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!
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Niigata Station Bandaiguchi Exit
popular sightseeing places in Niigata city
Ending Point
Niigata Station Bandaiguchi Exit
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
guide fee
JPY 5000 for the guide's transportation fee from/to Sado Island and Niigata city
entrance fee of some of the facilities listed above for you and guide
your transportation fee in Niigata
lunch for you and guide
Booking should be made 3days in advance.
Hello! My name is Fujiko Maeda. I'm a national-licensed tour guide. I was born in Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata Prefecture. I once worked in tourism industry for about 10 years when I lived in Tokyo. Now I'm a persimmon farmer but when time permits I'm happy to guide you here in Sado mainly but also other places, too. We have a lot to offer like beautiful nature, historical sites, local specialties, traditional performing arts, festivals, islanders smiles and so on.
If you'd like to know real Japanese lifestyle, please visit Sado.
I'm sure you'll be satisfied.
Let's explore Sado or other wonderful and beautiful places with me!
Also, if you have any questions about Sado or Japan as a whole, please don't hesitate to email me.
Daniel "danny" K.
“You want the best, go with the best”
Fujiko has an awesome personality, speaks very good English. She's all for being flexible and very accommodating. As we like to say in Hawaii: "Fujiko, she's da bes". Also our driver Keike may not be the best driver but he's sure hard to beat. Much mahalo Fujiko and Keike for making our trip to Sado Island a very memorable adventure.
Fujiko M.
Aloha Danny san, Thank you very much for writing such a wonderful review of the tour. I have to say to you all that you're da bes,too! It was surely one of the best tours I've ever guided and I appreciate it very much. Please explore more beautiful places in Japan in the coming years. Mahalo from Sado, Fujiko
Alys W.
“Fujiko was an excellent guide for Niigata”
Fujiko planned a great tour for us. My husband is elderly so our pace was comfortable for him. We visited 2 fantastic traditional Japanese style homes, had a delicious lunch, and visited a fish and produce market. We enjoyed her company and we had a bonus experience visiting an Ikebana (plant & flower arranging)course that an aquantance of hers was teaching at the historic Ozawa Family home.
Fujiko M.
Hello Alys san, Thank you very much for writing a wonderful review of the tour. Niigata city has rich history and many historical places worth visiting but not well known for foreign tourists. I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed the tour! It was a great coincidence to meet my aquantance and she invited us to the class. What is wonderful to be a guide is being a mediator between my guests and local people. Please make Niigata memory stay in your family for some time! Please stay healthy and happy:) Fujiko
Claire M.
“Fun day with Fujiko”
Fujiko went above and beyond to make our day at Niigata a success. She made sure that we had a taxi waiting for us at the pier, took us to some interesting and historical sights and shared many stories. The communication before, during and after the tour were exceptional. Her knowledge of the history and geography of the area added many details. A great day! Highly recommend Fujiko if people are coming to the area!
Fujiko M.
Hello Claire san, Thank you very much for giving me such a wonderful review of the Niigata tour. It was good that I could find a taxi company which accepted the booking one day before the tour. You had good luck! The weather was with us, too. I feel grateful if you could learn about Niigata, still unknown city for foreign tourists, has rich and interesting history. It was also a good exercise with a lot of walking! I'm sure beer tasted very good at dinner. Please enjoy the rest of the cruise. Thank you again to all of you. Best regards, Fujiko
$168/ per group