My actual destination on my last day in Niigata was the park surrounding Hakusan Shrine in the historic area of the city. I think Hakusan is the main shrine of the city- it was certainly large and had quite a few visitors. In guide books that mention Niigata (and many do not), this area is mentioned as one of the attractions worth visiting. It was certainly a nice area.
Before getting to the park, I walked along the river to the city athletic complex. There was a soccer game just starting at the stadium; probably not their pro men’s team, since they play at the Big Swan Stadium a few km away. I was able to get a glimpse onto the field from a walk bridge nearby, but the players weren’t on the field yet. So I headed on to the shrine.
Hakusan Shrine was certainly older than Gokaku, and was also a bit more picturesque.
There were some nice large pine trees throughout the grounds. It’s always good to see large trees in a city setting.
The park surrounding the shrine had a cute little pond and some landscaping.
There were quite a few memorials to prominent historical figures and events. Since this area was the historical center of town, that made sense.
On the way out of the park, I passed by one of the historical buildings (I forgot which one) on a pedestrian overpass. Niigata seems to be quite fond of the things- certainly in comparison to Kyoto.
So that was my short visit to historical Niigata. There are definitely sights and buildings that I did not see, but I was able to see some interesting sights in and around what’s often called merely a stopping-off point for travelers to Sado Island. I don’t know that I’d choose to visit again just for the sake of visiting, but I did enjoy myself.