A range of 2,000 meter-class steep mountains dominates. This center of the Japanese mainland houses skiing and resorts.

Niigata Prefecture, a vertically long prefecture facing the Sea of Japan, is situated in the center of Honshu, the largest of Japan's four main islands. It prospered as a foothold in the Sea of Japan transportation during the Edo Period in the 17th and 18th centuries, and after the 19th century, developed as a base for trade with Russia and South Korea.

With the Echigo Mountain Range in the southeastern part of the prefecture as its core, 2,000-meter-high mountains stand one after another to form a stretch of highlands. The areas between mountains, which abound with beautiful nature, are dotted with ski resorts and hot springs. The Shinano-gawa River, flowing from the mountains to the Sea of Japan, boasts of being the longest river in Japan. Around the Shinano-gawa River basin is an expanse of fertile land called the Niigata Plains, where great success in rice farming has been achieved. Just off the coast in the Sea of Japan is Sado-ga-shima Island, apart from the four main islands, the biggest island in Japan and the site where much gold was found during the Edo Period.

Niigata is home to many leading sake breweries in Japan which make their sake with high quality rice and water. There are many restaurants where you can savor sake with fresh seafood, naturally making Niigata a region where you can enjoy Japanese tastes and traditions to your heart's content. The center of the prefecture's administration and economy is Niigata City. It is a beautiful "city of water," with the Shinano-gawa River running through it and the Sea of Japan on its northwestern side. Since the 19th century it has prospered as a port of trade with foreign countries.
Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium, where 2002 FIFA World Cup soccer matches took place and Toki Messe, the site of the 2008 G8 Labor Ministers Meeting, are located in Niigata City, and the prefecture has become a gateway to Northeast Asia.

Especially popular for outdoor sports like skiing and hiking. A hot spring resort surrounded by mountains.

Echigo-Yuzawa is located in the southernmost part of Niigata and adjoins Nagano and Gunma. This is a historic hot spring resort, which appears in the well-known novel "The Snow Country" written by the Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata. Echigo-Yuzawa also has good transportation service, particularly from the metropolitan area, so that it attracts a lot of people for skiing in winter and for hiking and camping in summer.

At the Echigo Sake (rice wine) Museum inside Echigo-Yuzawa Station, you can enjoy bathing in the sake spa. And around the station you will find museums such as the Shiro Shirahata Photo Museum, which has around 170 landscapes of world-famous mountains, and the Yuzawa Folklore History Museum.

By taking the Yuzawa-onsen ropeway from Sanroku Station (at the foot of the mountain), you can go up to 1,000 meters above sea level. Around the Sancho Station (at the top of the mountain), there is Alps-no-sato, the alpine plants garden, where you can enjoy 'mizubasho' (skunk cabbages) in the spring, 'nikkokisuge' (a kind of yellow lily) in summer, and the autumn leaves of Japanese larch trees in fall. Also, Echigo-Yuzawa is covered in snow in winter and attracts many skiers.

Explore the ruins of Kasugayama Castle that still keeps the old agger and dry moat. A branch of the God of Kasuga-taisha Shrine of Nara is enshrined.