Niigata新潟市

Niigata-shi. The name ends in (shi), the word for city.

Niigata (新潟市, Niigata-shi) is a city and a designated city with 8 wards in Niigata Prefecture. Population 789,275 (2020 census), area 726.27 km². Borders 10 places.

An ordinance-designated city (政令指定都市 / seirei shitei toshi). Designated status lets a city take over services a prefecture would normally provide, and requires it to be divided into administrative wards. The wards are offices of the city, not governments of their own.

The city is one municipality. Its wards are internal divisions: voters in every ward elect the same mayor.

Open Niigata on the map

Facts

Japanese name
新潟市
Reading
Niigata-shi
Kind
City (市), designated city (政令指定都市): a local government
Prefecture
Niigata 新潟県
Region
Chūbu 中部
Population
789,275 (2020 census)
Change since 2015
-2.6% from 810,157
Area
726.27 km²
Density
1,087 people per km²
Households
331,272
Under 15
11.6%
65 and over
29.7%
Foreign residents
5,342 (0.7%)
Code
15100 (団体コード, the municipality code)
Website
www.city.niigata.lg.jp
Wikipedia
English / 日本語

The 8 wards of Niigata行政区

Niigata is a designated city, so it is divided into wards. Each ward has an office for counter services, and none has a mayor or an assembly. Voters in every ward elect the same city mayor.

WardPopulationkm²
Kita Ward北区72,804107.61
Higashi Ward東区134,44638.62
Chuo Ward中央区180,34537.75
Konan Ward江南区67,97275.42
Akiha Ward秋葉区75,06995.38
Minami Ward南区43,437100.91
Nishi Ward西区160,65694
Nishikan Ward西蒲区54,546176.57

Neighbouring municipalities

10 places share a land border with Niigata, counted through its wards. Borders across water are not counted.

Questions about Niigata

Is Niigata a city or a prefecture?
Niigata (新潟市) is a city (市, shi) in Niigata Prefecture. It is a municipality, the lower of Japan's two tiers of local government, and elects its own mayor and assembly. It is a designated city, divided into 8 wards. The wards are offices of the city, not governments. Niigata Prefecture (新潟県) is the larger unit around it. On its own, the name usually means the city.
Where is Niigata?
Niigata is in Niigata Prefecture (新潟県), in the Chūbu region of Japan. The prefecture is a government; the region is a customary grouping of prefectures and elects nothing.
What is the population of Niigata?
789,275 at the 2020 census, down 2.6% from 810,157 in 2015. The area is 726.27 km², which is 1,087 people per km². 331,272 households. 29.7% of residents are 65 or older and 11.6% are under 15.
Which municipalities border Niigata?
10: Nagaoka City (長岡市), Sanjo City (三条市), Shibata City (新発田市), Kamo City (加茂市), Tsubame City (燕市), Gosen City (五泉市), Agano City (阿賀野市), Seiro Town (聖籠町), Yahiko Village (弥彦村), and Tagami Town (田上町). These are the municipalities that share a land border with Niigata in the boundary data. Borders across water are not counted.
How is Niigata written in Japanese?
新潟市, read Niigata-shi. The last character, 市 (shi), is the word for city, and the name is often used without it in English.
How does an address in Niigata begin?
新潟県新潟市… (Niigata-ken, Niigata-shi, …). The prefecture name is written first, then the city name. Then the name of one of the 8 wards. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

Boundaries and neighbours: MLIT 国土数値情報. Population, households, and age groups: 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査). Area: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (全国都道府県市区町村別面積調, 2020). Website and Wikipedia links: Wikidata.