was there any landmarks?
For example:
Bandai Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
was the city similar to Kyoto historical district or was it already quite modern?
Neither similar to Kyoto historical district nor quite modern. It was more like a busy harbor city and front-line base of soldiers headed to Manchuria.
was there a lot of manufacturing in that area?
Yes there was. The main industries in the era were port, oil (Niigata was petroliferous area) and agriculture.
Was there any secondary school / university in Niigata at that time?
There was only one secondary school and one women’s secondary school in Niagara city but no university. And there were a few technical high school, vocational school etc. in the prefecture (not in the city).
Is the weather in Niigata specific (e.g. lots of rain or lots of winds/clouds)?
Yes, the city is characterized by the precipitation and humidity.
Niigata (city) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Are there any pictures of Niigata prior to WW2 on the web?
http://www.city.niigata.jp/info/higa...ine06_back.pdf
http://www.nbz.or.jp/rekibun/siryo/ehagaki.html
You can also find some old pics of Niigata city here:
MINATOPIA--Niigata City History Museum
Niigata City History Museum
http://www.city.niigata.jp/info/rekishi_bunka/
I am also trying to understand what would have been the secondary education system in Japan at that time.
The uniform (if any) worn by the pupils,
the subjects taught at school,
the discipline,
the schedule for a typical day at school (when did they start, when did they finish, etc.),
the organisation of a class and/or of a school.
Were there any boarding schools? What were they like? Etc.
It is hard to answer these questions since the education system of Japan at the time is very complicated. The uniform, the subjects taught at school, the discipline, the schedule, the organization etc. may vary per school.
Not much help but I wish your research goes well. Good lack
