Culture of Niigata. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Niigata has a lot of amazing attractions, acquaintance with which will make any vacation exciting and informative. The city's most famous historical symbol is Aizuwakamatsu Castle dating back to the 14th century. Even though it was rebuilt several repeatedly, the castle is still of great value from an architectural point of view. The last major reconstruction of the building was carried out in the middle of the 20th century when a new reinforced concrete tower was erected near the castle. Today, the building houses a historical museum whose visitors can find out about the most important events in the history of the city, as well as the peculiarities of the culture of local people. The museum presents collections of ancient costumes and medieval weapons, historical documents and manuscripts, as well as handicrafts.

Among the surviving historic buildings, the Hakusan Shrine stands out. According to historical data, the very first temple was built in its place over 2,000 years ago. Just like the present one, it was dedicated to the Japanese goddess Kukurihime no Kami. Now the temple located in a beautiful city park is of great architectural rather than religious value. The park is equipped with gorgeous hanging galleries and gardens and is dominated by a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.

The Bandai-bashi Bridge has symbolic significance for the city. This modern bridge built in the first half of the 20th century is a beautiful and durable arched structure made of metal. The bridge that you can see today is the third in succession. The first bridge was built of wood several hundred years ago but collapsed over time. For citizens, the current bridge is a real symbol of persistence. It is one of the few local buildings that managed to completely survive the devastating earthquake of 1964. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Fans of unusual tours would be interested in visiting the Ponshukan Sake Museum located in the city. Niigata is one of the country's leaders in the production of sake. This became possible due to the fact that there are extensive rice plantations in the immediate vicinity of the city. The prefecture is also characterized by special clean water, and that's why rice vodka produced here is considered one of the best in Japan. Visitors to the museum can see thematic collections of exhibits that are in one way or another related to sake production, as well as try the best varieties of the drink made in the region. The museum houses a large gastronomic shop where, besides sake, you can buy popular regional products and delicacies.

A very interesting historical object is La Villa Ito built for one of the local wealthy landowners at the beginning of the 17th century. The luxurious mansion belonged to his descendants until 1868, and after that, it became public property. Today, the Ito Mansion houses an incredibly interesting museum that stores collections of ancient artworks and historical artifacts. Its visitors can see sophisticated handcrafted pottery, as well as samples of ancient calligraphy. The atmosphere of past centuries has been masterfully recreated in some rooms of the mansion. Here you can see an ancient kitchen and a tea room, which is now used for ceremonies. The old mansion is surrounded by a picturesque garden with a pond, which is a popular walking spot among tourists.

An equally interesting object is the old Sasagawa Mansion dating back to the second half of the 16th century. It is a large-scale architectural complex covering an area of about 14,000 square meters. Over the centuries, not only the main building of the house but also a number of outbuildings, including a warehouse and ten more buildings for various purposes, have been preserved here. Once this mansion was home to an elder of the village. Now the entire territory of the mansion has been converted into an open-air museum complex. It was possible to recreate its harmonious rural setting. Each of the buildings of the architectural complex keeps collections of interesting historical exhibits.

The Yahiko-jinja Shrine surrounded by beautiful mountainous landscapes is considered to be one of the oldest in the region. The exact date of its construction is still unknown, the first written mention of the shrine appears more than 1,300 years ago. It is dedicated to the god Ame-no-Kaguyama-no-Mikoto who, according to a legend, taught local people to cultivate rice.