This event has ended】To see the autumn foliage illumination in Niigata, visit the former Saito Family Villa, a wealthy merchant's villa, and the Museum of Northern Culture! Former Saito Family's Villa and Northern Culture Museum

  • Niigata
  • Sightseeing
Recommended spots in Niigata, the capital of the willow trees, for viewing the autumn foliage at night!
Niigata City has been one of the largest port towns on the Sea of Japan since the Edo period. The city flourished as a merchant town where Kitamae ships and travelers came and went, and wealthy merchants were born and a unique culture developed. In Niigata City, there are villas of wealthy merchants and farmers with a long history, and the former Saito family's villa and the Museum of Northern Culture, which are lit up during the autumn foliage season, offer a different atmosphere from that of the daytime!

Former Saito Family's Villa, a villa of Niigata's representative wealthy merchant

The former Saito family's villa is a designated national scenic beauty that has been recognized as a Japanese Heritage Site. The villa was built in 1918 by Kijuro Saito IV, a wealthy merchant who was one of the three major conglomerates in Niigata, and boasts a total site area of 1,300 tsubo. Each room and tatami room is elaborately designed with a variety of woodwork, including floor coverings and ceilings, as well as transoms and fittings. The building offers a panoramic view of the garden, and the garden and the building are beautifully blended into a "garden-house-integrated" space.
Illuminated Autumn Leaves and Former Saito Family's Residence

Autumn Garden Light-up 2025

The former Saito family's villa is open at night for a limited period when the autumn leaves are at their best and illuminated. The garden is a circular garden that makes use of the slope of a sand dune, and in autumn, the green of the pine forest and the red maple trees contrast with each other, making the garden a colorful sight! Please enjoy the fantastic garden that is different from the usual. As a special event this year, a free 19th century classical guitar concert by guitarist Kazuteru Ueki (Niigata City resident) will be held on Friday, November 14. Please enjoy the live performance with the illuminated garden in the background.

Friday, November 14 - Sunday, November 16, Friday, November 21 - Monday, November 24, Friday, November 28 - Sunday, November 30, 2025

Time: 17:30 - 19:30

〇 Admission fee (at night): 500 yen (200 yen of which is for the lighting fee)
*If you show your admission ticket at the reception desk, you can be re-admitted on the day of purchase. The ticket is valid only on the day of purchase.
During the special illumination hours, visitors are not allowed to walk around the garden.

Special event "Small Autumn Foliage Concert

z Date and Time: Friday, November 14, 2025, 18:40-19:00
z Performance: Mr. Kazuteru Ueki, 19th century classical guitarist
z Venue: Former Saito Family Residence, 1st floor hall
z Fee: Free (except admission fee and light-up cooperation fee)
For more information about "Former Saito Family's Residence: Autumn Garden Light-up 2025", please visit

Not only at night! Highlights of the garden

The garden, covering an area of approximately 4,500 square meters, is divided into a formal entrance garden, an atmospheric courtyard, and a spacious main garden that makes good use of the natural dune topography to resemble a hillock, each connected by pathways. The main garden includes a tea ceremony room and a tea ceremony garden, which are independent of each other. The garden is a circular garden with water streams and waterfalls on the different slopes, creating a canyon-like atmosphere. Gigantic stones and strange stones brought from various places are arranged, and there are plantings such as rooting pines and maple trees. You can also stroll through the garden during the daytime, so you can enjoy a different garden from the one at night.
Autumn leaves changing color in the Kaiyushiki Garden
A space of garden and house

Information for coming to the museum by public transportation

Visitors with a one-day pass for the Niigata City Sightseeing Circulation Bus will receive a group rate for the museum. For details, please check the official website below.
For more information about public transportation at Former Saito Family's Residence, please visit
Image courtesy of Former Saito Family Residence
For more information about "Former Saito Family's Residence", please visit

The Museum of Northern Culture, a wealthy merchant's house overflowing with the beauty of Niigata, including the building, garden, and art works

The Museum of Northern Culture is located in Konan-ku, Niigata City, about 25 minutes by car from Niigata Station. The museum preserves and exhibits the former mansion of the Ito family, a large Echigo landowner rich in Niigata tradition and art, from its buildings and gardens to its collection of art works.
It took eight years to build this breathtakingly beautiful and magnificent mansion. On the expansive grounds, visitors can appreciate the main building, the hall, the tea ceremony room, the storehouse, the pond garden designed by Echigo's master gardener, Taiami Tanaka, and the art collection of successive generations of Itoh family heads.
In front of the Northern Culture Museum

Limited to two days only! Northern Culture Museum Autumn Foliage Light-up

Around November, the garden is decorated with autumn leaves that look as if they have been moved from the Nishiki Mountains. The colors of the kaiyushiki garden viewed from the 100-tatami-mat hall are a must-see! The beautiful contrast of colors between the vermilion and yellow of the maple trees and the green of the pine trees can be enjoyed from the 100-tatami-mat hall. The garden is also illuminated when the leaves are at their best. The illumination gives the entire garden an impressive sense of depth and dimension.

Date: November 15 (Sat.) and 16 (Sun.), 2025 (2 days only)

Time: 16:00* - 19:00 (last admission 18:45)
*Opening hours will be extended until 19:00. Lights will be turned on from around 16:00.

00 Fee: Admission: Adults 800 yen, Elementary/Junior high school students 400 yen
*Free admission for elementary/junior high school students only on Sundays and holidays (16th)

Main Lighting Area

Oba (view from the large hall), front garden, old house and lotus pond, Sangakutei
*In commemoration of the 80th anniversary, the triangular tea house "Sangakutei" will also be specially lit up this year.
*The souvenir shop will be open during the lighting hours. Please stop by.
The Shukokan and the second garden "Hatto-en" will not be open at night.

The hall and the lights up
Illuminated and fantastic garden
For more information about "Northern Culture Museum: Autumn Leaves Light-up", please visit

The more you see and learn about the garden, the more you are drawn to it! The remains of Echigo's most prominent wealthy farmer, where life and art come alive.

The site is divided into six main buildings: Ito Residence (main building), Ito Residence (hall building), Sangakutei (tea room and study), storehouse (gate storehouse/rice storehouse), Tokiwa-so (former house with tatami room), and relocated old private houses.
In particular, the Ito Residence, built in 1887 by the fifth generation head of the family, is a stately mansion of a wealthy farmer who flourished in Niigata during the Meiji period (1868-1912), and features many highlights of craftsmanship and materials, including a seven-story beam and a 30-m-long round girder.
The hall wing is a huge shoin-style building with an area of approximately 100 tatami mats. The small number of columns creates a sense of unity with the garden and an openness characteristic of modern Japanese-style architecture.
Ito Residence
Huge shoin-style hall with an area of approximately 100 tatami mats
Image courtesy of the Museum of Northern Culture
For more information about "Northern Culture Museum", please visit

Combine your favorite train with lodging or a day trip plan for a great travel experience!

You can make your own original trip!

JR East View Dynamic Rail Package is a variable price individual travel product available only on the web. Depending on the timing and conditions of your application, you may be able to get a discount as early as the day of departure. We also offer one-day trip plans! Enjoy your own unique trip according to your schedule and purpose.
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