Leisure / Hobbies Spots in Niigata Area

  • Teradomari Aquarium
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    4.0
    40 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nagaokashi Teradomarihanatate 9353-158
    Teradomari Aquarium showcases the fish that live in the Sea of Japan. Besides the live specimens in the Aquarium, there are also fascinating displays about other natural creatures, including seabirds such as seagulls and kittiwakes, many different types of seaweed and small fish species, etc. The first to third floors of the Aquarium have approximately 10,000 fish belonging to around 400 different species from all over the world; visitors can watch the fish being fed. Teradomari Aquarium is located around 35-minute walk from the Nakanoshima Mitsuke Interchange of the Hokuriku Expressway.

    落ち着ける良い水族館。ウミガメに興奮、しばらく見てしまった。海に戻りたいだろうに、などと考えながらも見惚れるほど美しい。テッポウウオもおもしろいし、ゆっくりくつろげた。

  • Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art
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    4.0
    34 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nagaokashi Senshu 3-278-14
    This is an art museum opened in Nagaoka City, Niigata prefecture in 1993. It collects and exhibits art works from Niigata, Japan and around the world. There is a collection of about 6,000 artworks mainly focusing on the “Taiko Collection” of the current Taiko Bank as well as contemporary art from the Meiji period, 19th century Western art and artworks by Niigata local artists. Aside from the permanent exhibition, collection exhibitions and special exhibitions, as well as workshops where visitors can enjoy art casually, are held at the museum.

    I visit this museum mostly during the projected events such focusing Japanese traditional painters in Meiji Period, etc. The collections of this museum are in variety from Europe through Japan...

  • Joetsu Kokusai Playland
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    4.0
    58 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumashi Kabanosawa 112-1
    This water adventure park surrounded by great natural beauty is one of northern Japan's largest. The mountain resort-style park features a number of pools and thrilling attractions like their 150 and 100 meter-long Water Bobsleigh slides, their raging Wild River raft slide, a large pool and a pool for kids. The park also has various attractions you can enjoy without getting wet, such as a merry-go-round and go karts. The park also has foot baths where guests can warm up their cold bodies.

    8月の下旬に利用したのですが、晴れていても少し肌寒い。 そしてプールの水は冷たい。 大プール横のちびっこプールが一番温かく感じました。 小さい子向けのちびっこプールが大プール横と、上の遊園地の方と2か所あります。 どちらも幼児用の短いスライダーもあるので、ひたすらスライダーで遊ぶ子供たち。 スライダーの種類が多いプールだったので子供たちは大満足の様子でした。 激流を下るワイルドリバー、子供と一緒に...

  • Sado History and Folklore Museum
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    4.0
    59 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Sadoshi Mano 655
    This museum houses life-sized robots which tell 800 years of Sado's history. The museum is located adjacent to the south side of Mano Park on Sado Island. Visitors can experience the legends of Sado Island with the diorama robots, as if travelling back in time. The robots act out 12 programs in total. The stories of Emperor Juntoku's first princess and Emperor Juntoku, who was sent into exile on Sado Island, the founder of the Nichiren sect and Zeami are acted outhere. In the establishment's restaurant, Yuzuru, visitors can enjoy a meal while looking out at the Japanese gardens. The restaurant also offers dishes cooked with Sado's specialty foods such as Mekabu soba.

    佐渡へ流された人について(歴史)であった。 ここで会えるのは順徳天皇・日蓮聖人・世阿弥である。 ただし人形であるが。 他に佐渡関連?の伝説のストーリーが演じられていた。 佐渡の歴史かもしれないがイメージは違った。 子供は楽しめるのかな?

  • Niigata Science Museum
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    4.0
    24 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Chuou-ku Meikeminami 3-1-1
    This large-scale science museum is located in Chuo Ward, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. Many of the exhibits encourage direct interaction, allowing visitors to have fun as they learn about the natural sciences. The exhibitions from the first through third floors are divided into the four sections with different themes: Niigata Prefecture’s transformation over time, the natural sciences, science in our lives, and the “mystery plaza.” There’s also a moving dinosaur full-scale model, the largest planetarium on the Japan Sea coast, an outdoors exhibition area where you can experience riding in solar cars, and more, providing plenty for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

    A really awesome science museum. Although it is really more common for younger children to be at science museums, I feel that this one offers a lot of interactive displays, even for the older ones...

  • NOU BUTAI (Agrarian Stage) Snow-Land Agrarian Culture Center, Matsudai
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    4.0
    46 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Matsudai 3743-1
    At this comprehensive cultural facility located close to Matsudai Station, visitors can experience Matsudai Snow-Land Agrarian culture and art. In the building, designed by a Dutch architect group, beauty can be felt both indoors and in the outer areas as a single artwork. Inside the hall, you can catch a glimpse the lifestyle of the rural community coexisting with nature as well as an artist space. The satoyama slopes surrounding the museum act as a large field museum, and a number of works by famous artists such as Yayoi Kusama’s “Tsumari in Bloom” are always on display.

    Matsudai Nohbutai in one of the two places in the art field area that is neara train station. Other than a Yayoi Kusama piece just outside Matsudai station and a piece in the side of the rice fields...

  • Niitsu Art Museum
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    4.0
    13 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Akiha-ku Gawakesawa 109-1
    The Niitsu Art Museum is located within the Hana to Iseki no Furusato Park, near to Niigata Prefectural Botanical Garden and the Furutsu Hachimanyama Kofun historical site. The Museum hold a wide range of exhibitions, including early-modern period Nihonga and Yoga style paintings and sculptures, photography, original drawings used in the production of picture-books, comic books, animation, etc. A child-minding service, using expert professional staff, is available for visitors with young children (over six months old but below school age), although the service must be booked at least three days before visiting the Museum. The Niitsu Art Museum is located around 20-minute drive from the Niitsu Interchange on the Ban-Etsu Expressway.

    新潟市と合併し「新潟市新津美術館」となった施設です。楽しい企画展を次々と展示してくれる楽しい施設です。

  • Niigata City Art Museum
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    3.5
    30 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Chuou-ku Nishiohatachou 5191-9
    You’ll find this art museum next to Nishiohata Park in Chuo Ward, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. Its collections and exhibitions focuses on contemporary and modern art as well as the works of artists with ties to Niigata. The building was designed by Kunio Maekawa, a Niigata-born architect, in his latest years. The collection consists of over 4,000 items and includes modern art by Bonnard, Rodin, Piccaso, and more, as well as domestic artists such as Yayoi Kusama. Several exhibits are held every year.

    Niigata Art Museum is a 15 minute bus ride from the History Museum - catch the bus on the side street in back. I was drawn by a rarely shown and massive exhibit of Hokusai woodblock prints, stunning...

  • Yuzawa Kogen Ski Area
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    3.5
    7 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumagunyuzawamachi Yuzawa 490
    This ski resort is located approximately five kilometers from the Kan-etsu Expressway’s Yuzawa Interchange. Forest Adventure activities and kayaking can be enjoyed here in the summer. The slopes’ difference in height is 244 meters, with the highest gradient being 32 degrees and the longest skiing distance 2,000 meters, there are courses suitable for everyone from beginners to advanced level skiers. There are also “mock” courses such as the Mogul course, where you can just glide at your own pace to learn the required actions and new skiers can enjoy learning how to ski before they know it. There is a free shuttle bus from the JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station’s west exit.

    湯沢高原スキー場に来た時は必ず。 12時からなので 朝1番からスキー 12時には終わりにして 空いている時入ります。

  • Seki Onsen Ski Area
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    4.0
    20 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Prefecture Myoko City Seki Onsen
    This century-old ski area adjacent to Seki Onsen is a 20-minute drive from Myoko-Kogen Interchange. Its well-balanced courses utilize the natural topography of the foothills of Mt. Myoko. Each course is designed to maximize enjoyment, whether it is the intermediate course, which features a ramp-centric snow park, the ungroomed expert course, a great place to enjoy high-quality powder, or the main slope, which has practice ramps. Their restaurant is popular for its hearty hand-made lunches. After a long day of fun, we recommend relaxing in the hot springs at nearby Seki Onsen or Tsubame Onsen.

    The area has over 20cm of fresh snow overnight so we headed to Seki Onsen. It’s a family run resort with two lifts and mostly ungroomed. It’s a fun place with deep and steep powder. But it does get...

  • Takada Castle Site Park
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Joetsu-shi Motoshirocho 44-1
    Takada Park was built on the site of what was formerly Takada Castle, a castle built as a residence for Tokugawa Tadateru, the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu; the entire Park has been designated as an official Historic Site by Niigata Prefectural Government. A variety of cultural and sporting facilities are located within Takada Park, including the reconstructed Sanju-yagura (three-tiered tower) of the old Takada Castle, the Castle Museum, the Kobayashi Kokei Memorial Museum of Art, Takada Library, and the Mimei Ogawa Literature Museum (located inside the Library), making the Park a favorite place for local residents to spend their leisure time. With around 4,000 cherry trees, Takada Park is also a popular spot for viewing the cherry blossom in spring. Takada Park is located around eight- minute drive from Takada Station on the Myoko Haneuma Line.
  • Niigata Senbei Oukoku
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    4.0
    16 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Kita-ku Nizaki 2661
    Senbei Oukoku (“Rice Cracker Kingdom”) is a tourist facility with multiple attractions located on Prefectural Route 27 in Niizaki, Kita Ward Niigata City. There is an experiential activity center where visitors can try their hand at decorating senbei (rice crackers) or making “Baka-uke” senbei, etc., tours of the factory where visitors can see how senbei are made, a senbei tasting area, and a shop selling limited-edition “Baka-uke” senbei, “Baka-uke” branded goods, etc. The café offers a menu that includes “Senbei Soft-serve Ice Cream” (with soft-serve ice cream sandwiched between two senbei crackers), “Baka-uke Croquettes,” which are potato croquettes in the shape of a “Baka-uke” senbei cracker, “Rice Flour Curry Bread,” etc.

    ばかうけの工場へ 子供にお煎餅に絵描きしながら、焼き作り体験できる さらに箱買いで楽しめるお安いスナックも沢山あります。

  • Niigata Prefectural Botanical Garden
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    4.0
    20 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Akiha-ku Kanadu 186
    This botanical garden, which contains about 100,000 plants on its expansive grounds, opened in 1998 and is located in Akiha Ward, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. Of the three dome-shaped greenhouses, the popular “tropical plant dome” is the largest in the country. Its jungle-like interior houses 4,000 specimens from 550 species, including rare baobab plants and Victoria amazonica. The must-see “Hana to Midori no Stage” has eight exhibitions held throughout the year along with the seasons. The garden features a walkway, allowing you to enjoy the peony garden, azalea garden, herb garden, and more as you stroll.

    大きなドーム型の温室が特徴の植物園。 中には滝が落ち、川となり、流れついた先の池にはオニバスが咲いています。 わざわざ暑い夏に熱帯温室に行ったのですが、いろいろな花が楽しめました。 コロナ対応でイベント中止になりましたが、リニューアルが楽しみです。 4月には営業開始するのかな。

  • The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum
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    4.0
    32 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Nigatashi Chuou-ku Bandaijima 5-1 Toki Messe within the Manijima building 5F
    You’ll find this art museum on the fifth floor of the Toki Messe Bandaijima Building in Chuo Ward, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. It is a branch of the Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art in Nagaoka City. Together, both buildings have a combine total of over 6,000 items, including works by artists with ties to Niigata as well as postwar modern art and art from other parts of Asia. There are no permanent exhibitions; about five or six exhibitions are held each year, rotating between planned exhibitions and collection showcases. There’s also a shop where you can purchase illustrated books of the collections and other museum goods.

    ドラえもん展の見学も旅の目的の一つでしたが、様々なアーティストの方々がドラえもんをオマージュした内容でとても見応えがありました。

  • Tokamachi City Museum
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    4.5
    28 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Tokamachishi Nishimotochou 1-382-1
    This museum in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, houses and displays historical and cultural artifacts from Tokamachi based on the theme of “snow, textiles and the Shinano River”. There are a lot of models, dioramas, and archaeological finds etc. displayed in the museum which introduce in chronological order the history of the Jomon period through to modern times. You can also see artifacts relating to Tokamachi textiles which show the tools that were used and resourcefulness of the people in their daily lives in this region of heavy snow. The flame-style pottery, excavated from the Sasayama site in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, are the most outstanding items exhibited in the museum and have been designated as National Treasures.

    十日町市まできて国宝の「火焔型土器」を見ない手はないと、大地の芸術祭アート鑑賞の合間を縫って訪ねた。2020年に新博物館として開館したという白い建物は、縄文土器や雪の結晶をグラフィック化した外壁が目をひく。エントランスを進むと「縄文時代と火焔型土器のクニ」という展示コーナーがあり、その一角に国宝展示室がある。「火焔型土器」は縄文時代中期に新潟県エリアで栄えた土器様式で、燃え上がる炎を象ったかのよう...

  • Yuzawa Ichigo Mura Strawberry Farm
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    4.5
    7 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Minamiuonumagunyuzawamachi Kandatsu 750-1
    This all-weather pick-your-own strawberry farm, Uonuma's first, is a five-minute drive from Yuzawa Interchange. Open from January to the end of June, people of all ages can enjoy picking strawberries rain, snow, or shine. Guests can pick sweet and juicy Echigohime strawberries (a variety exclusive to Niigata Prefecture) raised with great attention to their watering and cultivation in the farm's three big greenhouses. The farm is wheelchair accessible, as the strawberries can be picked without bending over and the greenhouses were built with wide passages. Visitors can choose to either take home their strawberries or enjoy the all-you-can-eat option. The farm also has a rest area where you can eat your strawberries.

    On April 2019 as part of our Gala Yuzawa Package tour we opted to visit and try strawberry picking at Yuzawa Strawberry Farm. Getting there takes 15 mins by bus which departs every 1 hour from Gala...

  • Ojiya City Nishikigoi no Sato
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    4.0
    30 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Odiyashi Jounai 1-8-22
    Located in 1 Chome, Jonai, Ojiya City, Ojiya Nishikigoi no Sato is a facility where visitors can view beautiful Nishikigoi (varicolored carp, also known as “golden carp”). Around 45% of all Nishikigoi produced in Niigata Prefecture are bred in Ojiya; these “swimming treasures” have become a famous local specialty, and are highly regarded both in Japan and overseas. Visitors can view Nishikigoi in the park area, and can also see specially-selected specimens in the viewing ponds. There are displays that enabled visitors to learn more about Nishikigoi, and visitors can also feed the Nishikigoi in the viewing ponds.

    錦鯉について、その歴史と、現在の鑑賞用として世界に広く知れ渡るに至るまでの経緯・人々の努力の積み重ねの資料の数々が展示されている資料館である。現在錦鯉には様々な色の組み合わせや模様があるが、それらには全て名前と特徴が存在し、交配による分化の歴史、繁殖に使用される施設や注意点の紹介、高値を付けるための基準など、単に錦鯉の整体だけでなく幅広い情報を知ることが出来、非常に興味深い。 資料館としての規模は...

  • Snow Peak Headquarters Camping Field
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    4.5
    12 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Sanjo-shi Nakanohara 456

    昨今のキャンプやアウトドアブームで始めたばかりのビギナーですがこちらの施設はいいですね。snowpeak社が公式に運営しているので安心して利用できます。 設備も充実しているので道具を最小限に済ませられる利点が大きい。 すぐ近くにはsnowpeak運営のスパ施設やレストランもあるのでホテルに来たような気分にも慣れなんとも不思議な気持ちになれます。 夜間は星空も綺麗なので星座を見ながら飲むビールは絶対...

  • Suntopia World
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    4.0
    9 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Niigata Agano Ichikubo 1-1

    2020年に開業45年を迎えるサントピアワールドは、旧名「安田アイランド」。昭和の時代から多くのファミリーに愛されてきた遊園地です。 今も多くの子供たちに愛されています。幼稚園児-小学校低学年のお子さんを連れて行くにはうってつけのレジャー施設ではないでしょうか。

  • Sado Island’s Ogi Folk Museum, Sengokubune Exhibition Hall
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    3.5
    26 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nigata Pref. Sadoshi Shukunegi 270-2
    This museum is located in a wooden schoolhouse built in 1920 that has been preserved as-is. Inside the building which still bears the vestiges of its days as a schoolhouse are displays for a collection of over 30,000 folk materials that have been designated as important tangible folk-cultural properties, including tools and equipment for shipbuilders. During the Hakusan Maru Matsuri festival held every summer, the Hakusan Maru, Japan’s first fully-restored sengokubune (wooden freight ship) that is on display in the museum, is pulled out under human power and an impressive large white sail that is 155 tatami mats in size is raised.

    There is a video here you can watch in English that describes how the shipping history of Sado made this island such a melting pot of culture from around Japan. You can go inside the boat and see...

Niigata Areas

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Found along the northwestern coast of Japan, Niigata prefecture is celebrated for its high-quality rice and breathtaking nature, most notably its spectacular mountains, whose white peaks draw in snow sports lovers from far and wide over the winter months. Hit the slopes at Yuzawa, pick out your favourite modern artist at Echigo Tsumari, or take a ferry over to Sado Island for an extra adventure.

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