So! just spent the past several days exploring Nagano and Niigata prefectures using the regional JR pass. It was rather difficult for me to find a good comparison of these two cities, so I thought that I’d post my own take and let others give their input too.
Niigata City: Such a cool place! The weather was unforgiving: windy, dark, and with freezing rain throughout the day. Still, I think the city is well adapted to these conditions. Many pedestrain areas like Furumachi are covered and have plenty of fashionable, cozy little stores and cafes to pop into. I walked along the coast to the aquarium, and the views of Sado Island were 100% worth the trek to get there. The aquarium was endearing with it’s dolphin show and bioluminescent squid. I walked back to see Hakusan Temple at dusk. It was unfortunately under construction, but even still it looked pretty. Then, back across the Bandai Bridge to the station.
Joetsu: Wow was this completely different. Joetsu is a very small town compared to Niigata. Many restaurants close mid day, and the town was super quiet and laid back. I walked to Takada castle and toured the grounds. They did have an English international brochure, but the exhibits were all in Japanese: rather understandable for a small town. The entrance fee was 310, which I felt was well worth it to go to the top of the tower and enjoy views of the mountains in the distance. I managed to find a cafe open late afternoon back toward Takada station. It was cheap, tasty, and the lady working there was very friendly and had her own hand made goods up for sale. Then, I walked around Tera machi. The temples were very cute with the tall trees caked with snow.
In short, these cities couldn’t be more different. If you appreciate going off the beaten path a bit to check out a small town, give Joetsu a chance. For me, I am glad that I went, but I would personally choose Niigata if I had the chance to go again.