What to See in Niigata - Top Sights and Attractions

Convention center in Niigata, Japan. Toki Messe is a multi-purpose international convention center in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The center was opened on May 1, 2003, and contains a hotel, restaurants, an art museum, conference rooms, and the offices of several international organizations.

Since 2004, Toki Messe has been the site of home games for the Niigata Albirex Basketball Team.

Toki Messe is the tallest building on the Sea of Japan, and has an observation deck on the 31st floor where one can view the areas in and around Niigata. Depending on the weather, one can also see Sado and Awashima islands.

The complex is named after the toki, the official bird of Niigata Prefecture.^[1]

Stadium in Niigata, Japan. The Denka Big Swan Stadium, also nicknamed the Big Swan, is a multi-purpose stadium in Niigata City, Japan. It is the home ground of J2 League club Albirex Niigata and was one of the 20 stadia used in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosting three matches. Through a sponsorship deal the stadium is officially named Denka Big Swan Stadium, and has previously been called the Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium for similar reason.

The stadium's capacity is 42,300. The highest recorded attendance at the stadium was Albirex Niigata's home fixture against Omiya Ardija on 23 November 2003, the final day of the 2003 J. League Division 2, with 42,223 fans attending.^[2]

Museum in Niigata, Japan. Niigata City History Museum is a museum in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan. It is also called MINATOPIA.^[3]

Museum in Niigata, Japan. Northern Culture Museum is an open-air museum in Kōnan-ku, Niigata, Japan. It contains the well known mansion of a wealthy farming family called gōnō, gardens and houses from the Edo period. There is also a branch in Chūō-ku, Niigata.^[4]

Concert hall in Niigata, Japan. The Niigata-City Performing Arts Center is a large multi-purpose public cultural facility in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, which opened on 22 October 1998.^[5]

Park in Niigata, Japan. Hakusan Park is a park in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.^[6]

Stadium in Niigata, Japan. Niigata Prefectural Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium in Niigata, Niigata opened on July 1, 2009. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home of the Niigata Albirex Baseball Club. The stadium hosted one NPB All-Star Game in 2010.^[7]

Former Niigata Customs House is an early Meiji period building in the city of Niigata, Niigata, within the MINATOPIA, or park surrounding the Niigata City History Museum. The building was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan and a National Historic Site of Japan in 1969. The building is an example of Giyōfū architecture, mixing western and Japanese elements. The building has red roof tiles and arched doorways, combined with "namako-style" plaster walls and a pagoda-like tower.^[8]

Arch bridge in Niigata, Japan. The Bandai Bridge is a bridge crossing the Shinano River in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan via National Route 7. The current bridge was constructed in 1929, and was designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property in July 2004.^[9]

Performing arts theater in Niigata, Japan. The Niigata Prefectural Civic Center is a large multi-purpose public cultural facility in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, which opened on 1 December 1967.^[10]

The Christ the King Cathedral also called Niigata Church is a religious building that is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Niigata in the prefecture of the same name, in Japan.

The church was dedicated in 1927. It follows the Roman or Latin rite and is the principal church of the diocese of Niigata (Dioecesis Niigataënsis カトリック新潟教区) which was raised to its current status by Pope John XXIII by the Bull "Sicut provido" in 1962.

It is under the pastoral responsibility of the Bishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi.^[11]