History / Culture / Tour Spots in Niigata Area

  • Honganji Kokufu Betsuin Temple
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    4.0
    2 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Joetsu-shi Kokufu 1-7-1
    Established in 1798, the all-zelkova wood structure of this Buddhist temple was built 1805. The temple stands on the site of the Takegahana Soan, a thatched hut in which the great priest Shinran lived with his family until his departure for the Kanto region. The extremely narrow inner sanctum is built in the “denaijin” style. The inner sanctum is decorated in an extremely unusual manner, with the temple’s principal object of worship and a miniature shrine dedicated to Shinran placed on the same dais at the front. A statue of Shinran stands on the grounds as well as a pine tree which the priest is said to have hung is religious stole when giving sermons.

    浄土真宗宗祖 親鸞聖人が越後配流時にここでお住まいになり、その跡地に建てられた寺院です。浄土真宗の門徒には聖地といって良いエリアかもしれませんね。現在は浄土真宗本願寺派に属しています。

  • Nagaoka Yoita History and Folk Museum (Kanetsu Ship Museum)
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    2.5
    3 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Nagaokashi Yoitamachiyoita Yi 4356
    This museum displays historical records on Naoe Kanetsugu who was the main character in the Taiga TV drama, Tenchijin (Heart of a Samurai) and his wife, Osen. It is located inside the Honganji Niigatabetsuin temple and has many exhibits unique to Kanetsugu's hometown of Yoita. The museum's featured exhibit is a reproduction of the famous Love Armor with its large Chinese character symbolizing love on the helmet. It can be viewed from any angle. In addition, the museum has an exhibit on Nakagawa Seibe, the first Japanese beer brewer, who is also from Yoita. There is also a photograph spot with a giant beer can, with the catch phrase Seibe coined, Choose Niigata's Uniquely Refreshing Beer.

    直江兼続は好きな武将の一人。大河ドラマ天地人も面白かったと思います。でも資料館としては見所がほとんど無かったという印象です。ブーム時代は、知らない人におおよそのその人の功績・年表をお伝えするということはそれなりに役割を果たすとは思いますが、もともと知っている人、歴史が好きな人からしたら、”知ってるよ”という情報以上のものがない。兼続に限らず他の大河にちなんだ各地のこの手のものに総じて言えるので...

  • Aomi Jinja
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    3.5
    2 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Kamo-shi Kamo 229

    創建は726年と古く、桓武天皇の平安京への遷都の際に賀茂別雷神社、賀茂御祖神社の神領となり、加茂大明神と呼ばれるようになったようです。 ここで出てくる賀茂別雷神社とは通称の「上賀茂神社」の方が有名なところであり、同じ様に賀茂御祖神社は通称「下鴨神社」のことです。 ややこしいのは「賀茂」「加茂」「鴨」が混在していることですが、大元は古代豪族の賀茂氏から来ていると思われます。(諸説あるので定かではあり...

  • Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Service Hall
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Kariwagunkariwamura Kariwa 4236-1
    KashiwazakiKariwa Nuclear Power Plant Service Hall is a communications center located across from the plant. Anyone can visit it--no reservations are needed--and see such thing as a 1/5 scale model of a nuclear that demonstrates the movements of the control rods and other functions. In addition, three-dimensional images and working models make the mechanisms of nuclear power generation easy to understand. Visitors can learn about safety measures while seeing the displays and operating the exhibits. On the top story of the building, visitors can see views of the power plant and live images of it. The Kids' Forest on the first floor is a place where children can play with shadowgraphs and other creative amusements.
  • Yoshinogawa Sake Museum Joh-gura
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Nagaoka-shi Settaya 4-8-12
  • Joetsu Science Museum
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Shimomonzen 446-2
    This science museum sets up each of its exhibitions with models and mini games, according to themes such as Human Science and Snow Science. It is located in Region Plaza Joetsu, just off the Hokuriku Expressway's Joetsu interchange. The museum holds not only exhibitions, but also events such as science theaters and nature observation classrooms, which are of great interest to children. There are also fun learning experiences for children, such as a moving Tyrannosaurus robot and a low temperature experience room, where the room's temperature can be lowered to minus 30 degrees.
  • Kasugayama-jinja Shrine
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Daizu 1743
    This shrine located on the side of Mt. Kasuga in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture was built in 1901 by Ogawa Kiyoharu, the father of author Ogawa Mimei. The shrine's diety, the warlord Uesugi Kenshin, was enshrined there when part of the tutelary deity of Uesugi Shrine in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture was shared with it through a ritual called bunrei. It is notable for the straight lines and stout appearance of its Shinmei-zukuri? (a style of shrine architecture based on that of Ise Jingu) main shrine building. The memorial museum located on the temple grounds displays artifacts pertaining to Uesugi Kenshin, as well a stone monument bearing Ogawa Mimei's masterpiece poem Kumo no Gotoku (Like a Cloud), as well as a number of stone statues with inspired by his children's tales.
  • House of Insect, Tainai City
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    4.0
    1 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Tainai Natsui 1204-1
    A museum dedicated to looking, learning, and having fun. The museum is filled with insect specimens from around the world and informational panels, videos, and games which make it easy to understand the ecology of insects. Fun for adults and children alike, the museum holds a variety of events such as bug watching classes using microscopes, insect sample making, and watching as butterflies emerge from pupae. There museum’s areas where visitors can hold native Japanese rhinoceros beetlesand stag beetles, and feed swallowtail butterflies, are also popular.

    北陸エリアでは、かなり珍しい昆虫に特化したミュージアムです。一般展示室では、新潟県内で生息する虫や、国内で見られる昆虫の数々を展示しています。 家族づれの方々が、多いです。

  • Shirayama Hime-jinja Shrine
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    4.0
    1 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Nagaokashi Teradomari Ninonquin 2768
    Shirayama Hime-jinja Shrine is located on a hill in Teradomari, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, which has been the guardian deity of the local area for a long time. The shrine has been built at the top of 125 stone steps which lead up from the shrine gate. The views from the top overlooking the Sea of Japan are wonderful. The enshrined deities are the two gods, Izanami no mikoto and Kukurihime no mikoto. They draw seafaring worshippers praying for safety at sea, and the deities are also worshipped as gods of national security and rural development. The spring festival is held on May 3rd and 4th every year where the daimyo’s procession takes place along the Hokkoku Kaido (north Japan highway).

    長い階段を抜けるとある、こじんまりとした神社です。高台にあるため、日本海を見渡せ、晴れた日は佐渡まで見えるので、眺めが大変良いです。

  • Jissoji Temple
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    3.0
    1 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Sado-shi Nosawa 856
    According to records, for two and a half years from 1272, the great monk Nichiren, having been banished to Ichinosawa, recited the lotus sutra at this Buddhist temple each morning. Beyond the temple’s thatched roof Deva gate, visitors are welcomed by the moss-covered temple approach. A statue on the grounds depicts a standing Nichiren as he looked each morning thinking of his parents in his home of Awa Province. It is recorded that Nichiren would stand on the hill here, hang his monk’s stole on an old pine, ritually rinse his mouth using water from a spring below the cliff, and express his thanks for the tender care his parents had given him. Temple treasures such as its wooden statues of the two Deva kings, framed depiction of the Sanbaso dance, and annotated and illustrated Avalokitesvara Sutra are all registered as prefectural or municipal Cultural Properties.

    日蓮ゆかりの寺。門までコケの生えた道はとても風情があり、京都の寺ような雰囲気です。「袈裟掛けの松」があり、それを狩野派の絵師が描いているようです。

  • Niigata City Aizu Yaichi Memorial Museum
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    2.0
    1 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Niigata Niigata-shi Chuo-ku Bandai 3-1-1 Mediaship 5F
    A memorial museum established in order to aid education and share with local residents the achievements of Aizu Yaichi, an honorary citizen of Niigata City known for his extensive contributions to the study of art history. Located on the fifth floor of Niigata Nippo Media Ship, a 20-story multipurpose complex, the museum holds a variety of exhibits with the aim of introducing Aizu Yaichi from a variety of angles. The museum also holds photo competitions, lectures, screenings of films connected to its special exhibitions, and workshops, and the facility serves as a place where everyone is welcome and can come in contact with Aizu’s worldview.

    會津八一さんは、早稲田大学にも「會津八一記念博物館」があったため存じていましたが、郷里の新潟では大変に有名な方でした。書家であり、歌人であり、美術史家でもあるという、多方面に才能を発揮されたということで、こちらにも書・歌・美術の展示がありました。ただ展示室の規模が小さく、展示されている品も決して多くはないですし、展示から伝わってくるメッセージもあまり感じることができませんでした。それでいて入館料は...

  • Tochio Art Museum
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    2.0
    1 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nagaokashi Uenoharamachi 1-13
    The Tochio Art Museum was founded to mark the 40th anniversary of the granting of city status to Tochio (Tochio has since been absorbed into Nagaoka City), in a location that has the site of Tochio Castle—which is associated with Uesugi Kenshin—in the background. The Museum holds four special exhibitions every year, and also holds exhibitions of works from the Museum’s own collections by artists associated with the area. Workshops and galleries can be rented free of charge (for non-profit purposes), although advance booking is required. The Tochio Art Museum is located around 40-minute drive from the Nagaoka Interchange of the Kan-Etsu Expressway.

    予算の都合上かもしれませんが、展示物と説明があってないものがあります。 明らかに複製品、偽物が展示されており驚きました。 例えば、谷文晁とされる絵がありましたが、あのように塗る潰すような絵は描きませんし、あれほど下手な谷文晁は見たことがありません。 四十七士の絵は、江戸期と説明文には書いてありましたが、絵には明治と書いてありました。 公民館だと思えば腹は立ちませんが、もう少ししっかりして欲しいもの...

  • Sado Bugyosho (Magistrate's Office)
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Sadoshi Aikawahiromamachi 1-1
    The remains of the Sado Magistrate Office, built in 1603 in the early Edo period. The magistrate office was built for the purpose of managing the Sado Kinzan gold mines. It was repeatedly destroyed by fire and rebuilt. During the Meiji period, it was used as a government office and school, but in 1942 was once again destroyed by fire. It was designated again as a National Historic Site in 1994, and was restored in part in 2000.
  • Snow Country Museum
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumagunyuzawamachi Yuzawa 354-1
    This is a museum showing the life and history of Yuzawa, that was the backdrop for Yasunari Kawabata's novel The Snow Country. Also displayed are some of Yasunari's beloved items and writings in his own hand, as well as a Japanese-style painting gallery depicting the world from the novel. This museum is located just a 7-minute walk from the Echigo Yuzawa Station.
  • Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Honchou 6-71-2
    This museum was founded to promote the region around Tokamachi. It's the main venue for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, an intentional art festival held once every three years in Echigo-Tsumari. The building itself was designed by Hiroshi Hara, one of Japan's leading architects. The cubic building has a pond set in its square atrium. During periods other than the art festival, it has a permanent exhibition with various artwork on display. There is also a museum shop and a cafe restaurant fashioned on a Spanish Bar.
  • Hakkaisanson Shrine
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Osaki 3746
    Hakkaisan-sonjinja Shrine is located about 10 minutes by car from the Yamato Smart Interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in the city of Minami Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture. It was founded on the basis of oracular instructions from Nakatomi no Kamatari, a seventh-century government official. Kuni-no-Satsuchi-no-Mikoto is one of the gods enshrined there. Clapping one's hands produces an echo, and there is an open space where sound reverberates. Historical relics and votive items and famous sites, such as the sacred cave of Taiken Gyosha, who revived the temple, are found throughout the grounds, and the basalt rock from Mt. Hakkaisan. Festivals that take place here include a thrilling Fire Walking Festival, in which the general public may apply to participate, as well the annual Setsubun Festival, O-Yama-Biraki (the springtime opening of the mountain climbing season), and others.
  • Tochiomata Onsen Yakushido
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Uonumashi Yunoya Kami Origami 66
    This Yakushido Hall is located on the grounds of the Jizaikan hot spring inn on Prefectural Route 299 in Kamioritate, Uonuma City. People seeking hot spring cures have long prayed here for recovery from their illnesses. The hall's sacred trees, the 400-year-old Komochi Sugi (parenthood cedar) and the Meoto Keyaki (husband and wife Zelkova), are believed to grant prayers for the blessing of children. Visitors seeking this blessing make offerings of ema (wooden votive tablets) affixed with Kewpie dolls.
  • Okutadami Electric Power Museum
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Uonumashi Yunotanimogawa Large bird 1317-3
    This PR facility for J-POWER is located in the vicinity of Okutadami Dam. Visitors to the museum can learn about the role and history of dams and power plants, as well as hydroelectric power generation and other mechanisms. In addition, visitors can view exhibits of valuable materials relating to electricity, such as turbine parts that were used in the Okutadami Power Station. There is also a cafe space, and many people visit while also sightseeing at Okutadami Dam.
  • Midama Fudoson Temple
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Nakauonumaguntsunanmachi Akinari 9761
    This temple is located in Akinari, Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma County. It is said to have been built in 1186 to enshrine Acala, by Seisazaemon Miyamoto, a retainer of Kiyomori Taira. Many people come here to pray for healthy eyesight, since it has been said to have a healing effect on the eyes since ancient times. Currently, all five great wisdom kings, the Vidyaraja, who protect the four cardinal directions, including Vajrayaksa and Kundali, are enshrined here.
  • Urasa Bishamondo Temple
    Travel / Tourism
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Urasa 2495
    This temple is located in Urasa, Minamiuonuma City. It was founded in 807 by Sakanoue-no-Tamuramaro. The main gate resembles the Yomei-mon gate of the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, and features a painting of two dragons by the late Edo period painter, Tani Buncho. It is designated as a Nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and is famous for the Hadaka Oshiaitaisai festival which has been held for 1200 years on the first Saturday of March each year.

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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