Niigata Prefecture - Niigata

Japanese: 新潟[県] - にいがた

A prefecture in the northern part of the Chubu region, facing the Sea of Japan. It includes Sado Island. The prefectural capital is Niigata City. It has an area of 12,584.10 ^km2 and a population of 2,374,450 (2010). It is the fifth largest prefecture in Japan in terms of area, equivalent to the combined area of the three prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui in the Hokuriku region. [History] It corresponds to the former provinces of Echigo and Sado. In ancient times it was part of the province of Echigo, and in the mid-7th century Nutari no Saku and Iwafune no Saku were established there. In the Middle Ages, the Jo and Hojo clans wielded power, and during the Warring States period it was unified by the Uesugi clan. Sado was also a place of exile. During the Edo period it was subdivided into tenryo and feudal domains, and Sado came under direct control of the shogunate due to its gold production. In 1871, Niigata, Kashiwazaki, and Aikawa prefectures were established, and in 1873, Kashiwazaki prefecture and in 1875, Aikawa prefecture were incorporated into Niigata prefecture. [Nature] Niigata is a long, narrow prefecture stretching from northeast to southwest, 80km east to west and 210km north to south. To the east is the Echigo Mountains, to the south is the Mikuni Mountains, and to the southwest is the Myoko Volcanic Group and the Hida Mountains. Parallel to the west of the Echigo Mountains are the Uonuma Hills and Higashikubiki Hills. In the north to the center, the alluvial plains of the Shinano River and Agano River (Echigo Plains) spread out, and a sand dune belt has developed on the Japan Coast, with the Takada Plains of the Arakawa River in the southwest. Sado Island, the largest island in the Sea of Japan, is located about 45km offshore from Niigata City, and Awa Island is about 20km northwest of Murakami City. The climate is in the Hokuriku region of the Japan Coast, characterized by heavy snowfall in the mountains and basins in winter and the föhn phenomenon in summer. Summer is mostly sunny and hot, making it suitable for rice cultivation. [Industry] The population composition by industry is 7.5% primary, 31.1% secondary, and 60.7% tertiary (2005). Paddy fields account for about 90% of the cultivated land area of about 1,788 ^km2 , and the Echigo Plain is a grain-producing region known as the "rice warehouse of Japan." In normal years, the planted area and harvest volume of paddy rice are second only to Hokkaido in the country (2003), and the koshihikari rice harvest accounts for more than 80%. Other than rice, apples, cherries, grapes, peaches, pears, etc. are cultivated in vinyl greenhouses on sand dunes and natural levees, and fruit horticulture is well developed. Fishing is centered on the two ports of Ryotsu in Niigata and Sado Island, and mackerel, horse mackerel, squid, etc. are caught. The salmon in the Miomote and Agano rivers and farmed koi carp in Yamakoshi village (now Nagaoka city) are famous. In terms of minerals, Niigata is number one in the country for both oil and natural gas (2004), the Nishikubiki and Higashikanbara regions produce limestone, and the Sado Gold Mine was briefly revived but closed in 1989. There has been active development of power sources in the Shinano and Agano river systems, and chemical industries that use electricity have developed in Arai city (now Myoko city), Oumi town (now Itoigawa city), Kanose town (now Aga town), and Naoetsu in Joetsu city, while oil refineries and gas chemical industries that use oil and natural gas as raw materials are located in Niigata city. Other major industries include machinery, shipbuilding, and paper manufacturing in Niigata and Kashiwazaki, synthetic fiber and knitwear in Tochio (now Nagaoka) and Mitsuke, and precision machinery manufacturing in Nagaoka, Ojiya, and Arai (now Myoko). Traditional industries include silk and linen textiles in Gosen, Tokamachi, and Ojiya, metalwork in Sanjo, Western-style tableware in Tsubame, chests of drawers in Kamo, sake in Niigata and Nagaoka, and miso from Sado Island. The value of manufactured goods shipped was 4,353 billion yen (2003), ranking first among the four Hokuriku prefectures and fifth in the Chubu region. In terms of tourism, there are three national parks (Bandai Asahi, Joshinetsu Kogen, and Myoko-Togakushi Renzan), many scenic spots, hot springs, and ski resorts in the Sado-Yahiko-Yoneyama Quasi-National Park, as well as famous places such as Sasagawa-ga-yu, Oyashirazu, and Ginzan-daira, and hot springs such as Echigo-Yuzawa, Senami, and Tochiomata. [Transportation] The area is connected to the Tokyo metropolitan area by the Joetsu Line, Joetsu Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, National Route 17, and the Kan'etsu Expressway, and to the Tohoku region by the Uetsu Main Line, Ban'etsu West Line, and National Routes 7 and 49. The Ban'etsu Expressway, which extended to Tsugawa in November 1996, was completed in October 1997 when it was linked to Nishiaizu in Fukushima Prefecture. The Hokuriku Shinkansen, Shinetsu Main Line, Echigo Line, Echigo Tokimeki Railway, National Route 8, and Hokuriku Expressway run through the Japan Coast, and other cities are connected by the Yonesaka, Shirashin, Yahiko, Tadami, Iiyama, Oito, and Hokuriku Express lines. Sado Island is served by regular shipping routes from the ports of Niigata, Naoetsu, and Teradomari, and Niigata City has Niigata Airport, which also serves international flights to Russia, Korea, and China, and Sado Airport is located in Ryotsu, Sado City, on Sado Island.
→Related articleOkesa Festival｜Chubu Region

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Japanese:

中部地方北部，日本海に面する県。佐渡島を含む。県庁所在地は新潟市。１万2584.10km²。237万4450人（2010）。面積は全国５位の広さで，北陸地方の富山，石川，福井３県の合計に相当する。〔沿革〕　かつての越後国・佐渡国２国にあたる。古代は越(こし)の国の一部で，７世紀中期に渟足柵(ぬたりのさく)，磐舟柵(いわふねのさく)が置かれた。中世には城(じょう)氏，北条氏らが勢力を振るい，戦国時代には上杉氏が統一。佐渡は流刑地でもあった。江戸時代には天領，藩領に細分され，佐渡は金を産するため幕府が直轄。1871年新潟・柏崎・相川３県設置，1873年柏崎県，1875年相川県を新潟県に編入。〔自然〕　東西80km，南北210kmと北東〜南西に細長く，東は越後山脈，南は三国山脈，南西は妙高火山群と飛騨山脈の山地で，越後山脈の西に並行して魚沼丘陵，東頸城(ひがしくびき)丘陵がのびる。北〜中部に信濃川，阿賀野川の沖積平野（越後平野）が広がり，その日本海岸に砂丘帯が発達，南西部に荒川の高田平野がある。新潟市沖合約45kmには日本海で最大の佐渡島，村上市北西約20kmには粟(あわ)島がある。気候は日本海岸式の北陸気候区に属し，県境山地，盆地での冬の豪雪，夏のフェーン現象が特色。夏は晴天が多く，高温で，稲作に適する。〔産業〕　産業別人口構成は第１次7.5％，第２次31.1％，第３次60.7％（2005）。耕地面積約1788km²のうち水田が約９割を占め，越後平野は〈日本の米倉〉といわれる穀倉地帯をなす。水稲の作付面積，収穫量とも平常年では北海道に次いで全国２位（2003），コシヒカリの収穫量が８割以上を占める。米以外では砂丘地と自然堤防上でのリンゴ，サクランボ，ブドウ，モモ，ナシなどのビニルハウス栽培，果樹園芸が発達。漁業では新潟と佐渡島の両津２港を中心にサバ，アジ，イカなどを漁獲する。三面(みおもて)川，阿賀野川のサケ，山古志村（現・長岡市）の養殖ニシキゴイは有名。鉱産では，石油・天然ガスともに全国一（2004），西頸城，東蒲原地方では石灰石を産出，佐渡金山は一時復活したが1989年閉山。信濃川・阿賀野川水系の電源開発が活発で，電力を利用する化学工業が新井市（現・妙高市），青海(おうみ)町（現・糸魚川市），鹿瀬(かのせ)町（現・阿賀町），上越市の直江津に発達，石油・天然ガスを原料とする製油，ガス化学などの工業が新潟市に立地する。他に新潟，柏崎の２市を主に機械，造船，製紙，栃尾市（現・長岡市），見附市などの合繊物，ニット製品があり，最近は長岡市，小千谷市，新井市（現・妙高市）などで精密機器工業が発展している。伝統産業では五泉市，十日町市，小千谷市の絹・麻織物，三条市の金物，燕市の洋食器，加茂市のたんす，新潟，長岡各市の酒，佐渡島のみそなどがある。製造品出荷額では４兆3530億円（2003）を上げ，北陸４県では１位，中部地方では５位である。観光面では磐梯朝日・上信越高原・妙高戸隠連山の３国立公園，佐渡弥彦米山国定公園に含まれる多くの景勝地，温泉，スキー場のほか笹川流，親不知(おやしらず)，銀山平などの名所，越後湯沢，瀬波，栃尾又などの温泉がある。〔交通〕　首都圏とは上越線，上越新幹線，北陸新幹線，国道17号線，関越自動車道，東北地方とは羽越本線，磐越西線，国道７，49号線で結ばれ，1996年11月に津川まで通じた磐越自動車道は，1997年10月に福島県西会津と結ばれて全通。日本海岸に北陸新幹線，信越本線，越後線，えちごトキめき鉄道，国道８号線，北陸自動車道が通じ，ほかに米坂・白新・弥彦・只見・飯山・大糸・北越急行の各線が諸都市を結ぶ。佐渡島へは新潟・直江津・寺泊の各港から定期航路が通じ，新潟市にロシア，韓国，中国への国際線も発着する新潟空港，佐渡島の佐渡市両津に佐渡空港がある。
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