is one of the eight wards of

Niigata City may refer to: * Niigata Prefecture, Japan **Niigata (city), the capital of the prefecture * Albirex Niigata, the city's professional football club * Niigata Transys, a Japanese railway vehicle manufacturer * Niigata Stadium, an athletic stadium in ...

Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area at . Niigata Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture and ...

, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It comprises much of the city centre. , the ward had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 183,231 in 87,162 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of 4,900 persons per km². The total area of the ward was .

Geography

Chūō-ku is located in the approximate centre of Niigata City, bounded by the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...

to the north and the

Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming The course of the expressway takes it alongside the coastline of the Sea of Japan (Nihonkai) in the Tōhoku region of Japan. The Nihonk ...

to the south. The area comprises the old city as well as the , , and the districts.

Neighboring municipalities/wards

Higashi-ku, Niigata is one of the eight wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. , the ward had an estimated population of 136,224 in 60,830 households and a population density of 3500 persons per km². The total area of the ward ...

Kōnan-ku, Niigata is one of the eight wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. , the ward had an estimated population of 68,413 in 27,027 households and a population density of 913 persons per km². The total area of the ward ...

Nishi-ku, Niigata is one of the eight wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. , the ward had an estimated population of 161,884 in 68,119 households and a population density of 1700 persons per km². The total area of the war ...

Neighborhoods

Central Business District

Chūō-ku is the heart of Niigata in terms of economic and political importance. The City Office is located here along with several central government and prefectural agencies. Japan's national broadcaster

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

has its prefectural TV station and radio station in Chūō-ku. There are several company head offices based in the district. It is also the site of old Niigata City which extends from

Niigata Station is a major railway station in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station is at the centre of Niigata city, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshu. It forms the central station for the ...

downtown to

Bandai Bridge The is a bridge crossing the Shinano River in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan via National Route 7. The current bridge was constructed in 1929, and was designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property in July 2004. Outline The curren ...

and

Furumachi , literally meaning "Old Town", is the name of a central business district in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The district is centered on Furumachi-dori street and extends north to Honcho-dori street and south to Nishibori-dori street. ...

Furumachi

in Niigata city is located on left bank of Shinano River across Bandai Bridge. It lies on Niigata Island and faces the

. The area has been developed around Masaya-koji, which is a wide six-lane thoroughfare connecting Furumachi with Niigata Station. Furumachi has business districts as well as several historic parts. Narrow alleyways and streets crisscross beneath the modern office buildings. The historic Honcho market is also here. Much of the area contains modern buildings. This is because Furumachi was rebuilt after an earthquake devastated this part of eastern Niigata in 1964. This is in marked contrast with areas on the west side of the river which still retain traditional-looking streets containing older houses.

History

The area of present-day Chūō-ku was part of ancient Echigo Province, and developed as a port town for

Nagaoka Domain was a '' fudai'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Echigo Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Nagaoka Castle, located in what is now part of the city of Nagaoka in Niigata Prefecture ...

under the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. Niigata was one of the ports opened to foreign trade by the 1858

Harris Treaty Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...

. Modern Niigata city was created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The Hokuetsu Railway commented Niigata to Tokyo in 1897, and the first

across the

Shinano River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing ...

was completed in 1908, shortly before the city was destroyed by a fire. The city escaped serious damage in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

; however, much of the city burned down in a fire in 1955 and again suffered from damage in the

1964 Niigata earthquake Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

. Niigata became a government-designated city on April 1, 2007, and was divided into wards, with the new Chūō Ward consisting of much of the central business portion of the city.

Education

Universities

Niigata University is a national university in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1949 and has its major origins in Niigata Medical College (established in 1922) and in Niigata Higher School (established in 1919). It is one of the largest Jap ...

(Asahimachi Campus / Nishi-Ohata Campus) * Niigata Seiryo University * The Nippon Dental University (Niigata)

Secondary education

Chūō-ku has five public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education, two public high schools operated by the Niigata City Board of Education, three private high schools and one private combined middle school/high school. The ward also has ten public middle schools operated by the city government.

Transportation

Railway

JR East - Jōetsu Shinkansen * JR logo (east)

JR East -

Shin'etsu Main Line The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . ...

JR East - Hakushin Line * JR logo (east)

JR East -

Echigo Line The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) which connects the cities of Kashiwazaki and Niigata in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The line's name is taken from the name of the ancient Echigo Province, which correspond ...

* - -

Transit bus

* Niigata City Loop Bus * Transit bus operated by

Niigata Kotsu is a public transportation company which operates local and long-distance buses in Niigata prefecture, Japan. Bus lines , the following bus lines are in service. Regular busesTimetables - Niigata Kotsu (2018.3) BRT Central NiigataRouteMap ...

** BRT " Bandai-bashi Line" : Niigata Sta.—

—

—City office— Hakusan Sta.—(Aoyama) ** C* : for Central Niigata ** S* : for South Niigata ** W* : for West Niigata ** E* : for East Niigata ** "Sado-Kisen Line" : Niigata Sta.—

Toki Messe is a multi-purpose international convention center in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The center was opened on May 1, 2003, and contains a hotel, restaurants, an art museum, conference rooms, and the offices of several international organiz ...

—Sado Kisen Ferry Terminal

Highways

* * * * * ] *

Ports

* Sado Steam Ship, Sado Kisen Ferry Terminal

Water Shuttle

Shinanogawa Water Shuttle
MINATOPIA - Toki Messe - Bandai Bridge - Bandai City - Niigata Prefectural office - (FURUSATO VILLAGE)

Local attractions

West side of the Shinano River

* Niigata City History Museum (Minatopia)
The Niigata Saitou Villa
*

Hakusan Park is a park in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. History The 1964 Niigata earthquake caused the sandy soil under the city to liquefy, damaging many city facilities. The aging baseball stadium was converted to an earthquake memorial ...

* Niigata-City Performing Arts Center (Ryutopia) *

Niigata Prefectural Civic Center The is a large multi-purpose public cultural facility in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, which opened on 1 December 1967. Facilities The main concert hall seats 1,730, and the smaller hall seats 300. History Construction of the building started on ...

Niigata city Aquarium (Marinepia Nihonkai)
* Next21 skyscraper * Furumachi-dori Shopping Mall * Honcho-dori Shopping Mall * Ninjo-Yokocho Shopping Mall File:160716 Niigata City History Museum Main Building Niigata Japan01bs5.jpg, Minatopia File:Hakusan Park1.JPG, Hakusan Park File:Next21 3.JPG, Next21 in Furumachi

East side of the Shinano River

* Sake Museum Ponshu-kan * Bandai City shopping district * LoveLa Shopping Mall * LoveLa2 Shopping Mall * Niigata Manga & Animation Museum *

NGT48 NGT48 (read "N.G.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NGT48 is named after Niigata City of Niigata Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NGT48 Theater which is located in the fourth fl ...

Idol unit * Niigata Nippo Media Ship *

File:Niigata_Rainbow_tower.JPG, Rainbow Tower, the symbol of Bandai City File:Niigata-Nippo Media ship-2013.JPG, Media Ship File:TOKI MESSE.jpg, Toki Messe (Niigata Convention center)

South side of the Toyanogata Lagoon

* Big Swan Stadium * Niigata Prefectural Baseball Stadium File:BigSwan-1.jpg, Big Swan Stadium and Toyanogata Lagoon

Events

* Niigata Festival (every August) *

Niigata Comic Market The Niigata Comic Market, commonly known as , is a bimonthly dōjinshi comic book convention held in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It takes place at either Toki Messe or the Niigata-shi Sangyou Shinkou Center, and between 7,000 and 10,00 ...

Niigata Manga Competition The Niigata Comic Market, commonly known as , is a bimonthly dōjinshi comic book convention held in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It takes place at either Toki Messe or the Niigata-shi Sangyou Shinkou Center, and between 7,000 and 10,0 ...

References

External links

Niigata official website

Niigata Chūō-ku website

(multilingual)

(multilingual) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chuo-Ku, Niigata Wards of Niigata (city)