Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [433]
Niigata International Friendship Centre (225-2777; Kurosuparu Niigata Bldg, 3-2086 Ishizuechōdōri; 9am-9.30pm Mon-Sat, to 5pm Sun & holidays, closed every 4th Mon) Has a small library and helpful staff for general tourist information.
Niigata University Medical & Dental Hospital (223-6161; 1-757 Asahimachi-dōri)
Stock + Nigata (246-1370; www.stockplus-n.com, in Japanese; 1-2-23 Ōdōri; internet per 15min ¥157; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri)
Tourist information centre (241-7914; 9am-6pm) To the left of Niigata station’s Bandai exit. The best place for information on Sado-ga-shima.
Sights
The city centre is easily covered on foot. Otherwise, a flat-rate fare of ¥180 operates on city buses. If the weather is cooperating, the banks of the Shinano-gawa serve as popular people-watching spots.
If you cross over the Shinano-gawa via Shōwa-ōhashi-bashi, you’ll arrive at the Niigata Prefectural Government Memorial Hall (admission free; 9am-4.30pm, closed irregularly), a beautiful old building that survived the tsunami of 1964, which destroyed much of the city. Take the buses from stop 13 at the station to Showa Ōhashi (15 minutes), in the direction of Irihonechō.
Just beyond the memorial hall is Hakusan-kōen (dawn-dusk), a small park containing a shrine, Hakusan-jinja, to the local god of marriage. The grounds also preserve a fine lotus pond and the historic Meiji-era tea house Enkikan (admission free, tea ¥300; 9am-5pm), which was transplanted from Kyoto and reconstructed here.
The Northern Culture Museum (; 385-2001; 2-15-25 Sōmi; admission ¥800; 9am-5pm Apr-Nov, to 4.30pm Dec-Mar), located 10km southeast of Niigata, is set in an attractive landscaped garden complex containing traditional earthen warehouses and individual tea arbours. Buses leave roughly every hour from stop 7 at the Bandai bus centre (not the train station) for the Nishi Ohata stop outside the museum (¥500, 45 minutes).
Festivals & Events
Sake-no-jin () Sake aficionados won’t want to miss this event, held on the third weekend each March. It’s a mammoth bacchanal, highlighting over 175 different varieties of sake from all over Japan are available. Kanpai!
Niigata Matsuri () From the first or second weekend (varies yearly) in August, the streets are filled with afternoon parades of colourful floats and shrines. At night thousands of folk dancers parade across the Bandai Bridge. A bumper fireworks display on the final night lights up the Shinano-gawa, as a passage of decorated boats carries the shrine of the local god of the sea.
Sleeping
Ueda Ryokan (225-1111; fax 225-1110; www.uedaryokan.com, in Japanese; 2120 Yonnochō; r per person with/without meals from ¥7350/3780; ) A pleasant alternative to all of the run-of-the-mill business hotels clustering the station exits, this basic but all-around pleasant Japanese-style inn occupies a quiet spot on the northern banks of the river. From the Lawson near the Bandai Bridge, cross Ōdōri, and follow the small side street past three intersections. When the road narrows, turn right at the next street and Ueda will be on your left, about halfway down.
Dormy Inn Niigata (247-7755; fax 247-7789; 1-7-14 Akashi; s/d from ¥4500/7350; ) Just a few minutes walk from the train station, across the street from the NTT Building, the Dormy Inn is pioneering a great concept for budget business hotels. Prices are kept low by offering rooms that are tight, relatively featureless and lacking in bathrooms, though guests take advantage of the fabulous onsite onsen and sauna, as well as the large and surprisingly sociable cafeteria. LAN cable internet available.
Hotel Okura Niigata (244-6111; fax 224-7060; www.okura-niigata.com/english/index.html; 53 Kawabata-cho; s/d from ¥8925/14,700; ) Arguably the finest hotel in Niigata, the Hotel Okura has a picturesque location next to the Bandai Bridge, and offers sweeping views of the Shinano-gawa, particularly from the formal French restaurant on the 15th floor.