Hakusan Shrine in Niigata
If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Niigata for the skiing, don’t forget to stop into the Hakusan Shrine if you’d like to harvest some Japan photo gold!
A golden dragon and a snow-frosted hanachōzu water basin filled with flowers greets you as you stop to purify your hands before entering…
The shrine’s tunnel o’love—dedicated to helping you find that perfect partner—looks especially welcoming when there’s snow falling outside…
even though the special-someone-seeking bunnies…
and satisfied customers…
are adorable in any season.
This shrine practically begs you to snap photos of its ancient, artfully-propped pines…
and the red bridge crossing the garden’s frozen stream looks even prettier heaped with snow up to its railings
Snow transforms the shore of the garden pond into fanciful scallops,
turning the carefully chosen rocks into gumdrops…
and bestowing white beanies on its stone lanterns
Even the lion dogs grow snow mullets of epic proportions!
Red winter camellias pop their heads up even when there’s snow all around…
and giant frozen overhangs frame the green lanterns and red prayer plaque stands more beautifully than any other season.
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Here’s where Niigata’s Hakusan Shrine is:
To figure out how to get to the city of Niigata from where you are, use the Japan Navigation phone app, plugging in your location, travel date and preferred arrival/departure time. Here’s where to get the app and how to use it.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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