Typically, this time of year, I would be gearing up for my annual Hokkaido Photography Tour, but due to social distancing, I am staying put in Niigata for the winter due to its low numbers of coronavirus transmissions. In Niigata, we have a total of 739 with 189 active and three fatalities. This is a stark contrast between my home just outside of Tokyo in Kanagawa, so I would be foolish to leave Niigata to bask in sunny Kanagawa. Instead, my family and I are enjoying Niigata snow country and my 100-year-old traditional Japanese home with a Zen rock garden that I built myself. Most of the rocks in my garden are ones my family and I selected from Jade Beach, Niigata. On Jade Beach, treasure hunting is allowed, and I have taken clients there, where they were able to take home some treasures without any problem because this beach is one of the few places on our planet which allows treasure hunting without a permit, all while on a private Japan Photo Tour.

During the latest snowstorm, I looked into my Zen Rock Garden with wonder and curiosity to see what appeared to be a mythological being or an Abominable Snowman hugging a Zen-stack of smoothed circular stones that are soft, circular, and thin, shaped by the wind and tides at Jade Beach. These are typical of the stones you see in Zen-rock stack images. To the right is a stone light tower that I purchased 20 years ago in Kanagawa, and I brought it to Niigata with me as it is a treasured ornament for my main Zen-garden home. I also have a Zen Garden in Kanagawa, but the Niigata incarnation is more spacious, as are the minds, hearts, and souls of the people who live here. Tokyo, in terms of history, is a baby city, born in 1603, while Niigata is said to have been home for the ancient’s with its four seasons of enticing weather, inviting hot springs, and prospering agriculture across the entire prefecture. In less than 30 minutes, however, I can leave the pastoral landscapes behind me and join in Niigata city’s nightlife and bustling shopping centers. By contrast, if I wish to visit Tokyo and my main home in Kanagawa, I can ride the bullet train, which is a two-hour ride, but I usually drive, taking about 3 1/2 hours.

Niigata Prefecture is one of those hidden gems in Japan, especially if you enjoy healthy and hearty Japanese Cuisine! Niigata is well-known amongst the Japanese as one of the country’s best culinary hotspots, given its fresh and bountiful seafood, vegetables, and rice. Due to Niigata's climate conditions and excellent location, the Niigata Prefecture is perfectly nestled between the sea and the mountains and is commonly referred to as the land of rice and sake; there are about as many producers of sake in Niigata as there are stars in the sky. That being said, I highly suggest that if you have a chance, you should join me in Niigata Prefecture on your next Japan Photo Tour travel itinerary so you can enjoy Zen Rock gardens and many others as well as sampling our sake and enjoying the healing onsens as they are as plentiful as sake producers, and let's not forget while we are toasting, we will be enjoying the best cuisine on Japan’s mainland.