Niigata Private Tours
Book a Private Niigata Tour with a Local Tour Guide
Niigata Highlights Tours
Niigata City one day tour of your choices
Located on the Japan sea side of mainland Honshu, about 2 hours bullet train ride from Tokyo, Niigata city has been flourished as one of the major port towns for centuries. Along with this historical background, Niigata city is now well known for delicious "koshihikari" rice, varieties of tasty sake, fresh products from both land and sea. In this tour, you can choose 3 or 4 places to visit for 7-hour sightseeing tour. We mainly use public transportation networks like Niigata city loopline bus service ( one-day ticket JPY 500 ) and taxi if necessary. The places of choices are as follows: 1. Niigata City Aquarium "Marinepia Nihonkai" Displaying both marine and fresh water fish in the region and aquatic animals. Dolphin shows are performed daily. JPY 1500 Closed from Dec.29-Jan.1, Mar.3,4 2. Pia Bandai Fish and vegatable market with restaurants popular for locals and tourists. 3. "Imayotsukasa" sake brewery There is a guided tour and you can sample tasty sake. 4. The Niigata Saito Villa Built about 100 years ago, this gorgeous villa and Japanese style garden attracts visitors all year round. JPY 300 Closed on Mondays, from Dec.28-Jan.3 5. Minatopia with Former Niigata Customs House There are also Former Daishi Bank building and Niigata City History Museum by the Shinano River. 6. Former Ozawa Family Residence Authentic machiya-style house with beautiful garden from the Meiji Period. JPY 200 Closed on Mondays, from Dec.28-Jan.3 7. Honcho Market Located on the bustling Furumachi ( old town ) district, vendors sell all kinds of food with reasonable prices. * vendors are less on Sundays 8. Strolling Furumachi district for 1 hour Furumachi was once known as geigi (geisha) district like Kyoto and there are many restaurants, temples, old and new buildings in this area. * you can combine this choice with the Saito Villa or/and the Ozawa Residence (both in Furumachi district). Please choose places you'd like to visit and email me. Let's have fun in Niigata city!
Niigata City Highlights Tour
This compact, half-day tour introduces some of the city's cultural and historical highlights, concluding with a visit to a local specialties shop and sake-tasting museum. The client can expect to learn about Niigata City's history and culture, including unique culinary traditions. The guide will describe the city and it's culture against the larger backdrop of the prefecture and Japan as a whole.
Touring around Urasa station Niigata
Touring around Urasa station will provide you with the local history of Naked man festival, local cuisine :charcoaled Ayu sweet fish if you like and Ikeda art museum if you like with its beautiful park garden. You can also experience maccha.
Niigata City One Day Walking Tour
Niigata City is famous for its delicious rice, agricultural products, and fresh fish. This is thanks to the abundance of water that has made it a "city of water.” At the same time, however, people have suffered from floods since the beginning of history and have repeatedly overcome them. In addition, Niigata City today is home to some of the best people in the world of comics and modern dance. Come and taste the breeze of a town with such a unique history and character.
Niigata Day Trip Tours
Central Niigata City 1-Day Tour
You are to visit highlights of Niigata City in 6 hours using public transportation and taxi. Choose 5 spots to visit. You will love to walk along the Shinano River and cross the symbolic Bandai Bridge if time allows. You will also have opportunity to learn the history and background of abundant Niigata food culture such as sake, miso, rice balls and other food materials. From the top of Bakauke Observation Deck, you will have the great and panoramic view of the city and the nature.
Joetsu City One Day Walking Tour, Takada Area
Interested in historical sites in Japan? How about Joetsu City? Just a short ride from Tokyo (two hours.) Joetsu City is located in Niigata Prefecture, along the Sea of Japan. Takada Area, a famous sightseeing spot in Joetsu, has interesting features: a castle town, a snowy town, and tasty food and sake. By walking along a local town and communicating with local people, you will feel refreshed and energized. I hope to see you soon!
Shibata Castle and Central Shibata
Visitors can take the beautiful view of Shibata Castle, and feel the ambience of the castle town by walking along the streets. Please choose 6 spots to visit out of the highlights in central Shibata City.
Northern Culture Museum, Tsukioka and Fukushimagata Wetlands
Visitors can visit the large former Ito Family residence (Northern Culture Museum), and soak their feet in outdoor hot bath in Tsukioka. Please enjoy tasting various kinds of sake, local foods and lunch. Take a panoramic view of vast rice fields spreading in the Echigo Plain from the top floor of View Fukushimagata standing by the wetlands and learn how Niigata has centered rice in its culture.
Niigata Food & Drink Tours
Murakami city Sake Sake one day tour
Murakami city is located in the northern part of Niigata Prefecture. The city was flourished during the Edo period as a castle town governed by the Murakami clan. It is famous for "鮭-sake-salmon", "酒-another sake-Japanese sake", "Tsuishu" lacquer ware, Machiya houses, Murakami beef, Murakami green tea, Hina doll festival and more! In this tour we visit several must-see places in this diverse city. 1.Kikkawa: A shop selling salmon products. You will be surprised to see so many dried salmons hung from the ceiling of the shop. 2.Taiyo Sake Brewery: You can sample some of its products like "Taiyozakari". 3.Machiya houses open to the public ( some of them are shops selling salmon products, green tea, blacksmith, restaurant and so on. 4.Iyoboya Kaikan (salmon museum): You can learn why Murakami city became famous for salmon. Murakami city has succeeded in preserving old-style Japanese houses and you can enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere it produces. It is mostly a walking tour(about 3-4 km) and we may use loop bus or taxi accordingly. You can take Uetsuhonsen line from Niigata to Murakami, about 1-hour by local train.
Sake Brewery Visit/Tasting Tour to Niigata Prefecture
Walking through old traditional streets in Niigata will bring you back in time where you will be able to feel the sense of the past times combined with modern. Niigata is famous for its beautiful coastal and mountainous sceneries but Niigata prefecture is also well known for the brewing of "miso" "soy sauce" "sake" which have been carried out for centuries. Day Trip from Toky Tour will start 8:00am at your hotel and take Shinkansen to Niigata prefecture where you spend half day.
Niigata Nature & Outdoor Tours
Two-wheel Adventures
A long-time resident of Niigata and avid cyclist, I have explored on two wheels the prefecture's areas of natural beauty and cultural interest on routes that only a local guide would know. As such, I offer custom cycling tours to travelers who want to get off the beaten track.
Morning Run in Downtown Niigata
Start your day on the right foot with this 2-hour, 10-kilometer jogging tour of downtown Niigata. The route includes temples, shrines, historic places, and scenic sights.
Niigata Art, Culture, & Historical Tours
Niigata Off the Beaten Path Tours
Niigata Tour Reviews
“Knowledgeable, pleasant and absolutely amazing!”
Yoshiko was our tour guide for Niigata. We had a very loose plan of what we would like to see and do, and left the planning to Yoshiko (this was not an easy task for her since we didn't have anything specific we wanted to do). The moment regulations lifted and she was able to use her own personal car to ferry us, she gave us that option so we could do more things in the time planned with her. Yoshiko is fluent in English, so conversations were fluid and really easy going. My mind was put at ease because I did not need to worry about whether I was saying something that could be misinterpreted. Yoshiko also had very good knowledge about the local and surrounding area, the history, the best places to get a good bird's eye view of the city, the hidden sushi places, and good food recommendations in Niigata city. We especially enjoyed our trip to the sake brewery; we joined a Japanese speaking tour (as they only had limited English speaking guided tour) and Yoshiko helped translate in real time, allowing us to feel included in the sake tour. She also introduced us to the Ponshukon which we visited again after. Our trip to Niigata was definitely made more memorable because we had Yoshiko as our guide. For anyone who is thinking of having a personalised tour in Niigata, please do - you will get to places faster, and see more things in the time you have there because Niigata is quite flat and widespread. Having a guide makes the trip so much more stress-free. Thank you Yoshiko for your excellent service! We hope to return to Niigata soon and touch base again.
Yoshiko K.
Thank you Jasmyin for your review. It was very convenient for me to drive my own car and show you around. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed your time in Niigata. Yes, I remember you liked sake or Japanese rice wine brewery and sampling a lot at Ponshukan. You also enjoyed making button badge making at Manga House and tasting sasadango, one of Niigata's specialties in a sasadango making cafe. This time, you experienced central Niigata city but as Niigata is fifth largest prefecture in Japan, I would love to show you more unique places next time. Thank you again for your cooperation sitting in my small car. It was so nice to have you two in Niigata! See you again!
“Comprehensive and personal ”
Kei san was very meticulous in helping us to plan for the tour. He tried to find out about what would be our interests so he can help put it in the tour, and he made suggestions that are so good! We enjoyed the Shoji door making and learning about the shoji paper. The sake brewery was a delight and his explanations about how the city cope with snow, was really interesting. There’s also a little workshop on how to ‘recycle’ cereal/chocolate boxes into little pieces of art, really creative. We had such fun and we are already thinking when do we come back again. Thank you Kei san for your hospitality!
Keiichi S.
Hi, Ms. Shufen, Thank you for your kind impression of the tour. Unfortunately, it rained in the afternoon, so we could not enjoy the scenery. But your daughters looked like they enjoyed checking their breath, which turned white because of the cold temperature. It would be great if the tour helped you understand snowy countries' lifestyles. Woods and papers are essential materials for Japanese buildings and lives. I am glad you've found such aspects in this tour. Best Regards, Kei
“Fun adventures with Yoshiko ”
This experience can be described as fascinating and memorable with Yoshiko. Throughout the tour, Yoshiko was very knowledgeable in the history of Niigata that allowed us to appreciate their history and its significance. She was able to customise our tour due to bad weather and took us to a local factory that specialise in kitchen ware that we really wanted to go to. In terms of food, we tried oden, a local dessert, and a restaurant that offered set menu meals. Other than the fun adventure we had with Yoshiko, she had a very beautiful personality that made sure we were accommodated and got on the right train to head back home to our hotel. We really enjoyed this tour and would like to come by again to experience any tours with Yoshiko. Thank you again for your time and the memories made Yoshiko!!
Yoshiko K.
Thank you, Alvin for your review on the tour. Oden was actually the winter recommendation, especially in the old shop, sitting at kotatsu or leg warming table. I am so happy to know you enjoyed that. It was also so nice of you that you could sit on tatami mat at a low table, in the Japanese style. Our lunch was really good wasn't it? Because it was a National Holiday, you couldn't take a look at all the processes, it is nice to know you had a good time in the factory. Thank you for caming to Niigata. And thank you all the questions and information you gave me. I wil
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