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| Niigata Prefecture | |||||||||
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| Capital | Niigata (city) | ||||||||
| Region | Chūbu | ||||||||
| Island | Honshū | ||||||||
| Governor | Hirohiko Izumida | ||||||||
| Area (rank) | 12,582.47 km² (5th) | ||||||||
| - % water | 0.2% | ||||||||
| Population (March 1, 2005) | |||||||||
| - Population | 2,444,108 (14th) | ||||||||
| - Density | 194 /km² | ||||||||
| Districts | 10 | ||||||||
| Municipalities | 35 | ||||||||
| ISO 3166-2 | JP-15 | ||||||||
| Website | www.pref.niigata.jp/seisaku/ kokusai/english/ |
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| Prefectural Symbols | |||||||||
| - Flower | Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana) | ||||||||
| - Tree | Camellia (Camellia japonica) | ||||||||
| - Bird | Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) | ||||||||
| - Fish | {{{Fish}}} | ||||||||
 Symbol of Niigata Prefecture |
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| Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject Japan | |||||||||
Niigata prefecture (新潟県 Niigata-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Honshū island on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name Niigata literally means "new lagoon".
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History
Niigata prefecture was originally divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province until the Meiji Restoration. During the Sengoku period, the Nagao clan, who were at times vassals to the Uesugi, ruled Kasugayama Castle and the surrounding fief located in the west of modern Niigata. The most notable member of the Nagao clan was Nagao Kagetora who was later and is better known as Uesugi Kenshin. He unified the leaders of Echigo Province thus becoming its sole ruler. By taking the surname Uesugi, he became the head of the Uesugi clan and effectively brought their vast realm into his domain.
The city of Niigata-shi is the largest among the cities facing the Sea of Japan. It was the first port on the Sea of Japan to open to foreign trade since the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry in the mid-1800s. It has since played an important role in trade with Russia and northern Korea.
The Etsuzankai organization, led by prime minister Tanaka Kakuei, was highly influential in bringing infrastructure improvements to Niigata in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Joetsu Shinkansen high speed rail line and Kanetsu Expressway to Tokyo.
A freighter from North Korea visits Niigata once a month, one of the few direct contacts with the communist country.
On October 23, 2004, the Chūetsu earthquake struck Niigata Prefecture, which was measured at Shindo 6+ at Ojiya.
On January 9, 2006, a heavy winter storm struck the prefecture and its surroundings. At least 71 people died and over a thousand were injured.
On July 16, 2007, the earthquake hit the area.
Niigata Prefecture hosts the Fuji Rock Festival, an annual rock festival in Naeba ski resort. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians. It is one of the largest outdoor music event in Japan, with more than 100,000 people attending in 2005.
Geography
Niigata prefecture stretches about 240 km along the Sea of Japan from southwest to north east, with a coastal plain between the mountains and the sea. It also includes Sado Island.
Because of the way it is shaped, Niigata prefecture is often called small Honshū-Main Island. It could be placed in either the Hokuriku or Kōshin'etsu regions, each considered part of the greater Chūbu region.
The prefecture is generally divided into four geographical areas: Jōetsu in the south, Chūetsu at the center, Kaetsu in the north, and Sado Island. The mouth of the Shinano River, the longest river in Japan, is located in Niigata.
In 2006, a massive tsunami and earthquake damaged homes and caused casualties in the maritime areas of Niigata, especially nearby the Sado Island.
Cities
20 cities are located in Niigata Prefecture:
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Towns and villages
Towns and villages in each district:
Mergers
Economy
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
The major industry in Niigata is agriculture. Rice is the principal product, and Niigata is the second after Hokkaidō among the prefectures in the total rice output. The area around Uonuma is known for Koshihikari variety, which is widely considered as the highest quality rice in Japan.
Rice-related industries are also very important to the local economy. Niigata prefecture is known throughout Japan for its quality sake, senbei, mochi, and arare. In sake production, Niigata is third in the country after Gunma and Kyoto prefectures.
The prefecture is known as the origin of the ornamental carp known as koi, and the farms of Niigata still produce what is considered as the highest quality koi.
Niigata produces the highest volume of azaleas and cut lilies in Japan. Niigata also enjoys increasing production of cut flowers and flower bulb. Along with Toyama prefecture, Niigata produces the highest volume of tulips in the country.
Mining and manufacturing
Crude oil is produced in Niigata, although Japan itself relies heavily on petroleum imported from other countries. Kerosene heaters are also produced, used in the cold Niigata winters.
Kinzan on Sado Island was an active gold mine until it was closed in 1989.
Sanjo and Tsubame produce 9% of all metal silverware in Japan, by far the most for one area in the country. The two cities are the second after Osaka in the production of scissors, kitchen knives, and wrenches.
Niigata supposedly is the first in the production of knitted textile in the country, although some of the products may have been actually imported from China.
The nuclear power plant with the highest energy output in the world is located in the tiny village of Kariwa.
Demographics
In 1885, Niigata was the most populous prefecture in Japan, beating even Tokyo and Osaka prefecture in population. In the census in 2003, Niigata ranked as the 14th most populous.
Like in the rest of Japan, Niigata's population shows signs of aging, particularly in the rural areas.
Culture
Food
Niigata is known for the following regional specialities:
- Uonuma koshihikari rice: considered the best quality rice in Japan.
- Shoyu (soy-sauce) and Yofu (western-style) katsudon.
- Shoyu sekihan.
- Noppe stew.
- Wappa-han (seafood and rice steamed in a bamboo basket).
- Sasa-dango (mochi balls filled with red bean paste, seasoned with mugwort and wrapped in bamboo leaves).
- Po-po-yaki (steamed bread flavored with brown sugar).
- Hegi-soba (soba from the Uonuma and Ojiya areas that uses a special kind of seaweed).
- "Tsubame-Sanjo ramen" (ramen made using thick udon-style noodles).
- Tochio aburage (aburaage is called "aburage" in Tochio).
- Kirazu (dishes using okara).
- Kakinomoto (edible chrysanthemums).
- Kanzuri (a special seasoning from Myōkō made by leaving chili pepper exposed on snow, then adding flour, salt and yuzu).
Niigata's firsts
- Joetsu is the home to Japan's first vineyard.
- Nagaoka was home to the first drive-through restaurant in Japan.
- Shirone in Niigata City was the first place to grow Western pears in Japan.
- Joetsu is the original birthplace of the Japanese postal service.
- Snow skiing was first introduced into Japan in the Joetsu region.
Niigata in film, literature and music
- Snow Country: a 1947 novel by Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata set in Yuzawa.
- Blue: a 1996 manga and 2001 film about high-school girls, set in Niigata City.
- Whiteout: a 2000 action film based on a 1995 novel.
- Kura: a film / TV series (1995) plus book (1993) by Tomiko Miyao. An award winning period drama set in a Niigata family sake brewery.
- Niigata Snow is the title of a track on Derek Bailey's 1980 record Aida.
- My Mother is a Tractor: A Life in Rural Japan, a 2006 memoir written by Nicholas Klar, whilst based in Itoigawa City in Niigata Prefecture
Tourism
Much of the tourism in Niigata centers around the popular winter activities of skiing and going to onsen, especially in the alpine areas of Myōkō and Yuzawa.
Sado Island off the west coast of Niigata is also another popular tourist spot. It is easily accessible (1-2.5 hours) via ferry from Naoetsu or Niigata City.
Enjoy Niigata: Niigata prefecture tourism guide
Prefectural symbols
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This section requires expansion. |
Notables
Politics and military
- Hachiro Arita (1884-1965), foreign minister, from Sado Island.
- Kita Ikki (1883-1937), nationalist author and intellectual, from Sado Island.
- Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943), commander of the Japanese Imperial Navy, from Nagaoka.
- Kakuei Tanaka (1918-1993), prime minister, from Urasa, Minamiuonuma.
- Hisashi Owada (born 1932), diplomat and father of Crown Princess Masako, from Shibata.
- Makiko Tanaka (born 1944), first female foreign minister, from Kashiwazaki. Currently, a DPJ politician.
Arts and culture
- Ryōkan (1758-1831), Zen Buddhist monk and poet, from Izumozaki.
- Inoue Enryo (1858-1919), Buddhist philosopher, from Nagaoka.
- Yaichi Aizu (1881-1956), poet, calligrapher and historian, from Niigata City.
- Hayashi Fubo (1900-1935), novelist from Sado Island.
- Ango Sakaguchi (1906-1955), novelist and essayist, from Niigata City.
- Haruo Minami (1923-2001), enka singer, from Nagaoka.
- Kimio Yanagisawa (born 1948), manga artist, from Gosen.
- Yoshifumi Kondo (1950-1998), animator, from Gosen.
- Keiko Yokozawa (born 1952), seiyu, from Niigata City.
- Bin Shimada (born 1954), seiyu, from Niigata City.
- Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (born 1955), bass player for the rock group Southern All Stars, from Agano.
- Yukari Nozawa (born 1957), actor and seiyu.
- Rumiko Takahashi (born 1957), manga artist, from Niigata City.
- Hajime Watanabe (born 1957), animator.
- Shuichi Shigeno (born 1958), manga artist, from Tokamachi.
- Makoto Kobayashi (born 1958), manga artist, from Niigata City.
- Motoei Shinzawa (born 1958), manga artist, from Kashiwazaki.
- Ken Watanabe (born 1959), stage, TV and film actor, from Niigata.
- Yoko Soumi (born 1965), seiyu.
- Kazuya Tsurumaki (born 1966), animator, from Gosen.
- Akiko Yajima (born 1967), seiyu, from Kashiwazaki.
- Hiroki Yagami (born 1967), manga artist, from Kashiwazaki.
- Kazuto Nakazawa (born 1968), animator.
- Takeshi Obata (born 1969), manga artist, from Niigata City.
- Etsushi Ogawa (born 1969), manga artist.
- Rumi Kasahara (born 1970), seiyu, from Itoigawa.
- Nobuhiro Watsuki (born 1970), manga artist, from Nagaoka.
- Kiriko Nananan (born 1972), manga artist, from Tsubame.
- Daisuke Hirakawa (born 1973), seiyu.
- Yoko Ishida (born 1973), singer, from Niigata City.
- Daisuke Sakaguchi (born 1973), seiyu, from Kashiwazaki.
- Hitomi Nabatame (born 1976), seiyu, from Sado Island.
- Tatsuyuki Nagai (born 1976), anime director.
- Ryo Hirohashi (born 1977), seiyu, from Nagaoka.
- Ayana Sasagawa (born 1983), seiyu.
- Makoto Ogawa (born 1987) and Koharu Kusumi (born 1992), members of J-pop girl-group Morning Musume, from, respectively, Kashiwazaki and Nagaoka.
Sports
- Haguroyama Masaji (1914-1969), sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata who was yokozuna for 12 years and three months; an all-time record.
- Shohei Baba (1938-1999), professional wrestler, from Sanjo.
- Sawao Kato (born 1946), winner of 12 Olympic medals in gymnastics
- Killer Khan (born 1947), professional wrestler, from Tsubame.
Professional sports clubs
- Albirex Niigata: J-League Division 1 Soccer Club.
- Niigata Albirex BB: BJ (Basketball Japan) League team.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Niigata prefecture |
- Official Niigata Prefecture website (requires Macromedia Flash plugin)
- Niigata JET (Japan Education and Teaching Programme) Website
References
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