Midorichou 8-35
    Kashiwazaki City Museum is located a 20-minute walk from Kashiwazaki Station on the JR Shinetsu Main Line in the city of Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. It displays materials related to an extinct Naumann elephant that was unearthed in the city. In the Nature Display Room, visitors can see a permanent display that features actual specimens of insects, plants, and other life forms that live in the area. They can also watch videos about these plants and animals. Another permanent exhibit is found in the Humanities Room, where visitors can learn about local history and folk culture. Another room contains a model of Mt. Yoneyama and its beech forests. There is even a planetarium with programs that shows the stars that are visible from Kashiwazaki on that day, with a theme of healing and solace.

    プラネタリウムが観れます。手動のリクライニングで、子どもが座っても、ぷかぷか動いたりしないで、ゆっくり観れます。リーズナブルな値段設定で、楽しめます

  • Nuttari Hakusan-jinja Shrine
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    3.5
    7 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Chuou-ku Nuttarihigashi 1-1-17
    This shrine is located next to Nuttari Elementary School. Unknown what year the shrine was established, it enshrines the Shinto deities Kukurihime-no-Mikoto and Amaterasu-omikami. The shrine, which is a successor of Mikuri Shrine, one of the shrines listed in the Engi-Shiki, is the tutelary shrine of all of Nuttari County. The current main shrine building was built by the master carpenter Kumagaya Gentaro. It is notable for its magnificent all-keyaki (Japanese Zelkova tree) construction and its intricately carved details. The shrine building was relocated in June 2016 using human power alone via a method called hikiya to make room for an expansion of Kurinoki Bypass.

    This Shrine is just a few steps away from Imayo Tsukasa Sake Brewery. Lovely to wander around and enjoy. And an easy walk to.

  • Tokeien
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    4.0
    6 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Iwafunegunsekikawamura Shimoseki 906-3
    Tokeien is a wooden house built in 1905 as a branch family house of Watanabe-Tei, a National Important Cultural Property. It is a two-story, Japanese hipped tiled roof house with all the style and architectural design from the Meiji period. Various furnishings and interior remain in the house such as the earthen floor, the hearth, and tea room, giving a sense of what life was like back then. Bento box meals, which can be reserved ahead of time, are popular and can be eaten while looking out across the beautiful garden. Local food events and tea ceremonies are also held here in the autumn. The nearest station is Echigo-Shimoseki Station.

    関川村の豪商で大地主だった渡辺家の分家が明治時代に建てた屋敷。 隣接する本家の渡辺邸より一周り小さい印象ですが、それでも立派なお屋敷です。 現在では関川村が管理しているようで庭園も手入れが行き届いています。 中にはカフェがあって庭園を楽しみながら蕎麦などの軽食を頂くこともできます。

  • Shibata Castle
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Shibatashi Otemachi 6
    Shibata Castle (also known as Ayame Castle) is a designated National Important Cultural Property. The Castle is one of only a handful of surviving castles that were built using the Namako-kabe design (characteristic of castles in Northern Japan) whereby the joints between the stone blocks that form the walls are made as neat as possible by cutting the blocks precisely to shape using the Kirikomihagi technique, for improved aesthetic effect. The three-tiered Yagura tower, which was built instead of a conventional Tenshu-kaku (central tower), was a distinctive building decorated with three Shachihoko (legendary sea-creatures) on the roof; this tower was reconstructed in 2004 and is well worth seeing.
  • Tomioka White Art Museum, Minamiuonuma City
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    3.5
    7 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Kamiyakushidou 142
    This museum is approximately 20 minutes by bus from the JR Muikamachi Station, and a further three minutes on foot from the Kamiyakushido bus stop. This museum has a permanent collection of the master oil painter, Shiichiro Tomioka's White World Series which consists of around 500 works. He was born in Takada, Joetsu City, and is famous as the man who painted snow country. Tomioka created a white oil paint, known as Tomioka White, which solved all of the problems such as yellowing, cracking and peeling. His distinctive black and white depictions of the world, created with a technique that uses a large painting knife, are highly regarded worldwide as being absolutely unique.

    八海山を見ることが目的で行きました。 公共交通機関利用であれば六日町駅からバスで15分ほど乗車し上薬師堂バス停下車。 徒歩3-4分です。 この美術館前からの八海山の眺望は素晴らしかったです。 美術館に入っていないので展示品に関するコメントはできません。

  • Ikeda Memorial Art Museum
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    3.5
    6 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Minamiuonuma Urasa 5493-3
    An art museum born thanks to the efforts of the late Tsuneo Ikeda, a man of culture born here in Uonuma City (once the town of Koide). Ikeda was the founder of Baseball Magazine Sha and KobunSha, and the museum displays works of art and other items he collected as well as a variety of other cultural assets relating to sports, literature, and the arts. The museum’s permanent exhibition is divided into four sections. The KobunSha company published many works by Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), and in turn the museum has an exhibition dedicated to the author. There’s also a sports and culture exhibition which hosts exhibits on professional baseball, the Olympics, and Japan’s first sports cards; a Japanese art exhibition which displays works by Kiyohara Tama (Eleonora Ragusa), Japan’s first female Western-style painter; and an international art exhibition.

    スポーツジャーナリストの池田恒雄氏が、野球の交流で得た文化・スポーツに関連するコレクションが展示されている美術館。ジャーナリストとして活躍した傍ら、野球だけでなく様々な選手とも交流を持ち、数々の名選手が着用したグッズだけでなく、活躍場面を収めた写真などが数多く展示されている。 他にも小泉八雲が遺した資料や、會津八一やラグーザ玉(清原玉)の絵画が展示されているが、スポーツに特化したり、新潟特に魚沼由...

  • Koji Fukiya Memorial Museum of Art
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    3.5
    6 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Shibatashi Chuouchou 4-11-7
    This museum of art is a 15-minute walk from Shibata Station on the JR Hakushin and Uetsu Main Lines. This museum tells the story of Koji Fukiya, an artist and song writer in the Taisho period, whose modern style dominated the art world. He later became well-known as an animation director. The building is of modern construction, reminiscent of the Russian Orthodox Church, designed by Shozo Uchii, who also worked on the Setagaya Art Museum. The museum holds around 800 original works, autographed manuscripts and personal items, allowing visitors to walk through the life and works of Koji Fukiya.

    市民文化会館の一画。駐車場は市役所第3駐車場。駐車券は受付で刻印後30分以内退出無料。日曜昼下がり訪問。入館料500円のところJAF会員優待施設につき400円。「花嫁人形」で知られる郷土出身の作家所縁の展示館。花嫁人形のポスターをルーペに翳して見ると、確かに花嫁の左目の下に涙が浮かび上がります。正しく1リッターの涙。お一人様お局様には思わず絶句、感動の涙となること間違いナシ。

  • Mitake Jinja
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    3.5
    6 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Nagaoka-shi Nishi Zao 2-6-19

    中越総鎮守、蔵王大権現、けやきの大木が多数ある一帯の蔵王の森に鎮座し地元の人々から蔵王様と呼ばれ親しまれているそうです。JR信越本線北長岡駅から徒歩約15分ですが、水道公園に行った後に大通り(道路名不明)に出て徒歩で行きました。約20分1キロちょっとでしょうか。姉川の王神橋を渡り直ぐに大きな赤い鳥居、一の鳥居がありました。拝殿まで約200mの参道、鬱蒼とした木立の中を行くと二の鳥居、そして右側に社...

  • Itoigawa Museum of History and Folklore
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    3.5
    6 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Itoigawa-shi Ichinomiya 1-2-2

    糸魚川全体の歴史資料館、だと思って訪問したのですが、私も、その名前を聞いたことがある、郷土史家の相馬御風の研究成果が展示されているところでした。なかなか興味深かったです。

  • Matsudai Local Museum
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    4.0
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Tokamachi-shi Matsudai 3718

    ほくほく線まつだい駅の裏にあります。 2階建ての木造建築です。 玄関で靴を脱いで上がります。 築140年の欅造りといった古い建物ですが、中はとても綺麗です。

  • Takada Komachi Exchange Hall
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    5.0
    4 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Honchou 6-3-4
    This old townhouse, called “Old Kozumaya”, was built in the Meiji period and has been refurbished into a place for the public as a gallery and exchange salon. The building is renowned for the gargoyles on the large roof. In addition to being able to see the vaulted ceiling structure and storehouse which were often seen in town houses in Takada, the gallery houses an exhibition on the history of the area. The place can be used to take a break during a walk or as a tourist spot, and painting, photograph and ceramic exhibitions are regularly held here. The nearest station is Takada Station.

    明治時代に建築された町家「旧小妻屋」を再生した施設でした。 お土産なども購入できるので、満足できる交流館でしたよ!!

  • Koryu Shrine
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Nagaokashi Yomogihiramachi Party 1590-4
    This shrine is located beside the Ota River in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. The deity enshrined here governs mercantile prosperity and many people come from other prefectures to pray here. Climbing the 118 steps to the shrine (there is an elevator to make the shrine easily accessible to the elderly), the small grounds of the shrine come into view, surrounded on three sides by the mountains. In the main hall, business cards of people who come here to pray for their businesses to be profitable and for their economic fortunes to improve can be seen stuck into the wall. Following the defeat of the warrior of the Southern Court, the warrior came to live in Yomogihira, the land of the Ryujin (Dragon God), from the capital. The dragon is enshrined here, and the white snake that is the messenger of the dragon is said to actually exist here.
  • Ojiya Earthquake Museum Sonaekan
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    3.5
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Odiyashi Uenoyama 4-4-2 Ojiya citizen learning center 'Raku-Gun' 2F
    This hands-on museum is located on the second floor of the Ojiya Municipal Learning Center. It was built to teach people the lessons learned from the October 23, 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake (magnitude 6.6) that occurred directly below Niigata Prefecture. The museum offers two courses, the tour course (free of charge) and the hands-on disaster prevention learning program (fee required). In either course, guests can learn about and experience subjects such as what the disaster was like, what was like for refugees after the disaster, and the history of how the region's recovery. Guests who choose the hands-on disaster prevention learning program can also hear about people's experiences during the disaster from the museum's storytellers.

    地震動シュミレータやMX4Dで実際に地震の揺れを体験できます。防災グッズも買うことが出来ます。残念なのは外観が地味なことと立地が市内から若干外れているため、行きにくいことでしょうか。

  • Sekikawa History and Roads Museum
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    3.5
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Myoukoushi Sekigawa 272
    Sekikawa History and Roads Museum is located in Sekigawa, Myoko City. During the Edo period, this was an important location on the Hokkoku Kaido (Northern Highway), an important road next to the “Five Highways” radiating from Edo (Tokyo). The Museum features a reproduction of the checking station that marked the boundary between Echigo (the old name for Niigata Prefecture) and Shinano provinces. Inside the Museum, there are important historical documents and dioramas, as well as displays on how people traveled during the Edo period and on the Daimyo (feudal lord) processional journeys; visitors to the Museum can learn about the Hokkoku Kaido highway and about the history of the Sekigawa checking station. The Onjuku Sekikawa restaurant serves hand-made soba noodles, etc.

    地方に旅行に来たとき、宿にチェックインするには少し早く。。といった時に、こういう施設にフラッと入るのですが、ここはあたりでした。なんだかんだで小一時間ほど滞在してしまいました。歴史にちょっとでも興味があったり、博物館・資料館に立ち寄るのが決して嫌いでない方はどうぞ。

  • Hokkeshu Sohonzan Honjo-ji
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    3.5
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Sanjoushi Nishihonjouji 1-1-20
    Honjo-ji Temple in Sanjo City is the head temple of the Hokkeshu, Jinmon school of Buddhism. It is located directly west of the JR Sanjo Station. It was founded in 1297, by Nichiin, one of Nichiro's disciples, who was himself, a disciple of Nichiren. The current main hall was built in the Meiji period, and the seven magnificent buildings - the main hall, guest house, bell tower, pagoda, Senbutsudo, Banjindo and main gate are all contained within temple compound, covering almost five acres of land. There is also a garden within the compound, called the Sankien, which is maintained by the city residents and the temple's followers. In the fall, the autumn leaves have an almost otherworldly appearance.

    1297年に日蓮大聖人の法孫である日印尊聖人が鎌倉から各地へ布教をしていてこの地で牛が動かなくなり、また清水が湧きだし、青蓮華が咲いたことから領主の山吉氏の助力を得てこの地に寺を建立し「根本道場」としたのが始まりです。 私が行った日は日朗尊聖人の700御遠忌(亡くなられてから700年)を行っていました。 日朗尊聖人というのは日蓮の弟子であり、本成寺の開祖日印の師である方になり、山号寺名の長久山本成...

  • Sado Museum
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    3.0
    5 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Sadoshi Yahata 2041
    The Sado Museum is located on National Route 350 in the Yahata district of Sado City (on Sado Island). There are displays about the development of the gold and silver mine on Sado Island, as well as a “Nature, Archeology, History and Folk Traditions Display Gallery,” an “Arts and Handicrafts Display Gallery,” etc., enabling visitors to get a comprehensive overview of Sado Island’s culture (including its Noh drama tradition), its history, and its natural wonders, etc. Also well worth seeing are the display of sketches by Bakusen Tsuchida (a painter in the Nihonga style who was born on Sado Island), and the rock garden and the former Asashima family residence, a traditional thatch-roofed house, that are located in the Museum grounds.

    佐渡の地理・文化の展示施設。あんまり目玉というものがなかった。時間がない場合はわざわざ訪れることもないだろう。

  • Oginoshima Village
    rating-image
    3.5
    4 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Kashiwazaki-shi Takayanagicho Oginoshima
    This is a thatched-roof hamlet spreading out in a mountain valley about 40 minutes' drive from Kashiwazaki Interchange. This hamlet scene, with thatched roof cottages scattered surrounding rice fields, is unusual even for Japan. The shrine grounds and surrounding area have also produced many mid-Jomon era potsherds, and stories say that long ago this the descendants of the Kiso Yoshinaka clan lived here as well. It is also possible to use two of the cottages in the village as lodging (reservations necessary). With its grand scenery so reminiscent of old Japan, artists and photographers come year-round to take in the sights.

    外部からの侵入者に対応するために、水田を取り囲んで、家々が水田の周りに環状に建てられている集落。数戸はいまだに茅葺である。そのうち2戸は宿泊施設になっている。集落センターで荻ノ島の風景を題材にしたスケッチ画の絵葉書を500円で販売している。ここで作った米が縁で横浜市にある社会福祉法人ル・プリの施設のワーク中川との交流がある。集落センターでこの地域の観光情報をたくさんもらい、10月に行われる「狐の夜...

Niigata Areas

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Found along the northwestern coast of Japan, Niigata prefecture is celebrated for its high-quality rice and breathtaking nature, most notably its spectacular mountains, whose white peaks draw in snow sports lovers from far and wide over the winter months. Hit the slopes at Yuzawa, pick out your favourite modern artist at Echigo Tsumari, or take a ferry over to Sado Island for an extra adventure.

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