With a spot to also experience the Nagaoka Fireworks, take a food tour around Nagaoka and Teradomari while sampling fermented foods and seafood whose rich history tells a story!

Welcome to the Sake Museum, where visitors can learn about the history of sake as well as enjoy sake tastings!

The city of Nagaoka in Niigata Prefecture flourished as a castle town beginning in the Edo period. The Settaya area near JR Nagaoka Station is known as an area of fermentation and brewing, with numerous miso, soy sauce, and sake breweries from the Meiji and Taisho eras still around.
On this trip, we visited the Sake Museum Joh-gura, found on the premises of the Yoshinogawa brewery in Settaya.

The Sake Museum Joh-gura is a hub for the area of fermentation and brewing. Here, visitors can learn, drink, and purchase sake. The museum is located in a renovated 100-year-old warehouse that was once used for sake bottling operations. Anyone is welcome to enter the museum.

The museum uses video and digital technology to share and highlight the history of sake brewing and the techniques used. The walls are lined with sake brewing tools used in the past, as well as labels from past generations.

Visitors can experience a vritual version of Yoshinogawa's sake brewing by playing the sake brewing experience game!

In one corner of the museum is the brewery for Yoshinogawa's first craft beer, Settaya Craft, which can be viewed through a glass window.

Taste and compare well-known and limited edition sakes from the brewery

Visitors can enjoy sake at a stylish counter at the SAKE Bar. Tastings start at 400 yen per glass for well-known sakes such as Gokujo Yoshinogawa and the new Minamo. The Joh-gura Nama Genshu for 550 yen is only available here. You might have good luck if you can pick it out! The Four Sake Challenge is also available for 1,000 yen.

The Gokujo Yoshinogawa Recommended Three Sake Flight is 800 yen.
Snacks that go perfectly with sake are available for around 500 yen each, such as Salmon Terrine-Style Rusk for 550 yen and Deep-Fried Tofu & Fuki Miso for 500 yen.

Gokujo Yoshinogawa is a well-known series of sakes from the brewery. The Three Sake Flight, which includes small bottles of ginjo, special junmai, and junmai ginjo for 2,365 yen, is popular as a souvenir.

The PAIR series is based on the concept of enjoying pairings with food. The daiginjo-shu and junmai-shu PAIR Two Sake Set for 1,342 yen are two stylish sakes that go well with Western food, as well.

Yoshinogawa continues to evolve with the times while carefully carrying on tradition. Depending on the season, a variety of events such as the Sake Tasting Festival and the Sake Day Event are held, allowing visitors to experience a wide range of ways to enjoy sake.

*Product prices are current as of the time of our visit.

Enjoy novel Japanese sweets made in collaboration with Settaya's breweries

Eguchi Dango has been a favorite in Nagaoka since its establishment in 1902.
In 2022, the Settaya location opened in a renovated traditional Japanese house from the Edo period. Here, visitors can enjoy Japanese sweets unique to the brewery district.
The photo shows the Settaya Dango Set for 900 yen. This set includes freshly grilled Mitarashi dango, mugwort dango, and vegetables pickled in sake lees, as well as sencha or hojicha tea.

The popular Fruit Pudding Parfait (1,300 yen) is a retro parfait glass filled with green tea ice cream and chunky red bean paste, topped with firm pudding, Gandhi serve ice cream, kiwi, and Shine Muscat grapes (fruit varieties may change depending on the season).
Gandhi serve ice cream is a rarity; it’s made from the milk of Gandhi cows—of which there are only 300 in Japan—found at Kase Farm. This ice cream offers a smooth and very rich flavor.

The cafe has a classic interior with tables and sofas. Spend an afternoon looking out onto the Japanese garden.

The interior is thoroughly Japanese in style, renovated using the pillars, beams, and shelves from the original house. The shop sells brewery sweets made from fermented foods from the breweries in Settaya.

An expansive Japanese garden can be found outside, with seasonal flowers and plants to delight the eyes of visitors.

In one corner of the shop, dango are grilled before your eyes and available for takeout. Fragrant Mitarashi Dango (two skewers for 200 yen).

Eguchi Dango creates novel Japanese sweets by combining ingredients from the breweries in Settaya with traditional Japanese sweets. Depending on the season, they also offer original items such as their Mitarashi Milk Shaved Ice using their signature Mitarashi glaze.

Brewery storehouses built in the Meiji and Taisho eras rebuilt as a hub for Settaya

Kina Saffron Liqueur, manufactured and sold from the Meiji period to the Showa period, was once a medicinal beverage that was so popular that it split the market down the middle with Yomeishu. Ten buildings, including the residence of the founder, Nitaro Yoshizawa, and the storehouses remain at the Former Kina Saffron Liqueur Brewery site. Together, they have become a symbol of the Settaya area.

The rice storehouse on the site was renovated in 2020 as the Settaya 6th Avenue Fermentation Museum Komegura. Inside the museum is a cafe where visitors can taste local foods as well as a section selling local specialties, making it a hub where local residents and tourists come together.
The museum cafe Omusubi, Soup, and Tea 6SUBI (read “musubi”) sells a wide variety of musubi made with Niigata ingredients and local fermented foods.

The Oh! Tomato Miso for 300 yen features the perfect balance between the acid of tomatoes and the umami flavor of miso. Other tempting items include the Spicy Eggplant Cream Cheese for 350 yen and the Tuna Mayo for 300 yen, which is made with kizami miso pickles from local Hoshino Honten.

The Fermentation Experience Miso Soup Bar (600 yen per person) is a self-service bar where visitors can taste as many cups of miso soup as they like using locally produced miso, dashi soy sauce, and other ingredients.

We add green onion, wakame seaweed, and a spoonful of our choice of miso. Just add hot water to make the soup! We recommend blending various types of miso and comparing the flavors.

It’s time to snack on musubi and miso soup. For takeout, we also recommend the Omakase Omusubi Bento for 850 yen, which comes with two types of musubi, a fermented side dish, Settaya soy sauce fried chicken, and Japanese-style omelet with seasonal vegetables.

A variety of events are held every month in the open space, which features a high ceiling, including art exhibitions, concerts, and workshops.

Try the saffron liqueur that took the world by storm!

The saffron liqueur is 935 yen for 300 ml. Today, Niigata Meijo has inherited the Yoshizawa family's traditional methods, using saffron, cassia bark, and cloves. You can also taste the liqueur for 200 yen.

Pieces from Akiha Glassblowing Works in Niigata City were also on display and for sale. One cosmic egg is available for 2,500 yen. This piece seems to trap galaxies in glass and can be used as an objet d'art or a paperweight.

Settaya suffered little damage in the Bombing of Nagaoka during WWII, and valuable historic buildings still stand today.
One such example is the relief storehouse located on the grounds of the Former Kina Saffron Liqueur Brewery. Seventeen kinds of animals and mythical creatures, including the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, as well as nine kinds of plants, are depicted in bright colors, and they have been praised as the best relief work in Japan. There are many other points of interest, so be sure to stop by when strolling around Settaya.

Visit the birthplace Kaki No Tane, the nationally popular rice cracker created originally by accident

Everyone in Japan knows the rice cracker Kaki No Tane. It was first created by Naniwaya Seika. In 1923, rice crackers were made by layering thinly sliced rice cakes and cutting them out with a small oval mold. However, the founder's wife inadvertently stepped on one of the molds and crushed it, resulting in a distorted oval-shaped arare cracker. It was named Kaki No Tane (literally “persimmon seed”) because of its shape, which resembled the seed of a persimmon fruit.

The Birthplace of Kaki No Tane opened in October 2024 on the premises of Naniwaya Seika's headquarters to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the popular snack. In addition to learning the secret story behind the snack’s creation and seeing the manufacturing process, visitors can also enjoy shopping for a variety of Kaki No Tane.

A replica of a Kaki No Tane mold and storyboards for commercials from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s are on display to introduce the history of Naniwaya Seika.

Visitors can also take a commemorative photo in front of retro wallpaper depicting the original Kaki No Tane packaging.

Check out the new flavors and great deals on limited edition items.

One of the original retro cans of Kaki No Tane, priced at 1,300 yen, contains 12 small bags of Kaki No Tane, making it a great souvenir. For enjoying at home, we recommend an economy size bag of the snack, available only at official shops, for 500 yen per bag.

Kaki Choco, a chocolate-coated Kaki No Tane snack, is now just as popular as the standard version. There are four types available—Kaki Choco, White, Café Latte, and Strawberry—for 280 yen per bag.

Kaki No Tane merchandise is also available, including the Original Kaki No Tane T-shirt for 3,520 yen produced in collaboration with the Niigata T-shirts Commission.

A Kaki No Tane Shrine, dedicated to the god of turning failure into success, is located on the premises in honor of the failure that led to the creation of the beloved snack. Wish for success and bring with you the power of Kaki No Tane when you leave.

The fragrant Nagaoka Ginger Shoyu Ramen is also a great way to finish off a night after enjoying drinks

We visited Ramen Izakaya Ichimaru on Ekimae-dori because we learned we could try Nagaoka Ginger Shoyu Ramen, one of Niigata's top five bowls of ramen. This ramen shop has tables as well as raised tatami floor seating. Customers are to purchase a meal ticket first before taking a seat.

As we waited excitedly, the signature dish, Echigo Nagaoka Ginger Shoyu Ramen for 850 yen, arrived at our table. The clear soy sauce broth has a subtle ginger fragrance and a light, lingering flavor. The chewy noodles go well with the soup.

With its plentiful pork back fat, Tsubame White, is reminiscent of snow country

Tsubame White for 1,000 yen is also a popular option. It is a unique version of Sanjo\Tubame-style ramen, one of Niigata's top fie bowls of ramen, using tonkotsu broth. The pork bone broth is enriched with seafood broth made using dried sardines, dried bonito flakes, and so on, and the pork back fat gives it a rich flavor.

We are about to enjoy Niigata-style ramen. There are other versions of Tsubame White, including the rich Tsubame Red dan dan noodles and the rich Tsubame Yellow curry dan dan noodles.

This shop is just a three-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Nagaoka Station. Look for its yellow sign. It is also an izakaya and offers a la carte dishes that can be enjoyed casually such as grilled beef offal and gyoza. Savoring this ramen is also a great way to finish off a night after enjoying drinks.

Discover the perfect souvenir in the form of local favorite Japanese and Western confections at this station shopping mall, where you can find everything you need

CoCoLo Nagaoka, connected to JR-East Hotel Mets Nagaoka by a concourse, is a commercial complex that offers fashion, sundry goods, food items, and good eats to check out. You can find souvenirs at Echigo Noren-Gai on the first floor.

Echigo Noren-Gai is home to seven veteran Japanese and Western confectionery shops from Nagaoka in particular, as well as Niigata and Kashiwazaki.
The Bun No Tane (378 yen) from Koshi No Yuki Honpo Yamatoya come in three varieties: yuzu, mint, and strawberry. The Yukari in the bottle is a dried confection like kompeito, with a center made of arare rice cracker. They are so beautiful that you will want to display them instead of eating them.

The Amai Ohajiki (891 yen), which look like real traditional Japanese marbles, are made by adding a small amount of glucose syrup to sugar, boiling it down, cooling the mixture, and then carefully shaping it into individual candies. When eaten, they have a gentle sweetness that fills your mouth.

The special fluffy dorayaki from Nishimoriya will have you wanting one right then and there

Nishimoriya's dorayaki come in a variety of flavors, including chunky azuki bean paste, cheese, butter & chunky azuki bean paste, and rum raisin. Each is available for 216 yen.
The most popular flavor, cheese, is made with cubes of natural cheese mixed in buttercream. The texture of the cheese and the hint of saltiness is a great accent.

Other famous confections include selections from Mogamiya, Tsukasa Seirindo, Beniya Shigemasa, Osakaya, and Eguchi Dango.

Echigo Noren-Gai is a great spot where you can buy a range of confections from various famous stores in the same space. Find your favorite from among the famous confections loved by locals.

Experience the culture and natural features of Nagaoka, surrounded by artwork and traditional crafts

The design of this modern Japanese-style hotel incorporates Nagaoka's history, natural environments, and culture, such as the Nagaoka Fireworks, Shinano River, and the One Hundred Famous Views of Echigo Nagaoka. Six types of guest rooms are available, including single and twin rooms, and each room has individual air conditioning, high quality Simmons beds, and negative ion water.
The photo shows the 721 Superior Twin, which is a spacious 40.1 m2.

The carpet on the floor represents the flow of the Shinano River, and the walls are decorated with a gorgeous accent cloth inspired by Niagara fireworks.

The Superior Twin guest room features a bedroom and living room. Enjoy a meal or chat late into the night in this relaxing space, which is equipped with a TV and sofa.

The Superior Twin guest room comes fully equipped with a bathroom featuring sink and a bath with a washing space.

A monotone carpet with a fireworks and water patterns continues down the hallway on each floor.

Enjoy free beverages in the stylish reception lobby

The reception lobby on the third floor is a space where guests can relax and enjoy freshly ground coffee. Traditional crafts and local specialties are on display in the gallery-like space, promoting the charms of the region.

The walls of the reception lobby are decorated with two pieces by printmaker Shima Yoshida—“Splendid Shinano River” and “Fireworks Phoenix in Prayer for Recovery”—which colorfully depict the natural environments and features of the seasons in Nagaoka. There is also a piece entitled “One Hundred Famous Views of Nagaoka Echigo: Echigo in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter” on the first floor. We recommend guests tour the artwork inside the hotel.

Nagaoka prospered as a castle town, and many traditional Japanese confectionery stores were established in the area, giving birth to numerous famous confections. Guests can also see, among the traditional crafts, wooden confectionery molds used in Nagaoka's long-established Japanese confectionery stores.

The amenity corner offers a wide variety of teabags, including black and green teas, as well as toner, milky lotion, and cleansers. Guests need not worry—you can stay in comfort even with minimal luggage.

The hotel is located one minute on foot from JR Nagaoka Station via the East Exit concourse! This also connects to the CoCoLo Nagaoka station shopping mall. And at PRONTO, located on the first floor of the station shopping mall, you can enjoy a morning set including toast and an omelet. There are also local restaurants, cafes, and bento box shops, so guests can enjoy a variety of good eats.

One of the best power spots in Niigata Prefecture, and also the filming location for a popular TV show

Yahiko Shrine is said to have been built 2,400 years ago and attracted numerous worshippers as the top ranking Ichinomiya shrine in Echigo. Known as “Oyahiko-sama,” it is well-loved by locals. The enshrined deity is Ame-no-Kagoyama-no-Mikoto, the great-grandson of Amaterasu Omikami, who is said to have taught the people of Echigo techniques such as rice cultivation, fishing, salt production, and sake brewing.

After bowing at the first shrine gate, we head to the front approach to the shrine. From this point onward, the path is surrounded by thick trees, which creates a sacred atmosphere.

There is a stone bridge in the middle of the approach, and under the bridge flows the Mitarashi River. We were told that in the past, people used to cleanse their hands and feet in this stream before visiting the shrine. The vermilion-lacquered bridge seen upstream is the Tamanohashi Bridge, which the deities are said to cross.

The current shrine pavilions, including the main hall, were rebuilt in 1916 by Chuta Ito, a famous architect of modern shrines, over a period of five years after they were lost in a fire at the end of the Meiji period.

General etiquette for praying at shrines calls for two bows, two claps, and a third bow, but at Yahiko Shrine, the etiquette is two bows, four claps, and a third bow. We clap four times before making our silent prayers.

Ame-no-Kagoyama-no-Mikoto and his consort are enshrined on the summit of Mt. Yahiko, which rises behind the shrine. The shrine is also said to bring good luck in finding a partner for marriage, and you can even get a cute love charm at the shrine office.

We also drew a fortune and received a wonderful message from the deity.

Walking the path that was also used as the setting for a TV show

Yahiko Shrine was also the filming location for the NHK morning drama series “Tora Ni Tsubasa.” Walking through the grounds of the shrine, we were reminded of the numerous scenes in the Niigata District Family Court Sanjo Branch from the drama.

Here is Omokaru No Ishi, a stone that can be used for stone fortune-telling. Lifting it up with your wish in mind, if the stone feels light, your wish will be fulfilled. The hotel staff exclaimed, “It’s so heavy!” But they were very happy when they finally managed to lift it up!
There are still many spots of interest within the expansive grounds, such as the deer garden, the Japanese chicken coop, and the manyo walking path. Purify your body and mind by touring the lush green grounds of the shrine.

Enjoy eating your way through this Ameyoko Fish Market, where seafood is available from all over Japan

Teradomari in the city of Nagaoka faces the Sea of Japan and has long prospered as a port town and a port of call for cargo ships. Along National Route 402, which runs along the coastline, is a series of seafood markets, commonly known as Ameyoko Fish Market.

More than a dozen stores line the street, each with its own unique, colorful sign. First, we head to Kani no Kinpachi Teradomari Hamayaki Center, where a huge crab catches our eye.

Founded in 1930, Kani no Kinpachi Teradomari Hamayaki Center is said to be the originator of hamayaki, or broiling freshly caught seafood right on the beach. The storefront is also lined with fragrant grilled shrimp, squid, scallops, and many other seafood items.

Because the seafood is seared on the spot, the delicious aroma of soy sauce is irresistible!

Here are large scallop skewers.

In addition to seafood hamayaki, pork and grilled chicken skewers are also available. It is nice to be able to taste a variety of fish and meat.

After much deliberation, we purchased sweetfish, red rockfish, scallops, and blackthroat seaperch. Some of them are available for just 500 yen; enjoy a freshness and price that only a fishing port can offer.

There is an eat-in space next to the store for those who wish to take their time and compare the different foods.

Photogenic sweets made inspired by the port town

Sweets were also available in the stores. The Shiosai Soft Serve (left) for 650 yen is a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth milk soft serve ice cream on top of blue soda jellies and calpico jellies, inspired by the sea town of Teradomari. The Oimo Soft Serve for 550 yen is an autumn-only item featuring soft serve ice cream topped with baked sweet potato paste and homemade caramel sauce.

Sweets using seasonal fruits are also available, such as Strawberry Daifuku Soft Serve in the spring and Salted Lemon Parfait in the summer.

Beside the seafood, we found Sasa Dango—a Niigata specialty—for 150 yen each.
The stores along the Teradomari Fish Market Street not only sell freshly landed seafood, sashimi, and processed marine products but also offer many restaurants where visitors can enjoy set meals and rice bowls. Visitors can enjoy seafood at this lively market street.

A heartwarming underwater world where our little water friends live and play

This mysterious aquarium looks like a castle floating on the Sea of Japan. The octagonal three-story building is home to some 10,000 fish of about 300 species from the Sea of Japan and around the world.
As soon as we enter the main entrance, we are immediately greeted by the large temperate zone seawater aquarium. Loggerhead sea turtles and green turtles cheerfully welcome us.

In the large migratory aquarium, striped jack and spotted knifejaw swim in schools. Feeding shows by divers are held several times a day; the swarming fish are a sight to behold.

You can find colorful tropical fish swimming in the tropical seawater aquarium, which is home to several round tanks.

Purple anemones with their swaying tentacles look like flowers.

Shooting down food onto the water surface! The technique of the archerfish is a must-see

This aquarium is famous for its archerfish feeding and shooting shows. Visitors can watch up close as the archerfish shoot water from their mouths and drop food onto the water surface to eat. Check out the video of the show.

Living in the penguin plaza on the second floor are Magellanic penguins, which are found in South America. Jumping into the pool, resting by the water's edge—watching their heartwarming behavior is relaxing.

Visitors can see the penguins up close. “Hello!” from the water

There is a telescope in one corner of the penguin plaza, which offers a panoramic view of Sado Island on clear days.

A postcard-like booklet in the shape of a sea turtle (map of the aquarium). Take it home to remember and commemorate your visit.

On clear days, you can even see tortoises on walks outside.

This is an aquarium that teaches us about the surprising ecology of underwater creatures; you will be more familiar by the time you are ready to go. Events such as backyard tours and petting classes are held on an irregular basis.

A destination where visitors can experience the Nagaoka Fireworks—a Nagaoka tradition—all year round

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, held every August, is a historic fireworks display that was started as a memorial to the victims of the Bombing of Nagaoka during WWII and as a wish to see Nagaoka reconstructed. Every year, many visitors from Japan and abroad come for the festival, which is one of the three major fireworks festivals in Japan.
The Roadside Station Nagaoka Hanabikan is a spot where visitors can experience the Nagaoka Fireworks all year round. There is a dome theater and exhibition room at the roadside station where visitors can experience the Nagaoka Fireworks as if they were really happening through dynamic sound and video.

On display in the exhibition room at the Nagaoka Fireworks Museum are full-size fireworks balls and fireworks mortar tubes, introducing the history of the Nagaoka Fireworks. On the large 15-meter-wide, 6-meter-high screen, visitors can enjoy playing three types of games, including a team competition in which teams compete to see how many fireworks can be shot off when they raise their arms in front of the screen.

The adjacent Nagaoka Kitchen Food Court, brings together 10 famous restaurants and confectionery shops from Nagaoka.
On this visit, we enjoyed champon from Niigata Champon Taneya, which is produced by Abeko-Seika. The Red Champon for 980 yen is a spicy soup with a secret delicious and spicy oil and smooth noodles made from Niigata rice flour. It is very filling, with plenty of ingredients such as clams, squid, and shrimp.

The White Champon for 900 yen combines a rich pork bone broth with a vegetable and seafood broth; all the flavors of the ingredients are concentrated in a single bowl. You can also add toppings to your liking, such as seasoned eggs and finely cut white leeks for 100 yen each.

If you are looking for something sweet, head to Maru Mari Cafe. The Japanese-Style Maru Mari Green (left) for 650 yen combines whipped cream, matcha green tea powder, matcha green tea sauce, and mochi balls.
The Nagaoka Fireworks Soft Serve Ice Cream (right) for 450 yen is inspired by the famous fireworks. This is a thick vanilla soft serve ice cream topped with fireworks chocolates and crackling candy.

The lighting in the food court is also inspired by the real Nagaoka Fireworks. At the food court, visitors can enjoy a variety of foods such as ramen, curry, and rice balls.

Look out for limited edition products associated with the Nagaoka Fireworks!

The Echigo Nagaoka Omitsugiya on the premises is a shop that offers a variety of Echigo and Nagaoka specialties. Visitors can find items only available here, such as the Nagaoka Fireworks Dorayaki, branded with fireworks, for 200 yen.

The omitsugiya (cold storage warehouse) was designed to resemble a brewery, and it is always stocked with sake from 16 breweries, as well as sake and wine from other breweries in the prefecture.
At the adjacent Echigo Local Sake Tasting Bar, visitors can taste sake from 16 sake breweries as well as other breweries in the prefecture (1,000 yen for a flight of five glasses). Enjoy the fresh fragrances and flavors of the sake.

Ofuku Masamune Junmai Ginjo Nagaoka Fireworks sake (300 ml for 1102 yen) comes with a gift box designed for the Nagaoka Fireworks 2024 The 180 ml one cup for 462 yen is also popular.

Echigo Nagaoka Omitsugiya's original Golden Fireworks for 540 yen is a candy made from Hokkaido beet sugar and Okinawan brown sugar, stretched as thin as possible. The crispy texture makes it feel like you could eat them forever.

The new Nagaoka Firework Ball Gummies for 1,480 yen use the same exterior as the actual fireworks. Inside are grape-flavored gummies. Even after the gummies are gone, the case can be displayed as a replica.