Why visit Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures?

 

Niigata Prefecture is best known for its sake, rice, and snow. Yamagata Prefecture is famous for the yamabushi of Dewa Sanzan, and the snow monsters and ski slopes of Mt. Zao. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. With their new fully-guided tours linking these prefectures, travel specialist The Hidden Japan hopes to shine the spotlight on the lesser-known cities of Tsubame and Sanjo in Niigata, and Tsuruoka and Sakata in Yamagata.

 

Deep dives into craft, cuisine, and culture

The tours have been designed primarily for travellers who seek authentic, intellectually stimulating cultural experiences on their travels, particularly tourists from Western countries. Yamashina notes that the tours can be experienced as is, but individual elements of the tours can also be combined using a mix-and-match approach for bespoke tours.

 

Niigata and Yamagata are home to some of Japan’s most skilled craftspeople and artisans, with Tsubame-Sanjo in particular widely recognised as a center for craftsmanship. Proximity to the Sea of Japan as well as the rich soils of the Shonai Plain have nurtured rich culinary traditions, while the Dewa Sanzan mountains have for centuries attracted those making spiritual pilgrimages.

 

With Tsubame-Sanjo being less than two hours from Tokyo Station by bullet train, the tours are an excellent and convenient add-on to itineraries beginning in Tokyo.

 

Introducing the cities and regions

 

Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata

 

• A major industrial cluster area comprising the cities of Tsubame and Sanjo
• Combined population of ±180,000 people
• Has over 5,000 small/medium-sized metalworking and manufacturing companies
• Tsubame is known for copperware, fine engraving, cutlery
• Sanjo is known for kitchen knives, blades, tools
• Accessible from Tokyo in under 2 hours via bullet train

 

Tsuruoka, Yamagata

 

• A rural agricultural city along the coast of Yamagata
• Official population of ±100,000; around 34,000 people in central Tsuruoka
• Japan’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
• Home to the Dewa Sanzan (Three Holy Mountains of Dewa)
• Accessible from Tokyo in under 4 hours via bullet and local trains or by domestic flight

 

Sakata, Yamagata

 

• Yamagata’s main port city and historical major centre for kitamaebune coastal trade during Edo period (1603-1868)
• Official population of around ±97,000 people
• Major producer of high-grade rice and sake
• Leading producer of safflower
• Highest ramen consumption rate in Japan
• Accessible from Tokyo via Niigata in under 4 hours by bullet and express trains, or by domestic flight

 

Uetsu, Niigata/Yamagata

 

• “Uetsu” (羽越) refers to the historical provinces of Dewa (出羽) and Echigo (越後).
• Today, Uetsu officially encompasses ten areas near the Sea of Japan’s coastlines in Akita, Yamagata, and Niigata Prefectures
• In Yamagata, these include Tsuruoka City, Shonai Town, and Sakata City