7. History

      
Some famous people were present in the history of Niigata. One of Famous person is Uesugi Kenshin. Uesugi Kenshin is the Daimyou of Echigo in Sengoku era. Daimyou is like king, and Echigo is the name of the old days of Niigata prefecture. Sengoku era lasted until the end of the 16th century from the end of the fifteenth century. He was born in Echigo in 1513, and his first name was Nagao Kagetora. He was put out to live-in service to temple when he was child, and he trained for seven years in the temple, but he became head of the Nagao family on behalf of his older brother because his older brother could not rule over infighting. He put down one after another rebellion in the country, and his name began to spread to countries around. In 1553, fight against Takeda Shingen began. This fight is called fight of Kawanakajima, and it lasted until 1561. Many countries stopped exporting the salt to Takeda Shingen, but Uesugi Kenshin does not stop exporting the salt. He thought that people in country of Takeda Shingen will suffer if they cannot get the salt. There is a saying that sending a salt to the enemy in Japan. This word was born from this incident.



Uesugi Kenshin

Pollution-related disease called Niigata Minamata disease occurs in 1965. Niigata Minamata disease is one of the four major pollution diseases in Japan. Minamata disease is a disease that causes central nervous system symptoms of poisoning by methyl mercury. People contract Minamata disease death in the worst case. When a factory in Niigata prefecture was making acetaldehyde, methyl mercury was generated and shed as effluent into the river without being processed. Fish and shellfish living in the river absorbed the methyl mercury, and people living near the river ate the fish and shellfish had ingested methyl mercury. Many people were suffering from Minamata disease, and some people are suffering still now.

Three big earthquakes happened in Niigata during these 100 years. These are named Niigata earthquake, Niigata Chuetsu earthquake and Niigata Chuetsuoki earthquake. Especially, Niigata Chuetsu earthquake brought great damage. Niigata Chuetsu earthquake was seismic intensity 7, and earthquake with a seismic intensity of 7 is only Kobe earthquake and this earthquake. Niigata Chuetsuoki earthquake　occurred in only three years after the Niigata Chuetsuoki earthquake occur. Damage by Niigata Chuetsuoki earthquake was less than that of Niigata Chuetsuoki earthquake because people had to prepare for earthquake firmly.

Road collapsed by earthquake

I used the following website.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%8A%E6%9D%89%E8%AC%99%E4%BF%A1
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8C%E6%B0%B4%E4%BF%A3%E7%97%85

Nelson Mandela: Braking News

    In 5^th December 2013, Nelson Mandela died at home in Johannesburg. He is a symbol of the Black People's Liberation Movement in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela

    In 1918, He was born in South Africa, and his father was a head of the town. He graduated a law faculty of the University of the Witwatersrand. He became a member of African National Congress in 1944, and worked on Anti-apartheid movement. Then he became a vice-chair parson of African National Congress. In 1961, he made a military organization named Umkhonto we Sizwe, and became a commander of this military organization. Umkhonto we Sizwe mean spear of people. But he was arrested because of activity of his military organization in 1962. He was sentenced to life imprisonment because he was deemed to have committed treason. He was put in prison in Robben Island, and prison in Robben Island was very severe prison. The most vicious criminals were put in this prison, so environment of this prison was very bad. Prisoners were forced to harsh hard labor, and they were not given decent meal. He had been put in this prison for 18 years. In 1982, he was moved to a new prison of Cape Town suburbs from a prison of Robben Island. At this time, volunteer of British mercenaries made strategy to rescue Nelson Mandela, but they gave up this plan because information of this plan is leaked out to South Africa. He had put in new prison for eight years. Although guards of white people were his enemy, he was trying to become friends with them.

    In 1989, he talked together Frederik de Klerk, who was president of South Africa at this time, and he was released from prison next year. After he was released, he became a vice-chair parson of African National Congress. And he became the chair parson of African National Congress. Then he abolish the law which was the basis of apartheid, and he and Frederik de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He became the president of South Africa next year, and he was the first president of black people. He got large power, but he did not take revenge on white people. He tried to improve the Republic of South Africa.

He retired from the world of politics in 1999. He did not continue to have the power. In 5th December 2013, Nelson Mandela died at home in Johannesburg. He was 95 years old.

I used the following website.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%A9
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/favre21/20100611

6. Places

        There are not many tourist spot in Niigata prefecture, but there are good tourist spot there.

Many people who like skiing and snowboarding visit Niigata prefecture in winter because there are many ski resorts in Niigata prefecture. There are various ski resorts, for example, Naeba ski resort and Maiko ski resort have more than 20 courses. Hakkaisan ski resort has a lot of steep gradients, so Hakkaisan ski resort is mainly for experienced person. Joetsu Kokusai ski resort has a lot of courses, and some courses lead to the opposite side of the mountain. In this way, there are various types of ski resort, so you can find the ski resorts what you like it. Moreover, there are a lot of hotels and Japanese-style hotels near ski resorts. If people visit Niigata prefecture from distant place and ski or snowboarding, they can stay the hotel near the ski resort. Everyone can lend all ski equipment and snowboard at ski resorts, so people visit ski resort from distant place need not prepare ski equipment or snowboard. Of course, using your own ski equipment and snowboard is good.

Hakkaisan ski resort (Winter)

Season people can enjoy at ski resorts is not the only winter. Some ski resorts run ski lifts and ropeway in season except winter, so people can hike with ski lifts and ropeway. You can see the scenery that cannot be seen in winter.

Hakkaisan ski resort (Summer)

Sado Island is also good tourist spot. Transportation to Sado Island are car ferry and jetfoil. I recommend that you go to the island by car ferry. Although jetfoil is very fast, people in jetfoil almost cannot see the scenery of sea. There is Sado gold mine in Sado Island, and it had produced gold and silver from 1601 to 1989. The gold mine produced the most gold and silver in the early Edo period, and it was the largest in the world at that time. Everyone can enter in the gold mine, and there are a lot of dolls. They are moving in the same way as work at the time, so you can know how gold and silver was being collected at that time. And you can watch Japanese crested ibis at Toki 　No Mori Park. Moreover, you can eat very delicious sea foods if you stay hotel in the Island.

Sado gold mine

There are a lot of good tourist spots in addition to this in the Niigata Prefecture. I want many people to visit Niigata prefecture.

 

 

 

I used the following website.
http://snow.gnavi.co.jp/
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%90%E6%B8%A1%E9%87%91%E5%B1%B1

5. Nature

        In Niigata prefecture, a lot of snow falls in winter, but the amount of fallen snow varies depending on places. The amount of fallen snow is large in the places along the foot of mountains, such as minamiuonuma city, uonuma city and tsunan city. But snow does not fall much in the plain area, such as niigata city. The reason for falling a lot of snow is wet wind from the Sea of Japan and mountains. The wet wind is cooled and become cloud. When the cloud reaches mountains, it rises along mountain and become cooler, and then snow falls. In winter, traffic accident is likely to occur and trains often stop because of snow. People who live in Niigata prefecture remove snow near their house when snow falls. The snow which falls in Niigata prefecture is very heavy because it is wet, so removing snow is very hard work. In this way, there are some inconvenient points in the place which a lot of snow falls.

Road in winter



But there are many good points there. People can enjoy skiing in the place which a lot of snow falls. There are many ski resorts in Niigata prefecture, and Niigata prefecture is the birth place of skiing. People can ski in nature freely, and it is very exciting and refreshing. The snow which covering mountain melts in spring and it becomes water. This water is very clean, so it is used for rice farming and making rice wine. Snow is also important for foods.

Naeba ski resort

Japanese crested ibis what is called Toki is breeding in Sado island of Niigata prefecture. Japanese crested ibis in Japan became extinct in the wild because of overhunting. In 1999, a pair of Toki is given from China, and this pair of Toki is breeding in Sado Island. Then the number of Toki has increased, and Toki was divided into various places of Japan in order to prevent annihilation by infection, such as, bird flu. About 200 Tokis is breeding in Japan and about 50 Tokis live in the wild now.

Toki



Niigata prefecture facing the Sea of Japan and Shinano River is running in Niigata prefecture. People can get a lot of seafood from the Sea of Japan. Sinano River is the longest river in Japan. Further, there are many mountains in Niigata prefecture, so people can mountain-climbing in summer and skiing in winter.



In this way, there is a lot of nature in Niigata prefecture.

 

 

I used the following website.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%82%AD

 

 

 

 

4. Rice Wine

    Niigata prefecture is also famous for rice wine as it is called Nihonshu. The production of rice wine in Niigata prefecture is the third largest in Japan. The reason for large production of rice wine is that a lot of rice is harvested in Niigata prefecture. And the amount of consumption of rice wine in Niigata prefecture is the largest in Japan. The amount of consumption of other liquor in Niigata prefecture is large, but it is not the largest in Japan. The consumption of rice wine in Niigata prefecture is 2.6 times as large as average of Japan.

Rice wine

    Rice wine is mainly made from rice, water and koji of rice, so quality of these is very important. Koji is grain which is developed microorganisms, and it makes foods ferment. So it is used when people make variable fermented foods, such as, miso, soy souse and rice wine. The microorganisms used in koji is mainly mold, but the mold used in koji hasn’t poisons. It just helps foods to ferment.

  


Koji

Moromi

    There are many processes in making rice wine, and people who make rice wine is called toji. First, rice is polished because outside of rice contains many protein and fat, and they make taste of rice wine bad. The taste of rice wine becomes much elegant if the rice is polished deeper, but the higher skills are required in later process. The rice polished has much heat, and the quality of rice is unstable, so the rice need cooled down. It takes more than three weeks to cool down it completely. After the rice cooled down completely, it is washed carefully, and the rice is soaked in water. This process is very important because the taste of rice wine differs depending on the length of soaking time. Next toji make koji and shubo. Shubo means cultured yeast. Then toji mix rice, koji and shubo in tank, and it is called moromi. Alcohol is created by yeast, and koji convert starch into sugar. It takes more than 20 days to finish fermentation. After fermentation finish, moromi is separated into liquid and solid, and the liquid called namazake. Then namazake is filtered in order to remove impurities, and it is sterilize with heat because rice wine change in quality by yeast. Finally rice wine is matured for a long time. The taste of rice wine become more delicious by maturing.

    These days, rice wine is popular in the world.



I used the following website.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E9%85%92

3. Foods

   There are many delicious foods in addition to Koshihikari in Niigata prefecture. For example, foods made from rice such as rice cracker, rice cake and so on. The production of rice in Niigata prefecture is the largest in Japan, so many foods made from rice are made in Niigata prefecture.

Rice crackers made in Niigata prefecture are famous, and the production of rice cracker in Niigata prefecture is largest in Japan. There are many companies making rice crackers in Niigata prefecture, for example, Bourbon, Kameda Seika, Sanko Seika and so on. A lot of rice crackers sold in stores are made in Niigata prefecture. You can find the names of company in Niigata prefecture, when you look at the package of rice crackers. Niigata prefecture is the birth place of Kakinotane, and now many companies make Kakinotane. There are a lot of famous rice crackers in addition to Kakinotane, for example, Puchi series, Happy Turn, Bakauke and so on.

These days bread made from rice is developed. It was very difficult that people make rice fine powder like flour, but someone developed the way of making rice fine powder. Thereby making bread from rice became possible. Bread made from rice powder is chewier than bread made from flour. Bread made from rice powder called Komeko bread in Japan. Komeko bread became the menu of school meal a few years ago in Niigata prefecture, and it became very popular food now.

Moreover, there are many popular foods in addition to foods made from rice in Niigata prefecture. A food named Italian is famous in Niigata prefecture, but Italian is not Italian food. Italian is the fried noodle, what is called yakisoba, with tomato sauce. Two companies named Mikazuki and Friend make Italian, and there are some differences between Italian of Mikazuki and Italian of Friend. So there are people like Mikazuki’s Italian and people like Friend’s Italian. Poppoyaki is also popular in Niigata prefecture. Poppoyaki is mainly sold in the stalls of festivals. Poppoyaki resemble brown cane sugar flavored steamed bread, but Poppoyaki is chewier than steamed bread. Poppoyaki is easy to make, so everyone can make Poppoyaki at home. Le Lectier is made in Niigata prefecture. Le Lectier is a brand of European pear, and it is very delicious.

In this way, there are a lot of delicious foods in Niigata prefecture. I want people to eat these delicious food.

 

I used the following website.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B1%B3%E8%8F%93

2. Rice called Koshihikari

   Niigata prefecture is famous for rice named Koshihikari. Production of rice in Niigata prefecture is the highest in Japan, and it is thought that Koshihikari made in Niigata prefecture is most delicious rice in Japan. Furthermore, Koshihikari made in Uonuma city and Minamiuonuma city is more delicious. Because this area is very hot in daytime by foehn phenomena and not hot in night. Koshihikari made in Fukui prefecture. At first, one kind of rice named Etsunan 17 was developed, but it was not adopted in Fukui prefecture in spite of birth place of it. Because Etsunan 17 had bad result in the test. However, Niigata prefecture and Chiba prefecture adopted Etsunan 17. Niigata prefecture was asked to name Etsunan 17 by Fukui prefecture, and Niigata prefecture named it Koshihikari.

Strong points of Koshihikari are good balance of dextrin and protein, and good amount of moisture. Koshihikari has good balance of amylose, amylopectin and protein. Amylose and amylopectin are ingredients of dextrin. The higher proportion of amylose in the rice, the less glutinous the rice becomes. The higher proportion of amylopectin, the more glutinous the rice becomes. And the amount of moisture in the rice is adjusted to best amount by farmer.　So Koshihikari is very delicious and Koshihikari’s feeling in the mouth is chewier than other rice, and the rice don’t become taste bad when the rice get cold.

But Koshihikari has bad point. It is very difficult to cultivate Koshihikari. There are some reasons make cultivating Koshihikari difficult. Koshihikari is easy to fall down because the stem of it is tall and the ears of it are heavy. When rain falls heavily and wind blows heavily, Koshihikari will fall down. If Koshihikari fall down, people raise it by their hands when they harvest it, so harvesting it become more difficult. People put on manure divide into several times so that the ears of Koshihikari don’t become heavy. Moreover, Koshihikari is vulnerable to rice blast. Rice blast is one of illness of rice plants, and it is the most terrible illness of rise plants. If Koshihikari contract rice blast, size of harvest will decrease and taste of rice become badly. These days, Koshihikari was improved and new kind of Koshihikari named Koshihikari BL was developed. Koshihikari BL is almost the same as Koshihikari, but Koshihikari BL is not vulnerable to rice blast. BL is an abbreviation of Blast resistance Lines.

   People overcome these difficulties, and they make the very delicious rice.

I used the following website.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%83%92%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AA

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%84%E3%82%82%E3%81%A1%E7%97%85

 

1. Introduction of Niigata prefecture

   Niigata prefecture is located in Honsyu, which is main island of Japan. Population is about 2.3milion and it is the 14th in Japan. Square is about 12600square kilometer and it is 5th in Japan. Niigata prefecture is consists of four areas, Joetsu area, Tyuetsu area, Kaetsu area and Sado area. Sado area is one island, which is the second largest island in Japan except for four main island of Japan. Prefectural capital is Niigata city. It is very hot in summer, and it is very cold and snow in winter. The climate is very severe. But people can enjoy swimming in the sea in summer, and people can enjoy skiing in winter. There are many skiing ground in Niigata prefecture, and Joetsu area is the birth place of skiing in Japan. Thanks to this climate, people can enjoy various sports.

   Niigata prefecture is famous for rice, which is called Koshihikari. Koshihikari is very famous rice. It is thought that Koshihikari is the most delicious rice by Japanese people. Rice farming is very important industry of Niigata prefecture and rice production of Niigata prefecture is the highest in Japan. In connection with rice, rice wine and rice cracker is also famous. There are many companies, which making rice cracker or rice wine in Niigata prefecture. Production of rice cracker is the highest in Japan. Almost rice cracker sold in stores is made in Niigata prefecture. Production of rice wine is the third highest in Japan. These days bread made from rice is developed. However, it was very difficult that people make rice powder; someone developed the way of making rice powder. Thereby making bread from rice became possible. Bread made from rice powder is chewier than bread made from flour.

   There are other important industries of Niigata prefecture, for example, metal tableware, crude oil, chemical, and so on. Tsubame city is famous for production of metal table ware, such as, knife, fork and spoon. The metal tableware made in Tsubame city has very high quality, so the tableware made in Tsubame city is used by people all over the world, and it is used at dinner party of Nobel award ceremony. Production of crude oil in Niigata prefecture is the highest in Japan, in connection with this, production of home heater which use petroleum is also high.

   In this way, Niigata prefecture has many features. I want people to know about Niigata prefecture.

I used the following website.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B0%E6%BD%9F%E7%9C%8C

Self Introduction

Hello everyone. My name is Junya Katsumata. I was born in Japan. My home town is Niigata prefecture. I am born in 1994. I am 18 years old now. 2001, when I was 6 years old, I entered Ikazawa elementary school. Ikazawa elementary school was integrated 3 years ago, so it does not exist now. 2007, when I was 12 years old, I graduated Ikazawa elementary school and entered Ikazawa junior high school and I became a member of baseball club with my friends. 2010, when I was 15 years old, I graduated Ikazawa junior high school. And I entered Kokusai Joho high school on my parents and junior high school’s teacher advice. In Kokusai Joho high school, I was gave a lot of homework, so I studied hard. Kokusai Joho high school’s teachers are very good. Their teaching is easy to understand and they think about students very kindly. 2013, I was graduated Kokusai Joho high school and I entered University of Tsukuba.

I have two younger brothers. One of them is Asuka. The other is Yuuki. Asuka is 16 years old now. He is going to high school same as I graduated. He is taller than me by 10 centimeters and good at basketball. Yuuki is 12 years old now. He entered junior high school this year. He is good at swimming. He won four first prizes on swimming meet last year. And he likes video games very much. He always plays video games. My parents make rice. So I can eat rice as much as I want. Both of them are born in Niigata. When I was born, both of them are work. So I was looked after by my grandfather and grandmother. My grandfather bought many books for me and taught me many things.

My hobby is watching movies and playing sports and playing guitar. I like movies very much. I rent movies every week. I like action movies. My favorite movie stars are Jason statham and Kate Beckinsale. He is famous for “Transporter”. She is famous for “Under World”. I often play sports. For example, baseball, tennis, soccer, basketball. I like especially baseball and tennis. I was a member of baseball club when I was junior high school student and I was a member of tennis club when I was high school student. Now I belong to sports club called “Sports Aikoukai”. About 20 people play many kinds of sports every weekend in this club. We play soccer, softball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and handball and so on. I am always looking forward to joining the activities. And I like music. I often play guitar. Playing my favorite songs by myself is very exciting. But I am not good player, so I will practice hard. My favorite artist is Taylor Swift and Linkin Park. Taylor Swift is singer songwriter. Many of her songs are based on her experiences. Her voice is very beautiful. Linkin Park is rock band. Vocal’s voice is various and their guitar sound is very cool.