Hoshitoge Rice Terraces

Decide before you go

A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.

Getting there

Train / Car

Closing days

Closures change with the season

Before you go

Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.

Closed

In winter the car park and viewing deck are not cleared of snow and cannot be used (reopening may be after Golden Week, depending on snowmelt).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Getting there

About 20 minutes by taxi from Matsudai Station (Hokuhoku Line); about 1 hour by car from Echigo-Kawaguchi IC, Shiozawa-Ishiuchi IC or Joetsu IC.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Parking

20 car spaces and 1 large-vehicle space; from spring 2026 buses pay an entry contribution (5,000 yen large/medium, 3,000 yen small, per vehicle per visit).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Not yet confirmed

Opening hours, Admission, Payment, Accessibility

we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.

Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know

Address: Tokamachi, Niigata (Japanese address: 新潟県十日町市峠)

Official site: https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/10051

Location

Smaller pins are other spots nearby.

Open in Google MapsGet directions

Nearby spots

• No photo yetEchigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art MonETNiigata20 km away (straight line)
• Photo: 小石川人晃 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)Nozawa OnsenNagano24 km away (straight line)
• Photo: Cp9asngf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Takada Castle Site ParkNiigata24 km away (straight line)

Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances. Some locations are approximate, so treat these distances as a rough guide.

Crowds

Peak time

The car park gets crowded in the water-mirror seasons, especially early in the morning.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Busiest season

The water mirrors appear in spring (from snowmelt to rice planting) and autumn (from late October until the snow).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Not yet confirmed

Crowd level, Best time to visit, Busiest days

no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Latest traveler report

None yet

Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).

You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps

Visiting respectfully

• Residential areaVisitors are asked not to come on their own in winter: driving and walking in are dangerous and disturb local residents.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
• Local etiquetteFrom August 17 to September 30, 2026, the public toilet is being renovated (temporary toilets planned).Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Verification log

• 25 Sept 2026First check · Tourism board · https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/10051Access, parking, description and coordinates read from a tourism organization's site.