Niigata

Getting Here and Around

Niigata is 3 hours from Toyama on the JR Hokuriku line, 1½ hours or 2 hours 15 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen, and Toki local line respectively. Niigata serves as a waypoint en route to Sado-ga-shima. Kyokushin Koku (Kyokushin Aviation) has small planes that take 25 minutes to fly from Sado-ga-shima to Niigata; there are five round-trip flights a day in summer and three in winter; the one-way fare is ¥7,350.

Contact the Niigata Kotsu Information Center to the left of the Ryotsu bus terminal for a tour of Sado-ga-shima. It covers Skyline Drive, where public buses don't run. Tours, from May to November, depart daily from Ryotsu and cost ¥6,440. You'll also find city maps, ferry schedules, and help finding a hotel there.