Niigata Prefecture, located in the Chubu Region and skirting the Sea of Japan, is well known for its quality rice, summer fireworks, winter skiing, and year-round onsen. The prefecture’s capital, Niigata City, represents the largest port on the nation’s Japan Sea coast, home to more than 800 thousand people.

One of Niigata’s most famous landmarks is the six arches of the Bandai Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1929. It is illuminated at night and supports 20,000 dancers during the annual daiminyonagashi, or Folk Dancing Parade. The bridge represents just one of the sights that Niigata has to offer.

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Across Japan, you will encounter celebrations called matsuri. Matsuri are festivals, ranging from Shinto shrine festivals to government holidays to food festivals. They may celebrate the changing of the seasons, a historical event, or traditional culture. In this travel guide, we will focus on a specific type of matsuri: the food festival.

When traveling abroad, sampling traditional cuisine is one of the best ways to experience the authentic culture. Said cookbook author Ronni Lundy, “If you read between the lines of recipes, you can often find the things unspoken, the clues to their lives, the keys to discovering what they value. You see what’s important enough to make for a celebration…it’s all there, just between the lines.”

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The Obon festival (also known as Bon festival) is an annual Japanese holiday which commemorates and remembers deceased ancestors. It is believed that their spirits return at this time to visit their relatives.

Chochin (paper) lanterns are hung to guide the spirits and Obon dances (bon odori) are performed. Families have reunions and visit the graves of their relatives and make food offerings at altars and temples.

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