The first thing you should know is that Niigata is not Tokyo. You'll want to
get a car so you can get around because everything is spread out and you
won't find train stations on every block. The beaches are dirty and there is
at least one Pachinko parlor for every resident. You can tell there was a
lot of money being pumped into Niigata awhile ago, and you can also tell
that the money supply dried up. This means that the roads are fairly wide,
and they are also not maintained as well as in other parts of Japan. The
first time I went to Niigata, I was told to wear long pants because they
have lots of bugs that bite and sting.

Okay, anyway you've got a warm sea, dirty beaches, pachinko parlors, lots of
places that sell seafood, the people are friendly enough, not many places to
go shopping, it's not over-populated and is a very relaxing place to visit
compared to most other parts of Japan.

I don't know anything about the castles, battlefields or museums.

"Nobunaga" <sailor_pinto@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:A1CRa.20656$dP1.39010@newsc.telia.net...
>
> Hello..
>
> I'm a Swedish man, going to Japan for the first time in October. Becuse of
> different reasons, I wanted to go to Niigata prefecture. But I got no
> information about the place.. I bought one guide book, 350+ pages, but
> Niigata wasn't mentioned at all (just a litte note about Sado Island). I
> wonder, can anyone tell me something about the Niigata area ?? OK, the
main
> reason I want to go there is, I played a video game called "Nobunagas
> Ambition" and the "Kenshin Uesugi" character intereted me alot.  I have no
> friends there or know nothing about it. Except maybe, I heard they are
> famous for their rice and sak・and the climate there in October  suits me.
> I searched the Internet many times, but didn't find much of interest. (I
can
> not read/speak Japanese)
>
> I'm just wondering, if anyone with more experience than me can give me any
> advice. I will travel alone, and the only thing I care about is seeing old
> castles and "stuff" I guess. I will stay for 3 weeks. Any help would be
most
> welcome !! I am no expert  in Japanese history around 1550'ies, just like
it
> alot (don't know why). Well Octobr is almost here, and I have no plans so
> far.. just know I will be in Japan October 1st to October 20.
>
> There is just so little information on the Internet about the things I
want
> to see.......
> (Nobunaga Oda, Kenshin Uesugi.. castles, paintings, battlefields,
museums..)
>
> Thank you.
>
>