5 Photogenic Gourmet Foods and Souvenirs of Niigata | Instagrammable Sweets and Street Snacking

When it comes to Niigata, it's the bounty of the Sea of Japan and Echigo rice! But in fact, it's also a treasury of "photogenic gourmet foods" that make you want to take a picture. This time, we introduce 5 Instagrammable gourmet foods and souvenirs you should definitely catch on a Niigata trip ✨

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① The "Curry" of the Bandai City Bus Center | Showa-Retro Golden Hue

The soul food of Niigata, the bus center curry, has an overwhelming presence with its vivid bright-yellow color! Shot together with the retro cafeteria tray, it makes a shot that oozes a Showa atmosphere.

• Photogenic Point: The rich yellow is super Instagrammable. The color contrast of the wooden tray and the red plastic dish is retro and photogenic
• Shooting Tips: Shooting from a directly overhead bird's-eye angle (straight top-down) makes the color stand out. Daytime with natural light coming in is best
• Access: About a 10-minute walk from JR Niigata Station, inside the Bandai City Bus Center

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② Retro-Architecture Sweets Tour of Nagaoka's "Settaya Area" | A Fusion of Storehouses and Sweets

In Settaya, a town of brewing, you can enjoy sweets at cafes renovated from old storehouses. A shot with a building over 100 years old in the background is like a slip through time.

• Photogenic Point: The white plaster walls and the black storehouse exterior create the best contrast as a photo background
• Shooting Tips: The morning hours with soft light are recommended. Holding a drink in your hand and shooting in vertical composition with a storehouse in the background conveys the worldview
• Access: About a 5-minute walk from JR Miyauchi Station

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③ Italian Onigiri of Niigata City's "Furumachi Area" | Japanese × Western Photogenic Food

Onigiri arranged from the Niigata specialty "Italian" (a Niigata B-grade gourmet of yakisoba topped with tomato sauce) is the talk of the Furumachi area. The colorful toppings boost the photogenic level!

• Photogenic Point: The contrast of red tomato sauce on white onigiri is poppy and vivid
• Shooting Tips: Holding it wrapping paper and all, a 45-degree diagonal angle with the townscape in the background is great for social media
• Access: About 10 minutes by bus from JR Niigata Station, at various shops in the Furumachi area

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④ Sake-Lees Sweets Around "Takada Castle Site Park" in Joetsu | Full of Snow-Country Sentiment

In winter Joetsu, you can enjoy sake-lees sweets at cafes, unique to Niigata, a place of sake. A shot with the snowy park in the background is truly a picture-perfect snow-country shot.

• Photogenic Point: The contrast of the white snowscape and the warm sake-lees sweets stages winter travel sentiment
• Shooting Tips: On a snowy day in the afternoon, shooting under soft cloudy light produces no shadows and the food looks beautiful
• Access: About a 15-minute walk from Echigo Tokimeki Railway Takada Station

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⑤ Niigata Station Souvenir "Sasa Dango" | The Green-Photogenic Face of Niigata

Sasa dango, a souvenir representing Niigata, has an outstanding visual wrapped in vivid green bamboo-grass leaves! It's an irresistible item for lovers of Japanese sweets.

• Photogenic Point: The deep green of the bamboo grass and the green of the mugwort mochi showing through create a gradation—a beauty unique to natural materials
• Shooting Tips: Lining them up on a wooden cutting board or Japanese paper and shooting from directly overhead completes a Japanese-style flat lay. Shoot in natural daytime light by a window
• Access: Available for purchase inside JR Niigata Station, at CoCoLo Niigata, and elsewhere

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Niigata gourmet foods are exquisite delicacies fully satisfying both in looks and taste. Be sure to savor Niigata's charm with both your tongue and your eyes while capturing it in photos 📸

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