Former Saitō Family Villa

photo by 柏木村民 · CC BY 4.0

photo by DAI-nk · CC BY-SA 3.0

The garden's stone waterfall, 3.8 metres high, uses Ebigaori stone and red Sado stone.

Built between 1917 and 1920 as the residence for receiving guests of Saitō Kishichirō, the fourth head of one of the three great merchant families of Niigata, the villa is the work of the landscape gardener brothers Matsumoto Ikujirō and Kamekichi. The garden, designed to be admired from every room in a different sequence of views, uses the natural dune of the site and a stone waterfall 3.8 metres high, built with Ebigaori stone from the Agano River and red Sado stone.

In March 2015 the garden became the first Place of Scenic Beauty designated by the state within the city of Niigata; the municipality has owned it since 2009 and opened it to the public in 2012 as a facility for cultural and tourist exchange.

ℹ️ Check opening hours and tickets on the Niigata City page (city.niigata.lg.jp) before you set off; the garden changes with the seasons (fresh green in spring, red leaves in autumn, snow in winter) and is meant to be viewed at leisure from inside the buildings.

🚉 Furumachi · 11 min walk

Sources: city.niigata.lg.jp · ja.wikipedia.org

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