Niigata Prefecture
| Niigata Prefecture | |||||||||
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| Capital | Niigata (city) | ||||||||
| Region | Chūbu, Hokuriku | ||||||||
| Island | Honshū | ||||||||
| Governor | Hirohiko Izumida | ||||||||
| Area (rank) | 12,582.47 km² (5th) | ||||||||
| - % water | 0.2% | ||||||||
| Population (March 1, 2005) | |||||||||
| - Population | 2,444,108 (14th) | ||||||||
| - Density | 194 /km² | ||||||||
| Districts | 10 | ||||||||
| Municipalities | 35 | ||||||||
| ISO 3166-2 | JP-15 | ||||||||
| Website | www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/en | ||||||||
| Prefectural symbols | |||||||||
| - Flower | Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana) | ||||||||
| - Tree | Camellia (Camellia japonica) | ||||||||
| - Bird | Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) | ||||||||
| - Fish | {{{Fish}}} | ||||||||
 Symbol of Niigata Prefecture |
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| Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject Japan | |||||||||
Niigata Prefecture (新潟県 Niigata-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".
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History
The area that is now Niigata Prefecture was divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province until after the Meiji Restoration. During the Sengoku period, the Nagao clan, who were at times vassals to the Uesugi, ruled a fief in the western part of modern Niigata from Kasugayama Castle. The most notable member of the Nagao clan was Nagao Kagetora, was later and better known as Uesugi Kenshin. He unified the leaders of Echigo Province and became its sole ruler. By taking the surname Uesugi, he also became the head of the Uesugi clan and effectively brought their realm under his control.
The city of Niigata is now the largest Japanese city facing the Sea of Japan. It was the first Japanese port on the Sea of Japan to be opened to foreign trade following the opening of Japan by Matthew Perry. It has since played an important role in trade with Russia and Korea. A freighter from North Korea visits Niigata once a month, in one of the few forms of direct contact between Japan and that country.
The Etsuzankai organization, led by the politician Tanaka Kakuei, was highly influential in bringing infrastructure improvements to Niigata Prefecture in the 1960s and 1970s. These included the Joetsu Shinkansen high speed rail line and the Kanetsu Expressway to Tokyo.
On October 23, 2004, the Chūetsu earthquake struck Niigata Prefecture and was measured at Shindo 6+ at Ojiya.
On January 9, 2006, a heavy winter storm struck the prefecture and its neighbors. At least 71 people died and more than 1,000 were injured. Also in 2006, a massive tsunami and earthquake damaged homes and caused casualties in the maritime areas of Niigata Prefecture, especially near Sado Island.
On July 16, 2007, the earthquake hit the area.
Niigata Prefecture hosts the Fuji Rock Festival, an annual eventheld at the Naeba ski resort. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians. It is one of the largest outdoor music events in Japan, with more than 100,000 people attending in 2005.
Geography
Niigata Prefecture stretches about 240 km along the Sea of Japan, from the southwest to the northeast, with a coastal plain between the mountains and the sea. It also includes Sado Island.
Because of the way it is shaped, Niigata Prefecture is often called "small Honshū." It could be placed in either the Hokuriku or the Kōshin'etsu, both of which are considered parts of the Chūbu region.
The prefecture is generally divided into four geographical areas: Jōetsu in the south, Chūetsu in the center, Kaetsu in the north, and Sado Island. The mouth of the Shinano River, the longest river in Japan, is located in Niigata Prefecture.
Cities
There are 20 cities in Niigata Prefecture:
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Towns and villages
The towns and villages in each district are:
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Mergers
Economy
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
The major industry in Niigata Prefecture is agriculture. Rice is the principal product, and among the prefectures of Japan Niigata is second only to Hokkaidō in rice output. The area around Uonuma is known for producing the Koshihikari variety, widely considered to be the highest-quality rice produced in Japan.
Rice-related industries are also very important to the prefectural economy. Niigata Prefecture is known throughout Japan for its high-quality sake, senbei, mochi, and arare. In sake production, the prefecture comes third after Gunma and Kyoto prefectures.
The prefecture was also the place of origin of the ornamental carp known as koi.
Niigata Prefecture produces the highest volume of azaleas and cut lilies in Japan, and is increasing production of cut flowers and flower bulbs. Along with Toyama Prefecture, it produces the highest volume of tulips in the country.
Mining and manufacturing
Crude oil is produced in Niigata Prefecture, although Japan relies heavily on petroleum imported from other countries. Kerosene heaters are also produced for use in the cold Niigata winters.
Kinzan, on Sado Island, was an active gold mine until it was closed in 1989.
Sanjo and Tsubame produce 9 percent of all the silverware made in Japan. The two cities are second after Osaka in the production of scissors, kitchen knives, and wrenches.
Niigata Prefecture may have been the first area in Japan to produce knitted textiles, although the earliest products may have been imported from China.
The nuclear power plant with the highest energy output in the world is located in the tiny village of Kariwa.
Demographics
In 1885, Niigata was the most populous prefecture in Japan, beating even Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture in population . In the Census of 2003, Niigata ranked as the 14th most populous.
As in the rest of Japan, Niigata's population shows signs of aging, particularly in the rural areas.
Culture
Food
Niigata is known for the following regional specialities:
- Uonuma Koshihikari rice
- Shoyu (soy sauce) and Yofu (western-style) katsudon
- Shoyu sekihan
- Noppe stew (ja:のっぺ)
- Wappa-meshi (seafood and rice steamed in a bamboo basket)
- Sasa-dango (mochi balls filled with red bean paste, seasoned with mugwort and wrapped in bamboo leaves) (ja:笹団子)
- Poppo-yaki (steamed bread flavored with brown sugar) (ja:ぽっぽ焼き)
- Hegi-soba (soba from the Uonuma and Ojiya areas, which uses a special kind of seaweed) (ja:へぎそば)
- "Tsubame-Sanjo ramen" (ramen made using thick udon-style noodles) (ja:燕三条系ラーメン)
- Tochio aburage (aburaage is called "aburage" in Tochio)
- Kirazu (dishes using okara)
- Kakinomoto (edible chrysanthemums)
- Kanzuri (a special seasoning from Myōkō made by leaving chili peppers exposed on snow, then adding flour, salt and yuzu) (ja:かんずり)
- Yasuda yogurt (ja:ヤスダヨーグルト)
Niigata's firsts
- Joetsu is home to Japan's first vineyard.
- Nagaoka was home to the first drive-through restaurant in Japan.
- Shirone in Niigata City was the first place to grow western pears in Japan.
- Joetsu was the birthplace of the modern Japanese postal service.
- Skiing was first introduced into Japan in the Joetsu region.
Niigata in films, literature and music
- Snow Country ( 1947): a novel by Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata set in Yuzawa
- "Niigata Snow": a track on the LP Aida, released by Derek Bailey in 1980
- Kura: a film / TV series (1995) based on a book (1993) by Tomiko Miyao, an award winning period piece about a Niigata family and its sake brewery
- Blue (1996): a manga about high school girls, set in Niigata City, adapted as a film in 2001
- Whiteout: an action film based on a novel published in 1995
- My Mother is a Tractor: A Life in Rural Japan (2006), a memoir by Nicholas Klar, written when he was based in Itoigawa City in Niigata Prefecture
Tourism and sports
Much of the tourism in Niigata centers around skiing and going to onsen, especially in the alpine areas of Myōkō and Yuzawa.
Sado Island off the west coast of Niigata is accessible via ferry (taking one to two and a half hours) from Naoetsu or Niigata City.
Professional sports clubs include Albirex Niigata, a J-League Division 1 Soccer Club, and Niigata Albirex BB, a BJ (Basketball Japan) League team.
Prefectural symbols
Notable individuals
Politics and military
- Hachiro Arita (1884–1965), foreign minister, from Sado Island.
- Kita Ikki (1883–1937), nationalist author and intellectual, from Sado Island.
- Isoroku Yamamoto (1884–1943), commander of the Japanese Imperial Navy, from Nagaoka.
- Kakuei Tanaka (1918–1993), prime minister, from Urasa, Minamiuonuma.
- Hisashi Owada (born 1932), diplomat and father of Crown Princess Masako, from Shibata.
- Makiko Tanaka (born 1944), first female foreign minister, from Kashiwazaki. Currently, a DPJ politician.
Arts and culture
- Ryōkan (1758–1831), Zen Buddhist monk and poet, from Izumozaki.
- Inoue Enryo (1858–1919), Buddhist philosopher, from Nagaoka.
- Yaichi Aizu (1881–1956), poet, calligrapher and historian, from Niigata City.
- Hayashi Fubo (1900–1935), novelist from Sado Island.
- Ango Sakaguchi (1906–1955), novelist and essayist, from Niigata City.
- Haruo Minami (1923–2001), enka singer, from Nagaoka.
- Kimio Yanagisawa (born 1948), manga artist, from Gosen.
- Tetsuo Harada (born 1949 Niitsu-shi), Sculptor working in Paris France.
- Yoshifumi Kondo (1950–1998), animator, from Gosen.
- Keiko Yokozawa (born 1952), seiyu, from Niigata City.
- Bin Shimada (born 1954), seiyu, from Niigata City.
- Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (born 1955), bass player for the rock group Southern All Stars, from Agano.
- Yukari Nozawa (born 1957), actor and seiyu.
- Rumiko Takahashi (born 1957), manga artist, from Niigata City.
- Hajime Watanabe (born 1957), animator.
- Shuichi Shigeno (born 1958), manga artist, from Tokamachi.
- Makoto Kobayashi (born 1958), manga artist, from Niigata City.
- Motoei Shinzawa (born 1958), manga artist, from Kashiwazaki.
- Ken Watanabe (born 1959), stage, TV and film actor, from Niigata.
- Yoko Soumi (born 1965), seiyu.
- Kazuya Tsurumaki (born 1966), animator, from Gosen.
- Akiko Yajima (born 1967), seiyu, from Kashiwazaki.
- Hiroki Yagami (born 1967), manga artist, from Kashiwazaki.
- Kazuto Nakazawa (born 1968), animator.
- Takeshi Obata (born 1969), manga artist, from Niigata City.
- Etsushi Ogawa (born 1969), manga artist.
- Rumi Kasahara (born 1970), seiyu, from Itoigawa.
- Nobuhiro Watsuki (born 1970), manga artist, from Nagaoka.
- Kiriko Nananan (born 1972), manga artist, from Tsubame.
- Daisuke Hirakawa (born 1973), seiyu.
- Yoko Ishida (born 1973), singer, from Niigata City.
- Daisuke Sakaguchi (born 1973), seiyu, from Kashiwazaki.
- Hitomi Nabatame (born 1976), seiyu, from Sado Island.
- Tatsuyuki Nagai (born 1976), anime director.
- Ryo Hirohashi (born 1977), seiyu, from Nagaoka.
- Ayana Sasagawa (born 1983), seiyu.
- Makoto Ogawa (born 1987) and Koharu Kusumi (born 1992), members of J-pop girl-group Morning Musume, from, respectively, Kashiwazaki and Nagaoka.
Sports
- Haguroyama Masaji (1914–1969), sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata who was yokozuna for 12 years and three months; an all-time record.
- Shohei Baba (1938–1999), professional wrestler, from Sanjo.
- Sawao Kato (born 1946), winner of 12 Olympic medals in gymnastics
- Killer Khan (born 1947), professional wrestler, from Tsubame.
References
External links
- Official Niigata Prefecture website (requires Macromedia Flash plugin)
- Niigata JET (Japan Education and Teaching Programme) Website
- Enjoy Niigata Niigata prefecture tourism guide
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Niigata Prefecture
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