In winter, kanjiki snowshoeing is the way to experience the landscape on foot. One of my most distinct moments in Niigata was strapping on traditional Japanese snowshoes, sinking knee-deep in snow, shaking powder off bent trees, and eventually stomping out a small “snow house” where my guide from Yukinoya Furusawa-Tei set a table of kuromoji tea and sasadango, a roasted mochi filled with red bean. At Aoki Sake Brewery, tours include a visit to the snow cellar, where sake is aged using Niigata’s natural snowfall as refrigeration.
The coast is a side of the prefecture that most inland itineraries miss. Murakami, a former castle town at the northern tip, hangs whole salmon from ceilings to dry and ferment. Kikkawa is the essential stop for thinly sliced air-dried salmon. The nearby Izutsuya serves the salmon in full-course format. Further south, the Teradomari Fish Market is a lively strip of seafood stalls where vendors grill the day’s catch in front of you.
Offshore, Sado Island is reachable by ferry and is home to the UNESCO-listed Sado Kinzan gold mine, hangiri rides in traditional wooden washtub boats, and taiko drumming at Tatakoukan, where the Kodo drumming community has been based for decades. Nipponia Sado Aikawa is a boutique “town hotel” in a restored merchant’s house that connects guests to local restaurants and artisans across the 400-year-old mining town. Yakitori Kimpuku, an award-winning yakitori spot on the island, is worth planning dinner around. In warmer months, the terraced rice paddies at the Kamou Terraced Fields turn a deep green and offer some of the most photogenic hiking in rural Japan, and the Furumachi Geigi experience in Niigata City is a rare chance to see one of Japan’s few remaining active geisha districts.
Where to eat (and drink) in Niigata
Niigata’s food culture is intricately linked to its geography. The prefecture’s legendary Koshihikari rice, heavy snowfall, and clean mountain water have built a cuisine that leans heavily on fermentation, preservation, and seasonality. At Satoyama Jūjō, the hotel’s on-site restaurant Sanaë is led by chef Keiko Kuwakino, winner of the Niigata Gastronomy Award’s Best Female Chef honor. The restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2020, and Kuwakino builds menus around seasonal mountain vegetables, shifting the menu with the mountain calendar. The highlight of my dinner was the rice the servers cooked in front of us, stealing the show as the main course. Tokiwazushi in Niigata city showcases the region’s coastal treasures with sushi that won the Grand Prix at the Niigata Gastronomy Award 2026. For something more casual, Kiguchi and Koshuu Hanten are both award-winning restaurants offering everyday izakaya dining. Regional specialties like hegisoba, the cold buckwheat noodles bound with funori seaweed, are also worth seeking out.
