- Culture
- Niigata
Northern Culture Museum
This is the building of wealthy farmers. In everything from its architecture and gardens to its collection of art, this museum is full to the brim of Niigata tradition and art. The Northern Culture Museum is the former mansion of the Ito family, who were the lords of vast areas of land in Echigo. It is maintained and open to the general public as this museum.
You can see works of art throughout the massive 29,091 square-meter premises in buildings such as the Main House, the Banqueting Hall, the Tea House and Storehouse Gate. The works include a garden centered around a pond designed by famous Echigo gardener Taiami Tanaka, and the collections of successive generations of Ito lords.
In the central garden, there is a spread of wisterias all coming from one 150-year-old tree with a trunk circumference of over 1.6 meters.
When the wisterias come into flower from late April to early May, a sweet fragrance fills the air as tufts of colorful lilac flowers bloom. During the blooming season, the wisterias are lit up at night.
Location
| Name | Northern Culture Museum |
|---|---|
| URL | http://hoppou-bunka.com/english/ |
| Address | 2-15-25 Somi, Konan-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata |
| Access | Take a bus via Somi in the Akiha Ward Office bound for Bandai City Bus Center, and get off at Kamisomi Hakubutsukan-mae bus stop. It is 2 minutes’ walk from here. |
| Business Hours | April to November: 9:00 to 17:00 December to March: 9:00 to 16:30 |
| Inquiries | 025-385-2001 |
| Admission | Adults: 800 yen; Children: 400 yen |