nagaoka is a city located in the central part of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, which is about 90 minutes from Tokyo by Joetsu Shinkansen (Japanese Bullet Train). It is the second largest city in the prefecture. following the capital city of Niigata. As of May 1, 2014, city has an estimated population of 279,793 and the total area is 8901.91 km. There is a lot of beautiful scenery in Nagaoka. One of its most famous attractions is the Nagaoka Firework Festival, held along the banks of the Shinano River over two nights in August. The show covers nearly two kilometers of the riverbank and is the widest span of fireworks in the world. The city is also covered by white snow in winter, and its snow festivals, as well as many skiing resorts, attract a lot of sightseers. The countryside view of big rice fields in the suburb areas, and the sunset on the shores of Sea of Japan, are very fascinating. Moreover, Nagaoka also has many famous breweries of Japanese sake (rice wine), capitalizing on its rice farms and clean water from the Shinano River.
The surrounding area offers diverse attractions from the abundant ski and snowboard resorts within easy reach during the winter season, to the famous koi carp facilities in the nearby Ojiya, and the beautiful surroundings of mountains and the nearby Sea of Japan, offering beautiful scenery all year round.