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Market stalls and terrace at Pia Bandai in Niigata, with the Bandaijima Building behind
Photo: Fumihiko Ueno, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Niigata · other

Pia Bandai (Minato no Marche)

みなとのマルシェピアBandai

A market at the mouth of the Shinano River gathering Niigata's food from sea and mountains, with a fresh fish centre and conveyor-belt sushi.

Niigata's kitchen

Pia Bandai (Minato no Marche, "the harbour market") is a market on Bandaijima island in Chuo Ward, Niigata City, near the mouth of the Shinano River. It bills itself as one of the largest shunsen ichiba (markets selling fresh, in-season food) on the Sea of Japan coast, and locals come here to shop as well as tourists.

Niigata City's fish market originally stood on this site. After the market moved to the suburbs in 2007, the city redeveloped the site to bring life back to the area, and today's Pia Bandai opened in October 2010.

Fish, vegetables, sake and conveyor-belt sushi

Inside you will find the Bandaijima Fresh Fish Centre along with fishmongers, butchers, greengrocers and souvenir shops. Niigata specialities are all here: rice grown in Niigata Prefecture, jizake (sake brewed at local breweries), Sado beef, branded pork and more.

For a meal, there are conveyor-belt sushi and seafood rice bowl restaurants using local fish. Depending on the season, seafood you can eat on the spot, such as raw oysters, is sold too. Another pleasure is the seasonal produce: edamame and peaches in summer, grapes in autumn.

The P-can Terrace rest area was renewed in 2021, and for a limited period you can enjoy a barbecue there without bringing any equipment.

Getting there

It is about a 15 to 20-minute walk from the Bandai Exit of JR Niigata Station, and about 10 minutes on foot from Toki Messe. By car, it is about 20 minutes from the expressway interchange, and there is a car park.

Entry is free. Opening hours differ from shop to shop, so check the official tourism website or similar sources.

Tips

  • Each shop has its own opening hours and closing days, so if there is a particular one you want to visit, check in advance.
  • The no-equipment barbecue is only available for a limited period. Check when it runs and how to book in advance.

Sources

Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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