Niigata Prefecture

What was once known as 越後国 (echigo-no-kuni), Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture renowned for its natural beauty and well-known for its rice production. The rice grown here, known as コシヒカリ (koshi-hikari), is some of the highest-ranked rice in all of Japan. This high-quality rice is very popular, it can be bought almost anywhere in the country. There are many rice fields across Niigata Prefecture, and many areas where one can enjoy beautiful views of the Japanese countryside.

The high-quality rice of Niigata Prefecture isn’t just eaten. The rice here is also used to make 日本酒 (nihonshu—traditional Japanese alcohol). Also known as “rice wine”, the alcohol produced here has become popular across the globe. Traditional Japanese warehouses are used to make rice wine. There are many in Niigata Prefecture, and a portion of a few of these warehouses have been renovated into small museums where you can learn about the history of the company that runs them and learn about the process by which rice wine is made. Depending on the warehouse, you can try some rice wine made there. It’s a lot of fun to visit a few of these traditional warehouses and find a particular rice wine you enjoy.

Other than just rice, there are a number of foods that Niigata Prefecture is well-known for. One such food is わっぱ飯 (wappa-meshi). This is a type of food that’s served in a traditional wooden Japanese lunch box known as 曲げわっぱ (mage-wappa). Rice that has been cooked using a broth (or soup stock) is then placed inside the mage-wappa lunch box. A variety of foods, including fish, crab, and so on, are placed on top. Along with this beautifully prepared food, Niigata Prefecture is also well-known for its rāmen. Rāmen fanatics will love this prefecture, as there are five different types of ラーメン (rāmen) here. These include rāmen with a ginger and soy sauce base, rāmen with a base that uses back fat from pork, rāmen with a rich 味噌 (miso—a type of paste made from soy beans) base, a light soy sauce-based rāmen, and a rāmen that uses curry.

Niigata Prefecture also has some special Japanese sweets, too. One of those sweets is 笹団子 (sasa-dango). These are 団子 (dango—boiled or steamed balls of rice flour) that are wrapped in 笹 (sasa—bamboo grass) and then tied together using straw made from such plants as 菅 (suge—sedge). Once wrapped, these dango look like 俵 (tawara). The tawara are straw bags traditionally used to carry rice, fish, and much more. These sasa-dango are popular across Japan. So popular that they’ve appeared in books, such as Natsume Sōseki’s “Botchan”. It’s not just rice, but there’s a lot of other delicious food to be found in Niigata Prefecture, too.

When many think of prefectures in Japan that are full of tradition, without a doubt, prefectures in the Kansai region, such as Kyoto Prefecture and Nara Prefecture, come to most people's minds first. However, Niigata Prefecture is also full of tradition. Here, they have a style of sightseeing boats known as 力屋観光汽船 (rikiya-kankō-kisen). These particular boats are known as たらい舟 (tarai-bune), which are boats shaped like wooden tubs used to wash clothes. The tarai-bune first emerged at the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912) and was originally used as a fishing vessel. Some still use these boats to fish, but nowadays they’re more commonly used for tourism. One can enjoy a ride on these traditional Japanese boats as women in the local area paddle them around.

Niigata Prefecture is also renowned for its snow. Because of this, winter sports such as skiing can be enjoyed. There are many ski resorts here. This is a must-visit area for skiers. Other than skiing, traditional Japanese igloos known as かまくら (kamakura) can also be enjoyed. After enjoying all that snow, relaxing in one of the many 温泉 (onsen—natural hot or boiling water from beneath the earth used for bathing) is a great way to end a day.

Niigata Prefecture has the highest rice production in the country. This is an area in Japan with tradition and fantastic rice wine. Rice wine is brewed between December and March each year. Visiting Niigata Prefecture during these months is the best way to enjoy a newly made batch. With snow to enjoy and lots of delicious rice wine, we at MORIKOBOSHI highly recommend visiting Niigata Prefecture during the colder months to experience the best of this prefecture.

NOTE
Niigata Prefecture is a beautiful countryside prefecture. However, its public transportation is limited. One can get to the typical tourist spots via it, but it’s faster (and most likely cheaper) to get around by renting a car.