Niigata Prefecture has recently been selected for the “Best of the World 2027” (25 Must-Visit Travel Destinations Around the World in 2027) list announced by the leading U.S. travel media outlet *National Geographic*.
In Niigata Prefecture, located on the west coast of Honshu, the sight of the Shinkansen racing through rice paddies filled with water vividly illustrates the striking contrast between “modernity” and “tradition” that is unique to Japan.
The title features a photo of a train speeding through rice paddies that look like a watery mirror, accompanied by the caption.
In winter, the landscape is blanketed in pure white snow; in spring, before rice planting begins, the fields become a mirror-like expanse of water, which is then densely planted with rice seedlings; in summer, they transform into lush green rice paddies; and in fall, the entire plain turns golden. Afterward, the scene becomes desolate, with only the stumps of the harvested rice plants remaining, and then it is once again covered in pure white snow—this is the Echigo Plain, Japan’s largest, whose appearance shifts with every sunny day and every snowstorm.
Please be sure to stop by and take a look.
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