Guide to Niigata Prefecture

Niigata Prefecture is located near the center of Japan’s main island of Honshu. With a total area of 6,337 m², Niigata is the fifth largest prefecture in Japan. Rivers like the Shinano, Japan’s longest, flow through the countryside and into the Japan Sea, along the way enriching Niigata’s expansive fertile plains, famed for yielding the country’s favorite brand of rice, Koshihikari.

Niigata is also a long-thriving home to local industry, with around 10,000 business establishments shipping upwards of 5.2 trillion yen annually.

Niigata has a long history as a traffic hub for the movement of people and goods to and from the Tokyo Metropolitan area, as well as population centers on the opposing coasts of Russia and Northeastern China. Three major ports, including Naoetsu Port and the west coast’s single key international harbor located in the prefecture’s capital, boast the largest shipping volume on the Japan Sea coast. In accordance with the plans set forth by the Niigata FAZ Project, which was approved by the National Government in 1996, new construction and a higher concentration of trade-related businesses and facilities in the designated import-promotion zone defined by the Niigata Port area have been encouraged in the interests of foreign trade expansion.

Foodstuffs Industry	Niigata food products like rice snacks, sake, processed seafood and miso paste, are known throughout Japan.
Textile Industry	Niigata has 10 production regions manufacturing products like knitted goods and fabrics, as well as cotton and linen goods.
Metal Goods Manufacturing Industry	There are more business establishments operating in the metal goods industry than in any other. Well-known items include western-style tableware, house-wares and tools. Niigata currently produces around 80% of all domestically consumed western-style tableware.
General Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing Industry	Primary products include piston rings and metalworking machines.
Electric Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing Industry	Niigata’s manufacturing industries ship more products and employ more people than any other prefecture’s. Electronic devices and equipment have the largest annual shipments.
Chemical Industry	The development of Niigata’s chemical industry was made possible by an abundance of oil and natural gas resources in the Prefecture.

<Regular Container Lines>

Destination	Number of Ships
Busan	5 times a week
Rajin → Busan	5 times a week
Dalian → Qingdao → Shanghai	Once a week
Keelung→Kaosiung→Hong Kong→Singapore→Hong Kong→Kaosiung→Keelung	Once a week
Vostochny	Once a month

Destination	Number of Ships
Busan	2 times a week
Dandong → Dalian	Once a week

<Regular Air Service>

Destination	Number of Ships	Flight Time
Khabarovsk	2 times a week	1 hour 55 minutes
Vladivostok	2 times a week	1 hour 30 minutes
Irkutsk	Not in service
Seoul	5 times a week	2 hours 15 minutes
Shanghai → Xian	2 times a week	3 hours (Shanghai) - 6 hours (Xian)
Harbin	4 times a week	2 hours 25 minutes
Guam	2 times a week	3 hours 40 minutes
Honolulu	Once a week	6 hours 45 minutes

Niigata International Convention Center

Niigata Stadium ‘Big Swan’

This massive international hub was opened in the spring of 2003.It has large international conference and exhibition halls as well as an observation room and an art museum.

Three 2002 FIFA World Cup games were played in this stadium, including the Japan opening match.