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is a city located in the northern part of
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 Nag ...
(). It is the capital and the most populous
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of
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 Nag ...
, and one of the
cities designated by government ordinance of Japan A , also known as a or , is a Japanese city that has a population greater than 500,000 and has been designated as such by order of the Cabinet of Japan under Article 252, Section 19, of the Local Autonomy Law. Designated cities are delegat ...
, located in the
Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...
of
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. It is the most populous city on the west coast of
Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island sep ...
, and the second populous city in Chūbu region after
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most popu ...
. It faces 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, ...
and Sado Island. , the city had an estimated population of 779,049, and a
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberP ...
of 1,072 persons per km2. The total area is . Greater Niigata, the Niigata Metropolitan Employment Area, has a GDP of US$43.3 billion as of 2010. It is the only government-designated city on the west coast of Honshu. It has the greatest habitable area of cities in Japan (). It is designated as a reform base for the large scale agriculture under () initiatives.


Overview

Niigata was one of the cities incorporated by the legislation effective on April 1, 1889 (Meiji 22). With a long history as a port town, Niigata served the function of the network junction between the maritime traffic and those of Shinano and Agano river systems. It was designated as one of the five free
Treaty ports Treaty ports (; ja, 条約港) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Japanese Empire. ...
under
Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States-Japan) Treaty of Amity and Commerce may refer to: * Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–France) (1778) * Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Dutch Republic), a 1782 United States treaty * Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States– ...
signed in 1858, just before the
Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...
, later started operations in 1869. Its importance in land and water transportation is still current. Niigata's city government was established in 1889. Mergers with nearby municipalities in 2005 allowed the city's population to jump to 810,000. The annexation of the surrounding area has also given the city the greatest rice
paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-A ...
acreage in Japan. On April 1, 2007, it became the first government-designated city on the coast of the Sea of Japan of Honshu. There are 8 wards ( described later) in the city. Until 1950’s, a system of canals were lined along by the willow trees in the downtown area of Niigata. Therefore the city is sometimes called the “City of Water” or “City of Willows” as detailed later. Niigata produced many manga artists (see: Artists and writers). It is also known to have an extensive network of bypass roads. Bandai bridge, NEXT21, Toki Messe, Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata Nippo Media Ship are considered to be the key symbol landmarks in the city (see: Local attractions).


Toponymy

The place name "Niigata" was first recorded in 1520 ( Eisho 17). Its name in
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...
can be translated as "new” and "lagoon". However, as there is no record about the origin of the name, this had led to many theories. *First "Niigata" was a large lagoon at the mouth of the Shinano river. *Second it was an inland bay at the river's entrance. *Third it was the name of a village that stood on an island within the estuary. *Fourth it referred to another settlement that relocated to the Furumachi district and that in turn gave its name to a nearby lagoon.


Cityscapes

File:Next21 1.JPG, CBD of Niigata City(2012) File:Niigata chitose-koji 20131021-02.JPG,
Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
Furumachi(2013) File:What's Niigata and Toki Messe Sep2021.jpg, Toki Messe(2021) File:Niigata Toki Messe Bandaijima Park Tempi Sep2021.jpg, River Front Park(2021) File:Niigata City 2022-01.jpg, A view of Niigata City and
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 ...
from observation deck of
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 Nag ...
Building (2022) File:Sunset of Niigata City2022.jpg,
Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spri ...
of Niigata City(2022)


Geography

Niigata is situated on a fertile
coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf ...
on 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, ...
coast, facing Sado Island. 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 ...
and Agano River flow through the city. Numerous wetlands, such as the Fukushimagata wetlands, can be found within the city limits. The Sakata lagoon is registered as a wetland of international importance under the
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites ( wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...
. Niigata City's low elevation and abundant water have made flood control and land reclamation important issues for the area throughout its history. The city is sometimes called the because of the two rivers that flow through it, its position next to the Sea of Japan, its many wetlands, and the canals that used to run through the city. It is also sometimes referred to as the or because of the willow trees that lined the old canals. In recent years, the city has been promoting itself as a , highlighting its agricultural areas outside of the city center.


Climate

Niigata City features a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40� ...
( Cfa), but receives more yearly snowfall than cities such as Moscow, Montreal or Oslo. The climate in Niigata City is characterized by its high humidity and strong winds from the Sea of Japan in winter. While many other parts of Niigata Prefecture tend to have heavy snow, Niigata City itself usually receives less due to its low-lying elevation and the shielding effect of Sado Island. However, Niigata City does receive much precipitation, mostly in the form of rainfall. On average, Niigata City has 269 days of precipitation each year, about 170 days of which see rain or snowfall measuring over 1 mm. The
rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...
in July brings large amounts of rain, while the winter months, especially November and December, also have much precipitation.''Niigata City 2007 Statistical Data'', published 2007 In summer, the south wind makes the weather rather hot. Typhoons usually bring strong
foehn wind A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...
s to this area, generally causing somewhat higher temperatures than in other parts of Japan. The weather on the west coast of Honshu tends to be better during the summer months than on the Pacific coast.


Wards

Niigata has a system of wards (''ku'') since April 1, 2007: Each ward has its own "image color".


Adjoining communities

From the north, following Niigata's border
clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite s ...
: * Seirō, Kitakanbara District * Shibata * Agano *
Gosen Gosen may refer to: *Gosen, Niigata, Japan * Gosen-Neu Zittau, Brandenburg, Germany * Gosen (Company), a Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment *Gosen Wakashū, an ancient Japanese poetry anthology *Land of Goshen, an area in Biblical Egypt S ...
* Tagami, Minamikanbara District * Kamo * Sanjō * Tsubame * Yahiko, Nishikanbara District * Nagaoka * In addition Sado Island is connected by sea and air routes.


History


Prehistoric and ancient

People have inhabited the Niigata area ( Furutsu Hachimanyama Site) since the
Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between  Upper Paleolithic, 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, ...
, though much of the current land was still beneath the sea at the time. According to the Nihon Shoki, a fortress was built in the area in AD 647. File:Furutsu Hachimanyama Site.jpg, Furutsu Hachimanyama Site


Middle Ages

;Feudal period In the 16th century, a port called Niigata was established at the mouth of 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 ...
, while a port town with the name Nuttari developed at the mouth of the Agano River. The area prospered beneath the rule of
Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known ...
during the
Sengoku Period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Vario ...
.


Early Modern Ages

A system of canals was constructed throughout the downtown area of Niigata port in the 17th century. During this period, the courses of the Shinano and Agano rivers gradually changed until they poured into the Sea of Japan at the same location. As a result, Niigata prospered as a port town, serving as a port of call for Japanese trade ships traversing the Sea of Japan. The Matsugasaki Canal was constructed in 1730 to drain the Agano River area, but in 1731, flooding destroyed the canal and caused it to become the main current of the Agano River. As a result, the volume of water flowing into the port of Niigata decreased, which in turn allowed land reclamation efforts and the development of new rice fields to proceed. File:Nishiki-e_-_View_of_Niigata_Port.jpg, Nishiki-e "Niigata Minato no Shinkei" (View of Niigata Port), 1859 File:Hiroshige II Echigo Niigata.jpg, Niigata drawn by Utagawa Hiroshige in 1859


Late Modern Ages

In 1858, Niigata was designated as one of the five ports to be opened for international trade in the Japan–U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce. However, the shallow water level in the port delayed the actual opening to foreign ships until 1869. The port also served as a valuable base for fishermen who roamed as far north as the
Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and ...
to catch salmon and other fish. In 1886, the first Bandai Bridge was built across the Shinano River to connect the settlements of Niigata on the west and Nuttari on the east. Niigata annexed Nuttari in 1914. During
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 ...
, Niigata's strategic location between the capital of
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and the Sea of Japan made it a key point for the transfer of settlers and military personnel to the Asian continent, including
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 after the Japanes ...
. File:Minatopia003.JPG, Niigata City History Museum (Minatopia) File:160716 Old Niigata Customs Government Building Niigata Japan01n.jpg, Old Niigata Customs Government Building File:160716 Former Daishi Bank Sumiyoshi-cho Branch Niigata Japan01n.jpg, Former Daishi Bank Sumiyoshi-cho Branch File:Bandaibashi-Bridge 20130929.JPG, Bandai Bridge


Contemporary Ages

In 1945, near the end of the war, Niigata was one of four cities, together with Hiroshima, Kokura, and Nagasaki, picked as targets for the atomic bombs if Japan did not surrender. However, Niigata was not actually targeted in the first two missions. There were several theories about the reasons that Niigata was lowered in the priority, such as poor weather conditions, its distance from B-29 bases in the Mariana Islands, and other factors. On August 11, 1945, after the second atomic bombing in Nagasaki, the governor of Niigata Prefecture ordered the people to evacuate as concerns of an impending bombing heightened, and the city was completely deserted for days until the war ended without more atomic bombings. A devastating Typhoon Louise and fire in 1955 destroyed much of the downtown area, but eventually the city recovered. In 1958, construction of the relocated
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 ...
was completed, extending the downtown area from Bandai Bridge. The Niigata Thermal Power Station Unit 1 started operation in July 1963. At that time, it was Japan's first power plant capable of using a mixture of natural gas and heavy oil. In 1964, the old canals that flowed throughout the old downtown area were filled in to make way for more roads. On June 16, 1964, at 13:01
Japan Standard Time , or , is the standard time zone in Japan, 9 hours ahead of UTC ( UTC+09:00). Japan does not observe daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated on several occasions. During World War II, the time zone was often referred to ...
an earthquake of 7.5
Richter scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
struck the city, killing 29 people and causing large-scale property damage, with 1,960 totally destroyed buildings, 6,640 partially destroyed buildings, and 15,298 severely inundated by
liquefaction In materials science, liquefaction is a process that generates a liquid from a solid or a gas or that generates a non-liquid phase which behaves in accordance with fluid dynamics. It occurs both naturally and artificially. As an example of th ...
. In 1965, the Agano River running through Niigata was polluted with
methylmercury Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is ...
from the chemical plant of the Showa Electrical Company. Over 690 people exhibited symptoms of
Minamata disease Minamata disease is a neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning. Signs and symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme ca ...
and the outbreak became known as Niigata Minamata disease. File:Niitsu Oil field in 1930s.JPG, Niitsu Oil Field(1930s) File:Great Fire of Niigata.JPG, The 1955 fire of Niigata File:Liquefaction at Niigata.JPG, Some effects of
liquefaction In materials science, liquefaction is a process that generates a liquid from a solid or a gas or that generates a non-liquid phase which behaves in accordance with fluid dynamics. It occurs both naturally and artificially. As an example of th ...
during 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 ...
In 1982,
Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond ...
service on the Jōetsu Shinkansen line began between Niigata and Omiya, with service to
Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of ...
added in 1985. The line was extended to Tokyo in 1991. Big Swan Stadium in Niigata City hosted three games during the
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
. The 2004 Chūetsu earthquake did not cause any significant damage in Niigata City itself, allowing the city to work as a relief base. The size and the population of Niigata city increased over the four-year period between 2001 and 2005, due to a series of municipal mergers. On April 1, 2007, Niigata City became first city on the west coast of Honshu to become a government-designated city. In July 2007, the Chūetsu offshore earthquake, measuring 6.9 on Richter scale, rocked Niigata Prefecture. Though the earthquake was felt in the city, there was little damage, which allowed Niigata City to provide aid to the devastated areas. In May 2008, the city hosted the 2008 G8 Labor Ministers Meeting. On March 12, 2011, several hours after the massive 9.0 Tohoku earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Niigata and Nagano Prefectures experienced an estimated magnitude 6.6 earthquake.


Mergers

*On April 1, 1889 - the village of Sekiya was amalgamated into the town of Niigata to become the city of Niigata. *On April 1, 1914 - The town of Nuttari (from Nakakanbara District) was amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On June 1, 1943 - The village of Ohgata (from Nakakanbara District) was amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On December 8, 1943 - The villages of Ishiyama and Toyano (both from Nakakanbara District) were amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On April 5, 1954 - The village of Matsugasakihama (from Kitakanbara District) was amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On November 1, 1954 - The villages of Nigorikawa and Minamihama (both from Kitakanbara District) and the village of Sakaiwa (from Nishikanbara District) were amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On May 3, 1957 - The villages of Ryokawa, Sonoki and Oheyama (all from Nakakanbara District) were amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On January 11, 1960 - The town of Uchino (from Nishikanbara District) was merged into the city of Niigata. *On April 1, 1960 - The Hamaura hamlet of the town of Toyosaka (from Kitakanbara District) was merged into the city of Niigata. *On June 1, 1961 - The villages of Nakanokoya and Akatsuka (both from Nishikanbara District) were amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On January 1, 2001 - The town of Kurosaki (from Nishikanbara District) was amalgamated into the city of Niigata. *On March 21, 2005 - The cities of Niitsu, Shirone and Toyosaka, the towns of Kameda, Kosudo and Yokogoshi (all from Nakakanbara District), the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District) were all merged into the expanded city of Niigata. *On October 10, 2005 - The town of Maki (from Nishikanbara District) was merged into the expanded city of Niigata.


Government


City Hall

;List of mayors of Niigata City (1889 to present)


External relations


Twin towns – sister cities


International

;Sister Cities Niigata maintains
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...
ties with six cities: ;Friendship cities ;Partnership cities In addition, special exchange agreements have been set up with the following: *
Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-e ...
, United Kingdom *
Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...
, South Korea (since September 2007)


National

;Partnership cities


Education


Colleges and universities

* Niigata University *
University of Niigata Prefecture is a public university in Higashi-ku, Niigata, 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 ...
* Niigata Seiryo University * The Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata * Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences *
International University of Japan The is a private university located in Minamiuonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. IUJ is the first graduate university in Japan, not offering undergraduate degrees, and one of the few Japanese universities which offers all courses in E ...
* Niigata University of International and Information Studies * Niigata University of Health and Welfare * Graduate Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies * College of Biomedical Technology Niigata University *


Transportation


Airways


Airport

Niigata Airport is located about 6 km north of central Niigata. It handles some international destinations as well as many domestic ones. As of October 2016, the domestic destinations available are
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
(10 times a day),
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
(five or six times a day),
Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...
(three times a day),
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
(once or twice a day),
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most popu ...
(three times a day), Narita (once a day) and Sado Island (three times a day). Niigata Airport's international destinations are
Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...
(twice a week),
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
(five times a week),
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
(twice a week) and
Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, c ...
.


Railways

The largest station in Niigata City is
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 ...
. It is centrally located in the Bandai area, one of the two main shopping districts in downtown Niigata. Approximately 37,000 passengers use the station daily. The Jōetsu Shinkansen, which terminates at Niigata Station, provides daily service to Tokyo. The
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 . S ...
,
Hakushin Line The is a Japanese railway line which runs between and stations in the cities of Niigata and Shibata in Niigata Prefecture. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network. Basic data *Operators, distances: ** East Japan Railw ...
, Echigo Line,
Uetsu Main Line The is a railway line in the Tohoku and Chubu regions of Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it connects Niitsu Station in the city of Niigata and Akita Station in Akita. The name "Uetsu" refers to the ancient ...
, and Ban'etsu West Line also terminate at Niigata Station. These lines serve Myoko, Itoigawa,
Akita is a Japanese name and may refer to: Places * 8182 Akita, a main-belt asteroid * Akita Castle, a Nara period fortified settlement in Akita, Japan * Akita Domain, also known as Kubota Domain, feudal domain in Edo period Japan * Akita, Kumamot ...
, Sakata, and
Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Aizuwakamatsu is located in the west ...
. Niigata Kotsu Dentetsu Line and Kambara Dentetsu trains used to run through the city until the late 1990s; however, they no longer exist.


High-Speed Rail

;
East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
(JR East) * Jōetsu Shinkansen:-


Conventional lines

;
East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
(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 . S ...
:- - - - - - - - *
Hakushin Line The is a Japanese railway line which runs between and stations in the cities of Niigata and Shibata in Niigata Prefecture. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network. Basic data *Operators, distances: ** East Japan Railw ...
: - - - - - - * Echigo Line: - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Buses


Transit Bus

BRT " Bandai-bashi Line" runs through business/shopping districts in the central Niigata (Niigata Station - Bandai Bridge - Furumachi - City hall - Hakusan Station - Aoyama).


Roads


Expressways

* Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway *
Hokuriku Expressway The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan Highway Public Corpor ...
* Ban-etsu Expressway


Japan National Route

* * * * * * * * * * * *


Seaways


Sea port

The Port of Niigata served as a part of kitamaebune during Edo era, and became one of the five open ports according to the
Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Japan) The , also called the Harris Treaty was a treaty signed between the United States and Tokugawa Shogunate, which opened the ports of Kanagawa and four other Japanese cities to trade and granted extraterritoriality to foreigners, among a number ...
in 1858. The west district of the port of Niigata provides passenger transportation facilities as well as cargo transportation, while the east district is dedicated for cargo capabilities, including the container terminal facilities. The Port of Niigata is designated as one of by the government. The destinations of the passenger services available at the port of Niigata include Ryotsu on Sado island, Otaru, Akita, Tsuruga. Until 2006, Niigata was formerly the
terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...
of the Mangyongbong-92
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ...
, one of the direct connections between Japan and
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
. File:Niigata airport-japan.jpg, Niigata Airport File:JR Niigata Station South Exit.jpg,
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 ...
File:BRTFurumachi 201703.jpg, Bandai-bashi Line (BRT) File:おけさ丸2016.jpg, Port of Niigata


Local attractions

* Furumachi, Bandai City - Downtown shopping districts * Toki Messe, Next21, Niigata Nippo Media Ship, - skyscrapers with observation decks * * * Niigata City History Museum (Minatopia) * Northern Culture Museum * * * * Niigata Prefectural Botanical Garden * Nature Aquarium Gallery TOKI_MESSE.jpg, Toki Messe Niigata-Nippo Media ship-2013.JPG, Niigata Nippo Media Ship Nuttariterasu2013.jpg, Fukushimagata Lagoon Kataraitei 002 April2020.jpg, Iwamuro-onsen,Niigata-city,Niigata,Japan.jpg,


Culture

Niigata has its own ''
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female ...
'' culture since over 200 years ago dating back to the Edo period. This was due to the prosperity of the city as a port town. Locally they are called ''geigi'' and the tradition continues on. Most ''ochaya'' are located in the Furumachi neighbourhood with well-known places such as the Nabechaya.


Events

* (every August) * * Niigata Comic Market * Niigata Manga Competition * Kurosaki Festival


Foods

* ''Tare
Katsudon is a popular Japanese food, a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg, vegetables, and condiments. The dish takes its name from the Japanese words ''tonkatsu'' (for pork cutlet) and ''donburi'' (for ''rice bowl dish'' ...
'' * '' Noppe'' * ''Kakinomoto'' * ' * * ' TareKatsudon_Matsuriya.jpg, ''Tare
Katsudon is a popular Japanese food, a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg, vegetables, and condiments. The dish takes its name from the Japanese words ''tonkatsu'' (for pork cutlet) and ''donburi'' (for ''rice bowl dish'' ...
'' Sasadango for sale - Tokyo area - Nov 28 2019 08-21PM.jpeg, ''Sasa
Dango is a Japanese dumpling made from rice flour mixed with uruchi rice flour and glutinous rice flour. It is different from the method of making mochi, which is made after steaming glutinous rice. ''Dango'' is usually finished round shaped, three ...
'' Chūka-soba,_Sankichiya_Nishibori-Honten,_Niigata,_Niigata,_Japan,_April_2020.jpg, ''Assari-Shōyu
Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes ...
''


Sports

File:Bigswan080628.JPG, Denka Big Swan Stadium File:Niigata east sports center.jpg, Niigata City Higashi General Sports Center File:Niigata city land sports stadium.jpg, Niigata Athletic Stadium File:HARD OFF ECOスタジアム新潟 バックネット裏より - panoramio.jpg, Niigata Prefectural Baseball Stadium


Notable people from Niigata


Artists and writers

* Yaichi Aizu, poet, calligrapher, and historian *. manga artist * Shu Fujisawa, writer * Makoto Kobayashi,
manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
*
Mineo Maya Maya Mineo (Japanese: 魔夜峰央 ''Mineo Maya'', born 4 March 1953) is a Japanese mangaka. His series '' Patalliro!'' is one of the best-selling and the longest-running shōjo manga of all time. Life Maya was born in Niigata. He made his d ...
, manga artist * Shinji Mizushima, manga artist * Tadashi Nakayama, contemporary woodblock artist *
Takeshi Obata is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for ''Hikaru no Go'' (1998–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for ''Death Note'' (2003–2006) a ...
, manga artist *
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
, manga artist * Ango Sakaguchi, author * Rumiko Takahashi, manga artist


Actors and voice actors

* Fumika Baba, actress * Mina Fujii, actress * Toshihito Ito, actor * Masashi Mikami, actor * Bin Shimada, voice actor * Keiko Yokozawa, voice actor


Musicians

*
coba Coba ( es, Cobá) is an ancient Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Maya world, and it contains many engraved and scul ...
, accordionist and composer *
Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...
, singer * Yoko Ishida, singer *
Kazuya Kato is a Japanese mathematician. He grew up in the prefecture of Wakayama in Japan. He attended college at the University of Tokyo, from which he also obtained his master's degree in 1975, and his PhD in 1980. He was a professor at Tokyo University ...
, bassist * Katsutaro Kouta, singer * Közi, guitarist (
Malice Mizer Malice Mizer (stylized as MALICE MIZER) was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by guitarists Mana and Közi, their earlier music and themes were characterized by their strong French and classical ...
and Eve of Destiny) *
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 group *
Rina Sawayama is a Japanese–British singer-songwriter, actress and model. Born in Niigata, Japan, she emigrated to London with her parents at age five. She is known for her musical versatility and has been labelled a "musical chameleon". In 2017, she ...
, singer-songwriter and model * Akira Yamaoka, composer * samfree, vocaloid music composer


Others

*
Takashi Amano was a professional track cycling, track cyclist, photographer, designer, and aquarist. His interest in aquarium, aquaria led him to create the Japanese company Aqua Design Amano. Amano was the author of ''Nature Aquarium World'' (TFH Publicat ...
, professional aquarist and track cyclist *
Kunio Maekawa was a Japanese architect and a key figure in Japanese postwar modernism. His distinctive architectural language deftly blended together elements of traditional Japanese design and modernist tenets from Europe, drawing from early career work exp ...
, architect * SANADA (Seiya Sanada), professional wrestler * Tadao Sato, film critic and film theorist * Megumi Sato, high jumper * Meiko Satomura, professional wrestler *
Yujiro Takahashi , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its sub-group House of Torture. Takahashi entered New Japan in November 2003 with an extensive amateur back ...
, professional wrestler * Megumi Yokota, abduction victim * Yutakayama Ryota, sumo wrestler


References


Notes


External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niigata (City) Cities in Niigata Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan