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.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Niigata Station or your hotel in Niigata
Niigata Station or your hotel in Niigata
(Information : If you are accommodated in Tokyo, It takes about two hours from Tokyo to Niigata by bullet train.)
Imayo-Tsukasa Sake Brewery
You will join a small tour of sake brewing and learn how sake is brewed. After that time, you can taste a couple of their products. If you wish to taste more sake, you can have it for 1000 yen. This brewery produces high-quality sake and plays a vital role in this district. There is a miso brewery shop near this brewery, and you can learn another type of fermented food here.
Nuttari Terrace Shopping Street & Lunch
This shopping street became less prosperous. But several years ago, young people began to renovate long houses and attract new customers. Many temples surround the area, and you can look at those temples.
This is a Middle Eastern vegan restaurant in the shopping street. If you like to try, you will have a wonderful time there. Of course, you can enjoy fresh and delicious sushi in Niigata.
Hakusan Shrine, and then Furumachi and Honcyo Streets
Hakusan Shrine stands in the city's center and gains much respect from the locals. You will find a good atmosphere here and learn a glimpse of the history of this city. After visiting the shrine, let's walk around Furumachi and Honcyo Streets. You will find many interesting spots along the way such as a comic house, rice ball shops, and souvenir shops.
Saito Family Villa
This villa has a beautiful garden, and you can feel refreshed.
Views from Observation Floor
Depending on the weather, you can look at Sado Island in the north, the harbor in the east, snow-capped mountains in the south, and several bridges on the Shinano River and Yahiko Mountain in the west. If you have a chance to look at the sunset here, you will never forget the moment of the time.
End of the tour at Niigata Station
(Information : You can take a bullet train and return to Tokyo at this time if you buy a bento box at the station and enjoy dinner on the train. This is another way of Japanese style.)
Ending Point
Niigata Station
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
Please kindly cover my transportation, admission, and meal fees during the tour in Niigata city. My transportation from home to Niigata City is 8,000 yen.
If you like to use my compact car, I will charge you 5,000 yen for a day for gasoline.
And extra tour duration: 1 hour 5,000 yen.
The above is a plan to walk around the city center as much as possible. However, to save time, there are one or two places where it would be better to take a cab. Of course, Niigata's typical countryside scenery and birdlife treasures, such as Fukushima Lagoon, are located in the suburbs but will require a cab ride of about 3 to 4 hours.
I can also change the places to be visited according to the wishes of my clients or the order in which we go around depending on the weather conditions. I recommend that you contact me in advance to finalize the details of your tour.
It takes 2 hours for me to come to Niigata City from my own living address of the same prefecture, so please be noted that I cannot accept a request for a tour of less than 5 hours.
Hello! My name is Keiichi. Please call me Kei.
I was born and raised in Joetsu City, located in the southern part of Niigata prefecture. Joetsu was the former capital city of Echigo Province until the mid 19th century. It has a lot of historic sites and scenic spots, and most of all good people. I love my city very much.
I worked for the Joetsu City office for over thirty years. During my time there, I was in charge of international relations for about ten years. After retiring from the office, I began working as a licensed tour guide. I am very excited to introduce my city to people all over the world.
Marie R.
“Super knowledgeable of Niigata area”
We booked Keiichi for a one day guided tour of Niigata. Via messages, he asked questions to get an idea of activity level and interests and then created two itinerary options for us to choose from. He greeted us with an itinerary printout and Niigata maps for us to use the following day. We used his vehicle to travel around the different spots, which he held a wealth of knowledge about each area. Kei is a must for the Niigata tourist, you will not be disappointed with your experiences he provides. At the end of the day he shared photos he captured of us during our experiences. The highlight of the day was the fruit farm and picking our own grape bundles to cut off the vines.
Keiichi S.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review—it truly means a lot to me. We were really lucky to spend such a refreshing autumn day together exploring the Niigata City area. I was especially touched by how close and caring you are with each other. I heard that you enjoyed your time on Sado with my fellow guide Fujiko-san yesterday. I hope today also brings you lots of happiness, relaxation, and safe adventures as you continue to enjoy Sado Island.
Ira sophia H.
“Snow Monkey and fruits.”
Kei is a very polite and committed person. He responded to all requests. I highly recommend this friendly guide.
Keiichi S.
Thanks to your enthusiasm, we were able to see the snow monkeys. That's wonderful. I hope your stay in Nagano was a great one for everyone. Please continue to enjoy your time in Japan.
Kichi J.
“Fantastic time in Hakuba with Kei”
We spend a wonderful day with our guide interpreter in Hakuba. He was very helpful in every way and made our time so much more enjoyable!
Keiichi S.
Thank you very much for your comment. I am very happy to find that you enjoyed your time in Lake Aoki and Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort. The temperature was extremely high, so I was worried about heatstroke, but thanks to the cool lake water flowing in from the Northern Alps into Aoki Lake and sunshine filtering through foliage, we were able to enjoy a day outdoors even in the middle of summer. And the view of the Hakuba Happone ski resort from Iwakura Resort summit was stunning, with the lush greenery in full bloom.
$238/ per group