Niigata, where time seems to stand still

She treads onto the tatami.

- Denise Lim

Saito Villa owned by Kijuro Saito IV, one of the wealthiest merchants of Niigata in the late 19th century.

The room quietens.The geisha unfurls and spins a purple parasol in a ceremonial rhythm, her sleeves cascading gently. The onee-san, or senior geisha, plucks the shamisen. The three-stringed instrument trills with each note, while her low-pitched singing voice reverberates through the room.

Is this Gion, Kyoto’s famous district? Not quite.

We are in the Furumachi neighbourhood of Niigata City, two hours north of Tokyo Station by high-speed rail or Shinkansen, and situated along the coast facing the Sea of Japan.

Niigata’s geisha, or “geigi” in the local dialect, are little known today. But their lineage traces back about 200 years, when Niigata flourished as a busy port on a merchant shipping route linking Hokkaido and Osaka.

Niigata was once one of Japan’s wealthiest and most populous regions during the late Edo and early Meiji eras (1800s to early 1900s). But with industrialisation and the rise of modern transport networks, economic activity turned towards Tokyo and other parts of Japan’s Pacific Coast.

Today, the prefecture is not on most tourists' radar. In many ways, it feels like a slice of a forgotten Japan, where time stands still.

Yet this is precisely its appeal - century-old restaurants, rice fields, seaside hamlets, time-etched cliffs and gold mines burrowing into the mountains.

Over four days in November 2025, I visited Niigata City and Sado Island, both located within Niigata prefecture. Here are some activities worth checking out.

EXPLORE NIIGATA CITY

During a walking tour (edge-of-niigata.com/tour/1228; 7,500 yen, or S$61, for three hours), I stand by the mouth of Shinano River — Japan's longest — which flows from the Japanese Alps, threading through Niigata.