History / Culture / Tour Spots in Myoko / Joetsu Area

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Myoko / Joetsu

Category

Travel / Tourism

History / Culture / Tour

Fossa Magna Museum

4.0

75 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Itoigawa City Niigata Prefecture Ichinomiya 1313

The Fossa Magna Museum opened 1994 is a museum about rocks for learning about our natural environment and resources, as provided by the Earth across ages and geological eras. In the six-room exhibition area, you can see fossils and beautiful ores (jade) of Itoigawa River. Approximately 10 minutes by car via Itoigawa Interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway.

Excellent presentation of the nature and formation of jade, with a number of interactive exhibits that you could turn wheels to see things happen. Great educational value. Highlight was the AV...
Rinsenji Temple

4.0

57 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Nakamonzen 1-1-1

Rinsenji Temple is a temple of the Soto sect located in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture. Uesugi Kenshin, a military commander during the Sengoku (Warring States) period, spent time and studied here as child between the ages of 7 and 14. The temple was founded in 1497 by Kenshin’s grandfather, Nagao Yoshikage, as a memorial to his late father, following which the temple became a family temple for both Nagao and Uesugi. The temple grounds are home to a splendid main gate, said to have been moved from the back gate of Kasugayama Castle. Visitors will also find the graves of the Uesugi family and memorial tower, and the Fureashi Kannon statue, said to make strong legs when touched with the feet.

往時を彷彿とする山門が立派です。目的だった宝物館は肝心の謙信像がコピーで残念です。お庭にお花が可愛く咲いていて美しい。ここの駐車場から春日山城に登る裏ルートがあります。
Kasugayama Castle Ruins Field / Kasugayama Castle Ruins Monogatari-kan Museum

3.5

24 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Joetsu-shi Daizu 334

Kasugayama Castle Ruins Field is where Kasugayama Castle once stood, Kasugayama Castle was once famously the home of Uesugi Kenshin, a renowned military commander of Japan's Warring States period. The castle's earthen base, moat, and hottatebashira (embedded timber frame structure) have been rebuilt based on archeological surveys. Rabbitear irises planted in the castle's dry moat bloom around early May. At the Kasugayama Castle Ruins Monogatari-kan Museum, visitors can watch documentary videos on Uesugi Kenshin and how Kasugayama Castle looked in its prime. Museum exhibits also include items such as folding screens decorated with scenes telling the tale of the Battle of Kawanakajima. In addition, here you can get your card stamped to add to your collection of Japan's Top 100 Castles Stamp Rally stamps.

春日山麓に有る上杉家の資料館です。城跡からの出土品の展示や川中島合戦のビデオも放映されていました。館内は撮影OK、また入館無料なので歴史好きな方は訪問を。
Gochi Kokubunji Temple

3.5

30 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Gochi 3-20-21

This Tendai Sect Buddhist temple is a 20-minute walk from Naoetsu Station on the Tokimeki Railway Myoko Haneuma Line. The principle objects of worship at the temple are Mahavairocana, Bhaisajyaguru, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Guatama Buddha. It is said that the temple was revived at its current location on the orders of Uesugi Kenshin in 1562. The current temple was re-built in 1997 in accordance with ancient traditions with a modest exterior and dignified interior. In the temple grounds are an unfinished three-tiered pagoda and a thatched hut that was made by the saint Shinran. A seated statue of Shinran is enshrined inside the hut.

越後国分寺の法統を引き継ぐ寺院です。見どころは新潟県指定の文化財でもある三重塔、江戸時代に建てられたようですね。悠久の時の流れを感じさせるお寺です。
Joetsu-shi Maizo Bunkazai Center

4.0

18 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Kasugayamamachi 1-2-8

This museum located at the bottom of the former site of Kasugayama Castle is a 20-minute walk from Kasugayama Station on the Echigo Tokimeki Railway. The mud-colored building, built in the style of Japanese-style homes, is a place where Jomon Period artifacts unearthed in Joetsu City are researched, stored, and exhibited. Guests can watch the museum's staff catalog and restore artifacts or try their hand at a number of activities including making magatama (an ancient style of curved beads). Due to its location close to Kasugayama Castle, the castle of the famous warring states period warlord Uesugi Kenshin, it is also the headquarters of the Uesugi Omotenashi Bushotai, a group of historical reenactors.

日本百名城巡りの一環として初めて行きました。遺跡の発掘をしている事務所とおもっていたら、春日山城の展示をやっていました。上杉謙信について立派な展示があり、年表やイラストを交え分かりやすかったです。しかも入場無料なのがすごいですね
Site of the former Kasugayama Castle

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Nakayashiki ,soy

Kasugayama Castle was built on Mt. Kasuga, transforming the entire mountain into an important strategic position; the Castle is famous as the main residence of Uesugi Kenshin. It is ranked 32nd in the list of the Top 100 Castles of Japan. Restoration work is currently underway, and the Castle is gradually starting to regain some of its former appearance. When the castle was still intact, the Honmaru (central bailey) was located on the mountain-top, with a castle town at the foot of the mountain where the residences of important retainers and the lord’s relatives were located. Kasugayama Castle is located around 13-minute drive from Kasugayama Station on the Myoko Haneuma Line.
Kasuga Shrine

3.5

6 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Kasuga 18

This shrine is located ten minutes by car from the Joetsu Interchange, at the foot of Mt. Kasuga in Joetsu City. Enshrined here is a division of the deity in the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara. It was the first deity to be divided in Japan, according to records in Kasuga Grand Shrine. The shrine was first built on Mt Kasuga's peak in the year 958, and then relocated along with Kasugayama Castle fortifications in 1381. The cedar trees lining the steep stone steps are rather impressive. The shrine prospered under Uesugi, the Shugodai (representative) of Echigo for generations, and from the time of Kenshin Uesugi, belief in this deity became more intense and it became worshipped as the tutelary deity of the region. The Kasuga lanterns lining the grounds are said to have been made in the Edo period.

春日山麓に有る小さな、地元の神社です。説明書からですが、歴史は古く10世紀創建、奈良の春日大社の分霊になるそうです。
Kyu-Shidancho-Kansha (Old Japanese Army Divisional Commander's Official Residence)

4.0

10 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Joetsu-shi Omachi 2-3-30

This wooden residence was built in 1910 by Nagaoka Gaishi, Lieutenant General of the Takada 13th Division of the former Imperial Japanese Army. It is one of the few remaining examples in the city of architecture blending Japanese and Western influences dating to this time. Until 1991, it was used to house the leadership of JGSDF Camp Takada, but was moved to its current location and restored by the city in order to preserve this precious work of Meiji period architecture.

駅から高田城に向かう途中、寄ってみました。素敵な洋館、よく手入れされていて、和、洋、それぞれ静かに美しい部屋が配置されてとても好きになりました。今回時間がなかったので諦めましたが、お食事や喫茶など次回是非利用したいと思います。
Itoigawa Museum of History and Folklore

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。
Takada Komachi Exchange Hall

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！！
Sekikawa History and Roads Museum

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。
Honganji Kokufu Betsuin Temple

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。
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.
Takada Castle Three-story-Turret

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Jouetsushi Motoshirochou 6-1 in Takada park

This historical location is in Takada Castle in Takada Park. It was constructed as a replacement for the castle tower that burned down in 1870. In 1993, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the foundation of Joetsu City, this Three-Tiered Turret was constructed from plans based on pictures, historical documents and archeological digs. The exterior was based on a picture of the inner keep from the Matsudaira Mitsunaga period. Within the facility there is a mouse-controlled VR simulation which uses computer graphics to allow you to move around and see what the area around Takeda Castle would have looked like during the Edo period. Takada Castle has been chosen as one of Japan's three greatest castle nighttime views and has been included in the Best 100 Castles of Japan 2nd Selection.
Jokoji Temple

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Joetsu-shi Teramachi 2-6-45

This ancient temple was established by Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. The temple’s full name literally translates to “First Jodo Shinshu Temple of the Leaping with Great Joy and Delight Mountain,” a title Shinran is said to have given it in 1224 to express his happiness at having completed the “Kyogyoshinsho,” the foundational text of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. The single hip-and-gable roofed main temple building with attached three-bay facade covered by a pent roof is the largest and oldest Jodo Shinshu main temple in the prefecture. Its pillars are notably all cylindrical. For an early Edo period structure, its design was pioneering, and the main temple building has been designated a National Important Cultural Property.
Japanese Ski Memorial Museum

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Joetsu-shi Onuki 2-18-37

This memorial museum opened in 1992 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the birth of Japanese skiing. The museum contains exhibits on the evolution of skiing in Japan, including the holding of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the construction of new facilities in Joetsu to enhance its appeal as a tourism destination; a variety of ski equipment; and other ski-related displays. Skiing began in Japan when Theodor Edler von Lerch, a major in the Austro-Hungarian Army, began providing skiing instruction in Joetsu City in 1911. The museum also contains a life-sized statue of the major, displays containing some of his personal effects, and a recreation of the room in which he spent his last years.
Uesugi Kenshin Statue

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Joetsu-shi Nakayashiki (Kasuga Yamajo Ato)/

A statue of the mighty samurai lord Uesugi Kenshin standing on the grounds of the Kasugayama Castle Ruins, the site of a famous castle once said to be impregnable. The statue was erected to commemorate the filming of the popular historical drama “Heaven and Earth” in 1969. Today designated a National Historic Site and included in a list of Japan’s 100 most famous castles, the history of Kasugayama Castle is said to date back some 600 years to the Nanboku-cho period. Residences and a dry moat sprawled on the castle’s mountain, while its base was enclosed by a 1. 2-kilometer-longmoat and the embankment. From the site of the inner citadel 180 meters above sea level, visitors can get a sweeping view of the Sea of Japan and the Kubiki Plain. Kenshin was known as the “Tiger of Echigo”, and today his statue stands partway up the mountain, still covered with remnants of dry moats and the embankment, looking down on the surrounding area.
Mimei Ogawa Literature Museum

Travel / Tourism

Niigata Joetsu-shi Motoshirocho 8-30 Takata Library

Mimei Ogawa was a Joetsu City-born novelist and children’s story author. Known as the Hans Christian Andersen of Japan, this museum was built to introduce his achievements, works, life, and historical background. Welcoming everyone, the museum makes it easy to come in contact with the author’s worldview through screenings of animated versions of his most famous works and a documentary on his life, as well as a recreation of the study where he spent his final years. In order to familiarize as many people as possible with his works and literature, the museum holds events such as readings conducted by volunteers. An adjoining gallery for local residents can be used for exhibitions of paintings, photographs, crafts, and other works.
Okakuratenshin Rokkakudo

Travel / Tourism

Nigata Pref. Myoukoushi Akakura

10-minutes by car from the Myoko-Kogen Interchange. This building was built in the site of Akakurasansou mountain villa where Okakura Tenshin, founder of the Tokyo Art School (Now Tokyo University of the Arts), spent his later years. It was built by volunteers after Tenshin's death and is said to have been built in the style of Yumedono of Nara's Horyuji Temple whose beauty had been affirmed by Tenshin's surveys. Inside the building is a golden bust of Tenshin created by one of his students, sculptor Hirakushi Denchu. The area is famous for its Japanese azalea and autumn colors.
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.

Niigata Myoko / Joetsu

Travel / Tourism History / Culture / Tour

Reference/Local/Exhibition/Literature Museum Shrine Castle / Ruins of Castle Historical Monument Temple Church Ruin / Grave / Ancient Tomb Memorial Hall Cultural Property Event Hall / Public Hall Art Museum Museum / Science Museum Other Historic Site/Building

Niigata Areas

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.