Fodor's Expert Review Saitou Family Villa

The Saitou family was one of Niigata's most successful merchant families in the Meiji period. Their old villa, built in 1917, is a charming two-story wooden building with a pretty landscaped garden that is especially stunning when the leaves change color in the fall. Once you've explored the building and strolled the garden, stop for matcha tea and sweets in the tatami-floored tearoom that looks out into the grounds. To get there, take the Niigata loop bus to the Hoppo Bunka Hakubutsukan Niigata Bunkan-mae stop, from where it's a two-minute walk.