"Niigata, Japan" redirects here. For the city, seeNiigata (city).
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Niigata is the capital and largest city of Niigata Prefecture, with other major cities includingNagaoka,Jōetsu, andSanjō.[4] Niigata Prefecture contains the Niigata Major Metropolitan Area centered on Niigata with a population of 1,395,612, the largestmetropolitan area on theSea of Japan coast and the twelfth-largest in Japan. Niigata Prefecture is part of the historicHokuriku region and featuresSado Island, the sixth largest island of Japan in area following thefour main islands andOkinawa Island.
Until after theMeiji Restoration, the area that is now Niigata Prefecture was divided intoEchigo Province (on the mainland) andSado Province.[5] During theSengoku period, theNagao clan, who were at times vassals to the Uesugi, ruled a fief in the western part of modern Niigata from Kasugayama Castle. The most notable member of the Nagao clan was Nagao Kagetora, later and better known asUesugi Kenshin. He unified the leaders of Echigo Province and became its sole ruler. By taking the surname Uesugi, he also became the head of the Uesugi clan and effectively brought their realm under his control.
The city of Niigata is now the third largest Japanese city facing the Sea of Japan, afterFukuoka andKitakyushu. It was the first Japanese port on the Sea of Japan to be opened to foreign trade following the opening of Japan byMatthew Perry. It has since played an important role in trade withRussia andKorea. A freighter fromNorth Korea visits Niigata once a month, in one of the few forms of direct contact between Japan and that country.
On January 9, 2006, a heavywinter storm struck the prefecture and its neighbors. At least 71 people died and more than 1,000 were injured. Also in 2006, a massive tsunami and earthquake damaged homes and caused casualties in the maritime areas of Niigata Prefecture, especially nearSado Island.
Niigata Prefecture hosts theFuji Rock Festival, an annual event held at the Naeba ski resort. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians. It is one of the largest outdoor music events in Japan, with more than 100,000 people attending in 2005.
Map of Niigata Prefecture Government Ordinance Designated City City Town VillageNiigata Prefecture in winter from the skyTen-Ken cliff of Oya-Shirazu,Itoigawa
Niigata Prefecture stretches about 240 km (149 mi) along theSea of Japan, from the southwest to the northeast, with a coastal plain between the mountains and the sea. It also includesSado Island. Niigata Prefecture could be placed in either theHokuriku or theKōshinetsu, both of which are considered parts of theChūbu region.The prefecture is generally divided into four geographical areas:Jōetsu region (上越) in the south,Chūetsu (中越) in the center,Kaetsu (下越) in the north, andSado Island. The mouth of theShinano River, the longest river in Japan, is located in Niigata Prefecture.
The major industry in Niigata Prefecture is agriculture. Rice is the principal product, and among the prefectures of Japan Niigata ranks first in rice output, followed byHokkaido andAkita.[7] The area aroundUonuma is known for producing theKoshihikari variety, widely considered to be the highest-quality rice produced in Japan.
Rice-related industries are also very important to the prefectural economy. Niigata Prefecture is known throughout Japan for its high-qualitysake,senbei,mochi, andarare. Insake production, the prefecture comes third afterGunma andKyoto prefectures.
The prefecture was also the place of origin of the ornamentalcarp known askoi.
Niigata Prefecture produces the highest volume ofazaleas and cutlilies in Japan, and is increasing the production of cut flowers and flower bulbs. Along withToyama Prefecture, it produces the highest volume oftulips in the country.
Crude oil is produced in Niigata Prefecture, although Japan relies heavily on petroleum imported from other countries.Kerosene heaters are also produced for use in the cold Niigata winters.
In theCensus of 2020, Niigata ranked as the 15th most populous prefecture. Its population decreased by 103,000 between 2015 and 2020 and this was the second largest decline afterHokkaido (157,000).[10]
"Niigata Snow": a track on the LPAida, released byDerek Bailey in 1980
Kura: a film and TV series (1995) based on the 1993 book byTomiko Miyao, an award-winning period piece about a Niigata family and its sake brewery
Blue (1996): amanga about high school girls, set inNiigata City, adapted as a film in 2001
Whiteout: an action film based on a novel published in 1995
United States of Tara (2011): a comedy-drama series onShowtime; Kate is about to embark on a trip to teach English in Niigata when a flight attendant tells her that the only thing she will hopefully find in Niigata is "a life lesson and a bullet train back toTokyo."
Much of the tourism in Niigata centers aroundskiing, especially in the alpine areas ofMyōkō andYuzawa, and going toonsen.Sado Island off the west coast of Niigata is accessible via ferry (taking one to two and a half hours) fromNaoetsu orNiigata City.
Zeami Motokiyo (1363– 1443), aesthetician, actor, and playwright, exile to Sado Island
Ryōkan (1758–1831),Zen Buddhist monk and poet, from Izumozaki
Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, (1874–1950), autobiographer and novelist, Professor of literature and taught Japanese language, culture and history at Columbia University, from Nagaoka
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