Recently Viewed
Niigata Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
4.9
10 Ratings
Niigata
Experience the best of Niigata on a full-day private tour with a government-licensed guide. Explore the city's beautiful landscape, rice fields, sake heritage, and abundant food. Customize your itinerary and make the most of your six-hour tour!
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Ponshukan Niigata Station - Sample and purchase 93 varieties of Japanese Sake (rice wine) produced in Niigata. Additionally, indulge in the unique one-day hot spring experience, “Sake Buro (Sake bath),” which combines 12 degrees Sake with water. This spot is highly recommended for Japanese Sake enthusiasts.
- The Old Saito Residence - Constructed in 1918 by affluent merchant Kijuro Saito IV as a summer retreat for his family, the Old Saito Villa is now a cultural heritage site and is celebrated as one of Niigata’s most exquisite homes and gardens. The house features 11 distinct rooms, each with unique design elements. The gardens are crafted to offer different aesthetics, providing a changing view as you move from room to room and through the seasons. The design concept emphasizes unity, eliminating boundaries between indoors and outdoors to create harmony.
- Northern Culture Museum - Formerly the residence of the prosperous Ito Family, this museum now showcases eight generations of the family’s art and documents, with a selection of 6,000 items on display. The main attraction is the house and gardens, completed in 1889. The traditional Japanese-style wooden home spans a 29,100 square meter site with 65 rooms and meticulously landscaped gardens, stunning in all seasons. Visitors can dine at one of two restaurants on-site, and an inn is available for those wishing to immerse themselves further in the estate’s culture and history.
- Pia Bandai - At Sushi Benkei’s standing tables, patrons can savor the freshest fish prepared by friendly staff. For those who prefer seating, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with the same name is located across the street.
- Minatopia Niigata City History Museum - This historical area showcases the impressive architecture of old Niigata. Inside a replica of the 1910 City Hall, visitors can explore the history and culture of Niigata through beautifully presented and interactive exhibits. Dining options are available in another historic building in the district, and visitors can also watch ferries and Jetfoils on the Shinano River.
- Niigata Furumachi Machi Minato Information Center - In Niigata, the term for “geisha” is “geigi.” Furumachi is one of the most famous geisha districts in Japan, alongside Kyoto’s Gion and Tokyo’s Shinbashi. Here, geigi perform traditional dances and engage in games with guests.
What's Included
- Licensed Local Guide
- Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from ‘What to expect’ list
What's Not Included
- Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
- Private Vehicle
- You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
- Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Additional Information
This value-packed trip with a government-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore Niigata!\n\nNiigata is a beautiful city whose northwest faces the Sea of Japan. As one of Japan’s leading agricultural cities, Niigata has a beautiful landscape of rice fields, well-known for its sake and rice heritage. Thanks to its abundant nature and perfect climate, Niigata became an agricultural powerhouse and historically acquired a reputation for its plentiful, abundant food output.\n\nLet us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that’s best for you!\n\nNote1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.\nNote2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.
- This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.
Location
Ponshukan Niigata Station
1-96-47 Hanazono, Chuo-ku,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(10 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Georger2893
Apr 14, 2024
A lovely survey of Niigata. - It was very satisfying to visit historic and cultural sites to get a taste of Niigata's history. A beautiful day in the park, cherry blossoms and All.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tomn1955
Apr 7, 2024
Koichi Sato - #1 guide so far on our trip. - We spent the day in Niigata with guide Koichi Sato who was fabulous. Great guide with excellent command of English (lived in New York) and lots of great information. He was very friendly and - best of all - gave us some options as we went along. Can’t say enough good things about Ko! He was amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kenma3467pi
Jan 10, 2024
Best Tour Guide in Niigata - If you want a great look at Niigata with a mix of history, culture, cuisine and good fun then Koichi is the best man for the job.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ken_m
Jan 8, 2024
Exceptional - Our experience was very special and Koichi made the difference between a good day and a great day. Koichi had a wonderful mix of history and human warmth.
Review provided by Viator
629tuanl
Dec 3, 2023
Amazing Experience!!! -
Koichi was an amazing guide around Niigata City, Japan. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic, and he made sure that I had a great time exploring the city. Koichi took me to all of the best spots in Niigata City, including the Northern Culture Museum, the The Old Saito Residence and the Sake museum. Koichi was also a great source of information about Niigata City and its culture. He told me about the city's history, its people, and its food.
I had a great time with Koichi, and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a guide in Niigata City. He is an amazing person who will make sure that you have a memorable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U3253cogracer
Jun 29, 2023
Niigata travels with Koishi - We had so much fun touring Niigata with Koishi! Koishi actually found some of our relatives that we were able to meet as well. He went above and beyond and was able to give us an outstanding experience. I would recommend Koishi to anyone he is super friendly and so nice! We appreciate everything he has done for me and my family.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lawrence_k
Mar 23, 2023
A fantastic tour guide - Our tour guide, Mindy, was fantastic. Unlike most tour guides, the very first thing she did was go over the proposed plan and then modify it to meet our wants and desires. She is adaptable.
Mindy is very knowledgeable about the area and explained everything in detail. Plus she has a infectious personality.
If you hire Mindy you will not be sorry.
Review provided by Viator
Sarahsk3901rq
Dec 20, 2022
Nikko Full-Day Tour with Karen - A great tour of the highlights of Nikko and our tour guide, Karen, was fantastic. She was knowledgeable, kind, and professional but caring - it was like being shown around a new town by a relative who lived there. We saw Toshu-Go, Futarasan Shrine, Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls, Renno-Ji, and one other scenic overlook; I felt satisfied with the itinerary and Karen provided great background information on what we were seeing.
My one warning, completely unrelated to the guide or the tour company but important: if you take this or any Nikko tour in winter, for the love of all things holy, WEAR GLOVES. 😭
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R5097dadonaldw
Dec 11, 2022
Outstanding experience! - Mindy was a wonderful guide. She asked us what we were interested in before our tour, and then created a custom experience for us! It was perfect, and so was she, we had a great day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ginny_s
Apr 10, 2024
Private tour of Niigata - The tour guide Koichi responded to our request for a private tour of Niigata a few days after booking this tour. He was polite and asked what we wanted to see. He was on time on the day of the tour meeting us at our hotel as I had requested.
He did exactly as he had informed us by email. We wanted to spend the most time at the Shibata Castle, which we did; see the Shimizuen Garden and the Suwa Shrine. Koichi was very knowledgeable about these places and very pleasant to talk to.
We enjoyed this tour very much.
Review provided by Viator
