From Niigata! An adventure of culture continuing from Ancient Jomon

Concept

A Journey Through Time

「悠久の歴史を旅する」

Through this journey, you will immerse yourself into the Niigata culture which reaches back to the distant past. In these times of uncertainty, consider your current position in the world. Learn from our ancestors the art of living in the present, with an eye towards the future!

Concept

A Journey Through Time

「悠久の歴史を旅する」

Through this journey, you will immerse yourself into the Niigata culture which reaches back to the distant past. In these times of uncertainty, consider your current position in the world. Learn from our ancestors the art of living in the present, with an eye towards the future!

Ancient Jomon culture
A glimpse of life

A message through time
Five thousand years ago, the ancient Jomon people developed a tool that combines practicality with artistry - a clay vessel with a decoration that resembles a burning flame. The ""flame pottery"" of the Jomon period, which has been excavated in large numbers in the Shinano River basin in Niigata Prefecture, can be said to be the origin of modern Japanese culture.
This is a tour where you can gleam advice to use in the present from the steady and fulfilling lives of the Jomon people.

Jomon world: Exploring Ancient
Niigata culture

Click here for the online tour For tour inquiries, click here

The "flame-pottery" is a pottery reminiscent of a burning flames. It is a national treasure that combines practicality with artistry. This style was developed in Middle Jomon period.

About "flame-pottery"
Since ancient times people of Niigata have been nurtured by mountains, rivers, heavy snowfalls, and delicious seafood. The wisdom of processing and preserving food, the variety of local cuisine, the quality of textiles (for example, angin that is rooted in Jomon period), and creativity are all rooted in this extreme environment. The culture that developed in the ancient Jomon period is the foundation of modern Japanese culture. It reaches from the past, to give us hints for the future!

Learning from the Jomon way of life
Jomon people survived off the rich natural environment in Niigata by hunting, gathering, and fishing. Step into their varied world and experience the wisdom of their seasonal lives. Feel the richness and harshness of nature and the warmth of the Jomon people as you explore their world in a full-scale diorama. To understand these people even better, make a Jomon-style magatama. Spend the day surrounded by the root culture of Japan!

Walking through Ancient Jomon

Click here for the website of the Niigata Prefectural Museum of History Click here for the virtual tour of Niigata Prefectural Museum of History

Jomon world:
Exploring Ancient
Niigata culture

A message through time
Five thousand years ago, the ancient Jomon people developed a tool that combines practicality with artistry - a clay vessel with a decoration that resembles a burning flame. The ""flame pottery"" of the Jomon period, which has been excavated in large numbers in the Shinano River basin in Niigata Prefecture, can be said to be the origin of modern Japanese culture.
This is a tour where you can gleam advice to use in the present from the steady and fulfilling lives of the Jomon people.

Click here for the online tour For tour inquiries, click here

About "flame-pottery"

The "flame-pottery" is a pottery reminiscent of a burning flames. It is a national treasure that combines practicality with artistry. This style was developed in Middle Jomon period.
Learning from the
Jomon way of life

Since ancient times people of Niigata have been nurtured by mountains, rivers, heavy snowfalls, and delicious seafood. The wisdom of processing and preserving food, the variety of local cuisine, the quality of textiles (for example, angin that is rooted in Jomon period), and creativity are all rooted in this extreme environment. The culture that developed in the ancient Jomon period is the foundation of modern Japanese culture. It reaches from the past, to give us hints for the future!
Walking through
Ancient Jomon

Jomon people survived off the rich natural environment in Niigata by hunting, gathering, and fishing. Step into their varied world and experience the wisdom of their seasonal lives. Feel the richness and harshness of nature and the warmth of the Jomon people as you explore their world in a full-scale diorama. To understand these people even better, make a Jomon-style magatama. Spend the day surrounded by the root culture of Japan!

Click here for the website of the Niigata Prefectural Museum of History Click here for the virtual tour of Niigata Prefectural Museum of History

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The culture of luxury
Experience Japanese traditions

In Niigata, many "Gounou (farmers who owned a vast land)" and "Goushou(merchants who made a fortune by shipping)" built gorgeous houses. Luxurious and profound architectural style, costumes and decorations embody the Japanese aesthetic sense.
This is a premium tour, through which that you can enjoy the hospitality and luxury of these prominent citizens (make rice cakes, participate in a Shinobue / drum competition, and stroll the traditional garden in a beautiful kimono).

Japanese gardens and traditional
architecture created by
rich farmers and merchants

Click here for the online tour For tour inquiries, click here

Niigata is a hidden garden kingdom with many wonderful traditional architecture and Japanese gardens. Gounou and Goushou built gorgeous houses to create jobs for tenants and residents. It is said that sometimes there were no limits on budget or time so the work would continue indefinitely.The historic buildings and gardens that remain at the roadway and port of Kitamaebune has a high cultural value.

Prosperity of Gounou/Goushou
and garden kingdom of Niigata
You can feel Japanese cultures from the houses and gardens made by Gounou/Goushou which embodies "Teiokuichinyo” (the connection between natural and man-made.The luxurious and profound building was lavishly designed and decorated. The Kyoto-style garden is meticulously laid out, with the harmony of garden and mansion in mind. The stones used were shipped from Kansai and Setouchi by Kitamaebune.

The architectural style that
embodies "Teiokuichinyo"

Japanese gardens and
traditional architecture
created by rich farmers
and merchants

In Niigata, many "Gounou (farmers who owned a vast land)" and "Goushou (merchants who made a fortune by shipping)" built gorgeous houses. Luxurious and profound architectural style, costumes and decorations embody the Japanese aesthetic sense.
This is a premium tour, through which that you can enjoy the hospitality and luxury of these prominent citizens (make rice cakes, participate in a Shinobue / drum competition, and stroll the traditional garden in a beautiful kimono).

Click here for the online tour For tour inquiries, click here

Prosperity of
Gounou/Goushou and
garden kingdom of
Niigata

Niigata is a hidden garden kingdom with many wonderful traditional architecture and Japanese gardens. Gounou and Goushou built gorgeous houses to create jobs for tenants and residents. It is said that sometimes there were no limits on budget or time so the work would continue indefinitely. The historic buildings and gardens that remain at the roadway and port of Kitamaebune has a high cultural value.
The architectural style
that embodies
"Teiokuichinyo"

You can feel Japanese cultures from the houses and gardens made by Gounou/Goushou which embodies "Teiokuichinyo” (the connection between natural and man-made. The luxurious and profound building was lavishly designed and decorated. The Kyoto-style garden is meticulously laid out, with the harmony of garden and mansion in mind. The stones used were shipped from Kansai and Setouchi by Kitamaebune.

More about adventures
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The Snow Country
Explore the culture and wisdom
of life
under extreme conditions

Niigata has one of the heaviest snowfalls in the world. These extreme conditions brought forth a unique culture and lifestyle.
In this tour, you can experience the life of this snow region.

Culture and knowledge born
in the snow country

Click here for the online tour① Click here for the online tour② For tour inquiries, click here

Despite the fact that there are many relatively warm places that share the same latitude as Niigata (San Francisco, Athens, and Lisbon to name a few), Niigata prefecture has one of the heaviest snowfalls in the world. Unique atmospheric conditions, ocean currents and geographical features all conspire together to bury Niigata in more than 3 meters of snow every winter.

The miracle of survival!
Our ancestors understood the unique benefits and uses of snow. Snow was used in food preservation, weaving, and celebrated in festivals and games. Thawed snow water enabled to produce the best rice and sake and provided abundant water for other types of vegetation. Tools and buildings were built strong and sturdy to withstand the extreme conditions.

Life in the snow

Culture and knowledge
born in the snow
country

Niigata has one of the heaviest snowfalls in the world. These extreme conditions brought forth a unique culture and lifestyle.
In this tour, you can experience the life of this snow region.

Click here for the online tour① Click here for the online tour② For tour inquiries, click here

The miracle of
survival!

Despite the fact that there are many relatively warm places that share the same latitude as Niigata (San Francisco, Athens, and Lisbon to name a few), Niigata prefecture has one of the heaviest snowfalls in the world. Unique atmospheric conditions, ocean currents and geographical features all conspire together to bury Niigata in more than 3 meters of snow every winter.
Life in the snow

Our ancestors understood the unique benefits and uses of snow. Snow was used in food preservation, weaving, and celebrated in festivals and games. Thawed snow water enabled to produce the best rice and sake and provided abundant water for other types of vegetation. Tools and buildings were built strong and sturdy to withstand the extreme conditions.

More about the snow
culture adventures Close

TAIKO culture
Experience the ancient vibrations

The 2022 Ancient to Modern Cultural Showcase will be held at 2 venues.
Niigata Taiko Festival
Day time: Taiko performances by various groups from inside and outside Niigata Prefecture.
Night time: “Carnival of drums and light that echoes through Echigo” (Kodo performance at the Yahiko Shrine with an accompanying lights production).

Japanese drums, taiko, are said to have existed since the ancient Jomon period. At the “Niigata Prefectural Taiko Festival” over 100 local taiko groups will demonstrate the power of this ancient cultural tradition.
In the evening, a special event will be held at the Yahiko Shrine. The performance aims to stimulate all 5 senses with a special show by Kodo Taiko Group and light projections over the main warship hall and the surrounding forest. Don’t just hear, but also see, smell, and feel the resonance of Niigata.

The rhythm of Taiko drums
is the heartbeat that throbs
in the Japanese soul.

Click here for
Experience with VR Click here for the highlight Click here for Taiko experience
in Niigata Prefecture

Japanese drum “TAIKO”, is a rare musical instrument since its basic structure has hardly changed since the ancient times. It was used as a means of communicating information during the Jomon period. During the Warring States period, it was used to pass orders during battles and to boost solder morale. Furthermore, since it was thought to reach the spirit world, drum music has been incorporated into ceremonies at shrines and temples. Noh and Kabuki arts also utilize the drums to bring accents and add tension.

Taiko rhythm throbs from the past.
In the 1950s Daihachi Oguchi, a Japanese drum player, established a new performing style, in which taiko plays a leading role. His performances at the Tokyo Olympics and the Osaka Expo attracted attention not only of Japan but the rest of the world as well! The already familiar TAIKO gained a new power through the dramatic performance style and powerful rhythms. From than on, taiko groups were born!

Japanese drum that sounds to the world

The rhythm of Taiko
drums is the heartbeat
that throbs in the
Japanese soul.

The 2022 Ancient to Modern Cultural Showcase will be held at 2 venues.
Niigata Taiko Festival
Day time: Taiko performances by various groups from inside and outside Niigata Prefecture.
Night time: “Carnival of drums and light that echoes through Echigo” (Kodo performance at the Yahiko Shrine with an accompanying lights production).

Japanese drums, taiko, are said to have existed since the ancient Jomon period. At the “Niigata Prefectural Taiko Festival” over 100 local taiko groups will demonstrate the power of this ancient cultural tradition.
In the evening, a special event will be held at the Yahiko Shrine. The performance aims to stimulate all 5 senses with a special show by Kodo Taiko Group and light projections over the main warship hall and the surrounding forest. Don’t just hear, but also see, smell, and feel the resonance of Niigata.

Click here for
Experience with VR Click here for the highlight Click here for Taiko experience in Niigata Prefecture

Taiko rhythm throbs
from the past.

Japanese drum “TAIKO”, is a rare musical instrument since its basic structure has hardly changed since the ancient times. It was used as a means of communicating information during the Jomon period. During the Warring States period, it was used to pass orders during battles and to boost solder morale. Furthermore, since it was thought to reach the spirit world, drum music has been incorporated into ceremonies at shrines and temples. Noh and Kabuki arts also utilize the drums to bring accents and add tension.
Japanese drum that
sounds to the world

In the 1950s Daihachi Oguchi, a Japanese drum player, established a new performing style, in which taiko plays a leading role. His performances at the Tokyo Olympics and the Osaka Expo attracted attention not only of Japan but the rest of the world as well! The already familiar TAIKO gained a new power through the dramatic performance style and powerful rhythms. From than on, taiko groups were born!