Rice built Niigata. It paid for its bridges, filled its warehouses and gave birth to its sakes, which the Japanese count among the best in the country. Facing the Sea of Japan, at the mouth of the archipelago's longest river, this city of 800,000 inhabitants lives away from the main tourist circuits. That is precisely what makes the port call interesting: you observe an everyday Japan, prosperous and unstaged, where the visitor is a guest rather than a customer.

From the pier to the centre

Ships dock at the west port, four or five kilometres from the commercial heart. Shuttles are usually offered, and a taxi covers the distance in about ten minutes, for a modest fare paid by the meter with no surprises. A useful first landmark: the Toki Messe tower, standing on the waterfront, whose free observation deck on the 31st floor takes in the rooftops, the Shinano River and, on clear days, Sado Island offshore. A few pointers for planning your day:

The river and its bridge

The Shinano runs through the city like a liquid avenue, and the Bandai Bridge, with its six granite arches opened in 1929, remains its emblem: it withstood the great earthquake of 1964 when so many other structures collapsed. The landscaped banks invite you to walk along the water, among joggers, cyclists and Sunday anglers. On the left bank lies Furumachi, the former teahouse district where local geishas maintain an art renowned throughout Japan; their silhouettes are rare during the day, but the lanes, century-old shops and neighbouring shopping arcades are a pleasure to explore, among stationers, confectioners and stalls selling senbei, grilled rice crackers eaten while still warm.

Sake country

The prefecture has nearly ninety sake breweries, a national record fed by local rice and snowmelt from the mountains bordering the plain. In the train station, the astonishing Ponshukan offers an informal introduction: you buy a few tokens, slip a small glass under the dispensers and compare the regional sakes, from the driest to the fruitiest, with calligraphed labels for reference. Fresh food lovers will instead head to the Pia Bandai market, where tuna, crab and shellfish from the Sea of Japan sit alongside bags of Koshihikari rice, the variety that is the pride of the region, and a few counters where you can enjoy sushi of hard-to-beat freshness.

The last hour

Before returning to the ship, Hakusan Park offers a break around its Shinto shrine, among ponds, stone lanterns and wisteria. You will come across families who have come to pray for an exam or a wedding and retirees feeding the carp: the ordinary life of a city that expects nothing from visitors and gives them a great deal. Those with a longer day can venture to the old rice merchants' houses on the plain, now museums, or simply sit down to a bowl of hegi soba noodles, the local specialty made with seaweed, before catching the shuttle. Back on board, a bottle in your bag and a few crackers in the other hand, you find yourself hoping that the next Japanese port of call will be like this one: real, tranquil and generous.