Kikkawa Salmon Shop
For centuries, the City of Murakami in Niigata has been known throughout Japan for its salmon. In fact, salmon is such an important part of the city that they are known to have 100 different recipes for preparing salmon! To get a glimpse of the salmon scene here, there is no better place than the Kikkawa Salmon Shop.
Be ready to spend a fair bit of time here, because when you first enter the Kikkawa Salmon Shop, you will be spoilt for choice by the myriad of salmon products that they offer. But more interestingly, if you visit the inner part of the shop, you will get a chance to see Kikkawa’s magnificent salmon ‘processing’ area, where rows of fishes are displayed and hung up to dry.
Sasagawa Nagare
Other than rice and sake, Niigata is also famous for its seafood. If you’d like to know why, Sasagawa Nagare is a must-visit. Here, you’ll get a glimpse into the lives of the local fishermen and hop on one of their boats for an exciting tour around the magnificent Sasagawa Nagare coastline.
Once you’re back on dry land, treat yourself to the freshest catches of the day. A small shop by the side of the coast will fulfill all your fresh seafood cravings. And if you loved the Kikkawa Salmon Shop, you can also get a rather cute and unique soft toy in the shape of dried salmon here.
Shirone Grape Garden
When you think that it can’t get any better than rice, sake, and seafood, Niigata surprises you again with their quality grapes. They produce one of the freshest organic fruit produce in Japan and if you’re up for a fruitful adventure, Shirone Grape Garden should definitely be on your list.
While grape-picking is surely the highlight at Shirone Grape Garden, you can also pick other fruits like strawberries, pears and blueberries! Moreover, you can also opt for an all-you-can-eat buffet of fresh grapes or strawberries.
Ponshu-kan Sake Museum
As the second largest rice producer in Japan, Niigata is famous for its long history of rice cultivation, and hence its alcoholic by-product: sake. If you enjoy sake, you need to drop by this sake shop and museum.
Before browsing the shops, however, why not head straight down to the famous sake-tasting corner of the museum? With over a hundred different sake types to choose from — of which many are Niigata’s own famous local brands — the Ponshu-kan Sake Museum might just mark the start of your sake-tasting career. For an affordable JPY 500, you can get five full shots of the sake of your choice at the sake vending machines. And if just tasting sake is not enough, you can try a fully immersive experience of bathing in hot sake at the Echigo-Yuzawa Ponshukan branch. Also, make sure to bring along your friends for an extra good time, as the museum is pretty cosy for hangouts and long conversations with a glass of quality sake.
Kamo Jellyfish Aquarium
Ever been to a jellyfish aquarium? Or how about one that stands 5 metres tall for that matter? If you haven’t, consider visiting this one-of-a-kind museum in the City of Tsuruoka. Certified by the Guinness World Records as having the largest jellyfish collection on display in the world, the Kamo Jellyfish Aquarium offers a unique and dream-like experience that is hard to forget. Exhibited in dark rooms and glass tanks reminiscent, over 30 types of jellyfish swim in tandem throughout the exhibition area.
Above it all, one of the most impressive features of this aquarium would be the Kurage Dream Theater: a 5-metre tall jellyfish aquarium that stands in the middle of a large, empty and almost pitch black room. The tank — the largest of its kind in the world — holds about 4,000 to 5,000 jellyfish, all swimming across the diameter of the aquarium in slow, graceful motions, as if on a perpetual theatrical performance.
Mount Haguro
Rejuvenate your senses by immersing yourself deep in the forest of Mount Haguro. One of the easiest of three mountains to access at Dewa Sanzan, Mount Haguro offers a peaceful walk surrounded by ancient sky-high cedar trees and beautiful small shrines.
The hike to the summit offers a lot for the nature and culture lovers. The ascent is decorated with moss-covered rocks, beautiful rivers, a waterfall, and many small shrines and statues that are laden with history. Since ancient times, many pilgrims and visitors have embarked on the 2,446-step walk to the summit of Mount Haguro. While you bask in the sights and sounds along the trail, you will realise why this site is a favourite of many.