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