Niigata Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Northeast of the city, Niigata airport (275-2633) has international flights to various Asian destinations. Kyokushin Air (273-0312) links Niigata with Ryōtsu on Sado-ga-shima (¥7350, 25 minutes). Buses run from stop 11 outside Niigata station to the airport every half-hour from 6.40am to 6.40pm (¥370, 25 minutes). A taxi costs about ¥2000.

The JR Jōetsu shinkansen line runs from Niigata to Echigo-Yuzawa (¥5240, 53 minutes) and on to Tokyo (Ueno; ¥10, 270, two hours); change at Takisaki for the Nagano shinkansen. On the JR Uetsu line, there are tokkyū trains north from Niigata to Tsuruoka (¥4530, 1¾ hours) and Akita (¥7020, 3¾ hours).

Long-distance buses use the covered Bandai bus centre, which is across the river from the station. Buses link Niigata with Sendai (¥4500, four hours), Yamagata (¥3800, 3¾ hours), Aizu-Wakamatsu (¥2000, 1¾ hours), Kanazawa (¥4580, five hours) and Nagano (¥3060, 3½ hours). There are also night buses to Tokyo (Ikebukuro; ¥5250, five hours) and Kyoto/Osaka (¥9450, 9½ hours). Most buses pass by Niigata station on their way out of town.

Shin-Nihonkai (273-2171) ferries from Niigata to Otaru (Hokkaidō) are excellent value (¥6200, 18 hours, daily except Monday). Buses leave from stop 3 at Niigata station for Rinko-nichōme. For Niigata-kō port, get off at Suehiro-bashi (¥180, 20 minutes).

From the Sado Kisen terminal, there are frequent ferries and hydrofoils to Ryōtsu on Sado-ga-shima. Buses to the terminal (¥180, 15 minutes) leave from stop 6 at the station 45 minutes before sailing.