Located north of Tokyo along the Sea of Japan, Niigata Prefecture is famous for skiing and sake (rice wine). My first visit to Niigata, however, included neither. Traveling in early September, my ...

Aerial footage broadcast live on Japanese TV showed massive orange flames and thick smoke spewing out of buildings in the city of Itoigawa in Niigata prefecture. Japan drafted in troops on Thursday to ...

The Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line is seen in this file photo provided by the city of Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture. TOKYO -- "Without Itoigawa city, Japan would not exist." This catchphrase is of one ...

What is Japan’s national stone? Jade. I’ll bet you didn’t know that. In fact, you probably didn’t know such a thing even existed. I didn’t. And what if I told you there was a place that is easily ...

ITOIGAWA, Niigata -- Following a massive blaze that burned 144 buildings here -- 120 of them fully -- residents here have begun picking up the pieces and moving toward rebuilding their lives. On Dec.

A fire engulfed about 140 houses, shops and other buildings in a Japanese coastal city northwest of Tokyo on Thursday, with early reports of just two people suffering injuries. The military was called ...