How to spend your time / Nearby sightseeing

Bandai Bridge

An iconic bridge in Niigata. Just walking across it makes you feel like you're sightseeing.

10-minute walk or 5-minute drive from Niigata Station

Toki Messe Observation Deck (Befco Bakauke Observation Room)

Enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view from 125 meters above ground. Concerts and events are held at the convention center.

Approximately 15 minutes by bus or car from Niigata Station, or approximately 25 minutes on foot.

Pier Bandai (Seafood Market)

You can shop, and also enjoy restaurants, cafes, and barbecues. There's a fresh fish market, rice and vegetable shops, and popular conveyor belt sushi and ramen restaurants.

20-minute walk from Niigata Station, or about 10 minutes by car (parking is often crowded).

Imayo Tsukasa Sake Brewery

This is a historic sake brewery in Niigata City, founded in 1767.
Brewery tours are available with advance reservations.
Closed on: Open all year round (closed from December 31st to January 3rd)

15-minute walk or 7-minute drive from Niigata Station.

Minemura Brewery Direct Sales Store

This is a long-established miso maker founded in 1905. You can also take a tour of the miso brewery. We also sell miso-pickled vegetables, amazake (sweet rice drink), and other seasonings.

13-minute walk from Niigata Station, or about 5 minutes by car.

Nuttari Terrace Shopping Street

Nuttari Terrace Shopping Street was created by renovating a row of houses that were originally used as a market, preserving the retro Showa-era streetscape while being reborn in a new way.
There are over 20 different shops lined up.
(Fashion, general merchandise, cafes, restaurants, etc.)

15-minute walk from Niigata Station, or about 7 minutes by car (there is no parking available, so please use a nearby coin-operated parking lot.)

Hakusan Shrine

Hakusan-sama is said to be a highly efficacious deity of family safety, business prosperity, traffic safety, protection from evil, safety in construction and building, safety at sea, fertility, safe childbirth, and matchmaking. As the guardian shrine of Niigata, it has been revered by many people, not just the citizens of Niigata, to this day. You can also enjoy a stroll while admiring the seasonal flowers that bloom throughout the year.

◇Dōsojin (roadside guardian deity)

This Dōsojin (roadside guardian deity) statue, which depicts a male and female deity harmoniously pounding mochi (rice cakes) in stone, is said to bring good fortune for safe childbirth, conception, child-rearing, matchmaking, and marital harmony.

◇Hakusan Kukuriishi

This sacred stone was specially given to us by Hakusan Hime Shrine, the head shrine of Hakusan Shrine, to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the mountain. It is said that by touching the stone directly, you can receive the power of Hakusan-sama.

◇Ginkgo Knot

The two ginkgo trees, one male and one female, are estimated to be approximately 200 years old. It is believed that stroking the trees will bring about success in love, marital harmony, and family happiness, and they have been revered since ancient times as sacred trees for matchmaking, fertility, and childbirth.

Approximately 15 minutes by car or bus from Niigata Station (50 parking spaces available), or approximately 25 minutes on foot.

Marinepia Nihonkai

This aquarium boasts one of the largest scales in the Sea of ​​Japan region. It also hosts a variety of events, including popular dolphin shows and a penguin parade (autumn to spring).

Approximately 25 minutes by car or bus from Niigata Station (670 parking spaces available).

Niigata City History Museum

This history museum was established on the banks of the Shinano River. With exhibits and experiences themed around "The history of the water and people of our region," and historical buildings from the Meiji and early Showa periods, including the former Niigata Customs House, visitors can fully enjoy the history and culture of Niigata, a charming old port town and city of water.

Approximately 10 minutes by car from Niigata Station, or 40 minutes by sightseeing loop bus.

Niigata Senbei Kingdom

This is a theme park dedicated to Niigata's unique rice crackers, where you can experience, tour, eat, and buy them.

Approximately 30 minutes by car from Niigata Station

Northern Culture Museum

The Ito family, the most prominent landowners in Echigo, are captivating the more you see and learn about them. A legacy of Echigo's most affluent farmers, where life and art still thrive.

Approximately 30 minutes by car from Niigata Station

Yahiko Shrine

Located at the foot of the sacred Mt. Yahiko, which rises over the vast Echigo Plain, amidst the clear waters of the Mitarai River and a dense forest of pine and cedar trees, Yahiko Shrine is a renowned shrine that protects northern Echigo, and has shone with high and revered divine power from ancient times to the present day. It enshrines Amenokaguyama-no-Mikoto, the ancestral deity of the development of Echigo, revered as "Oyahi-sama," who was instrumental in the founding of the nation.

Approximately 50 minutes by car from Niigata Station