--- name: "Niigata Senbei Oukoku" lat: 37.9292433 lng: 139.1638698 official_url: "http://senbei-oukoku.jp/" fee: "Admission is free and so is the car park (up to 100 spaces, with room for coaches). Whether the hand-grilling takes a fee is not stated anywhere in writing, so do not count on it being free too - ask on 025-259-0161. In the shop, rice crackers start at 30 yen, and crackers that broke while being made are sold cheaply on a sale shelf." last_verified: "2026-08-16" url: "https://www.piggybackjapan.com/spots/spot_0000203/" publisher: "Piggyback Japan" method: "Each fact below was read from the official page it links to. The date in the Verified column is the day we last opened that page." reuse: "Free to reuse with the check date kept. A link back is appreciated, not required." --- # Niigata Senbei Oukoku Niigata makes more rice crackers than any other prefecture, and this hall opened in 2002 to explain why. An industrial survey in 2010 put the prefecture at 52.7 percent of national shipments. You watch Komecho craftsmen hand-grill 2,000 to 3,000 a day, and learn that senbei uses plain rice and arare glutinous rice. Puffed-rice making runs only on Saturdays and Sundays, so come at the weekend to see it. Closing days are not published and some days only the experience hall opens, so phone before you set out. - Area: niigata - Type: activity - Time to allow: 45 min - Hours: The header on every page says 9:30-16:00, while the contact page says 9:30-17:00, so the closing time differs by an hour within the same site - plan around 16:00. Phone enquiries are taken 9:00-17:00. Which days it closes is not stated: the entry reads only that there are closed days and to ask. There are unscheduled closures too, and on some days only the Borin experience hall is open, so ring 025-259-0161 before you set off. A visit takes about 45 minutes including the hand-grilling. - Last verified: 2026-08-16 ## Family facts (value + conditions + source + verified date) | Feature | Value | Conditions | Verified | Source | |---|---|---|---|---| | Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | | | | | Stroller rental | Not checked yet | | | | | Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | | | | | Nursing space | Not checked yet | | | | | Family restroom | Yes | A toilet for disabled visitors. Whether it has a baby seat or a changing table is not stated. | 2026-08-16 (web) | [source](http://senbei-oukoku.jp/?page_id=21) | | Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | | | | | Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | | | | | Elevator | Not checked yet | | | | | Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | The visit is inside the building attached to the factory, about 45 minutes including the hand-grilling. | 2026-08-16 (web) | [source](http://senbei-oukoku.jp/?page_id=21) | | English support | Not checked yet | | | | | Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | | | | | Steps & slope caution | Not checked yet | | | | | Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet | | | | | Best-fit ages (guide) | Not checked yet | | | | | Official family-friendly certification | Not checked yet | | | | | Crowding (guide) | Not checked yet | | | | | Quietness (guide) | Not checked yet | | | | | Lost-child support | Not checked yet | | | | | Stroller access notes | Yes | Come by car or bus rather than by train: it is 20 minutes on foot from Shinzaki station, but only 1 minute from the Nigorikawa-chugakko bus stop, and the car park is free with up to 100 spaces. A toilet for disabled visitors is the only facility listed - nothing is said about a changing table, a nursing room, aisle widths or steps. | 2026-08-16 (web) | [source](http://senbei-oukoku.jp/?page_id=34) | ## How to cite these facts Free to reuse. Every fact above was read from the official page it links to, and re-checked on 2026-08-16. We keep the check date visible so you can tell how old a fact is — please keep it when you quote us. A link back is appreciated but not required. **Ready to paste (Markdown)** ``` Family facts at Niigata Senbei Oukoku — checked 2026-08-16 — [Piggyback Japan](https://www.piggybackjapan.com/spots/spot_0000203/) ``` **Ready to paste (HTML)** ``` Family facts at Niigata Senbei Oukoku — checked 2026-08-16 — Piggyback Japan ``` Found something out of date? Tell us and we will re-check the official page and update the date.