As Niigata is one of Japan’s top producers for rice and rice wine (sake), one of the best ways to connect to the local community is of course, getting on the rice fields!

As a “theme park” for Japanese rice wine (sake), Ponshukan is located inside three major JR stations in Niigata — Niigata, Nagaoka, and Echigo Yuzawa. In each of them, you will be able to fill your heart with not only rice wine, but also rice-related products, pickled foods, and interesting take-home items.

Located in the mountains of Myoko City, southern Niigata Prefecture, Naena Waterfall provides a more-than-average waterfall experience. The drive to the waterfall is especially spectacular: you will be surrounded by dense trees and boundless rice paddies along the way.

Located at the trailhead of Mount Myoko, the highest mountain in the Hokushin area, Tsubame Onsen is surrounded by forest and gives its visitors a private bathing time with abundant nature around.

Sunsets alone along the Sea of Japan, or Nihonkai as it’s called in Japanese, make getting there well worth the effort, and the cycling and camping it offers make it more than well worth it.

The park’s roses come in packs; a big patch of red here and a big patch of white there. The petals of the roses are made up of so many layers and visitors are welcome to get close with the roses and take as many pictures as they fancy.

Easily accessible from Tokyo via the Joetsu Shinkansen, there are plenty of reasons to pay this part of the country a visit - and not just for the bucketloads of winter activities! Wondering what Niigata has to offer? Here are 15 of the best things to see and do in this part of Japan.

With an endless view of the Sea of Japan below, this spot is easily your next stop to vow for eternal love.

So if you’re a fan of skiing, or snow in general, but don’t have the money or thermals for Hokkaido, then here are five great ski destinations that can be easily reached from Tokyo.

Be amazed at how the workers are very dedicated in creating nothing but perfect quality products worthy of the company name.

When most people visit Japan for the first time, there’s few itineraries they have in mind. Very few of them involve a visit to the Hokuriku region. Here's why you definitely should go, and a sample itinerary stretched across the region's three main cities.

Fukushimagata Lagoon is a freshwater lake located in Niigata prefecture, an important wetlands ecosystem that is home to the rare Gorgon Plant and is also an important stopover for migratory birds.