Niigata City 新潟市

Located at the mouth of the Shinanogawa river, the longest river in the country, and on the Sea of Japan, the prefectural capital has a population of over 800,000. After Japan opened up to foreign countries in the middle of the 19th century, important trade relations were established with Russia. Severe earthquakes in 1964 and 2004. One of the venues for the Football World Cup in 2002.