One of the advantages of viewing the glorious tulips is that it’s easy to maintain social distance while viewing them. North of Niigata, there is a huge field that is several hectares and grows approximately 60 different varieties and about a million or more tulips planted. Initially, I had a difficult time conceptualizing the idea of how big a hectare is, but I heard that most sports fields are around the same size. For Niigata locals, that’s about two Denka Big Swan sports stadiums pushed together in a luxurious carpet of shining tulip blossoms. And that is just one of the locations that offer such flowering sights. And with that much land set aside for the tulips, there are thousands of specimens to enjoy at a safe distance. Beyond that, at this location, you will be able to see the tulips with a bird’s eye view because there are helicopter rides offered so that you can take in the entire expanse of a million or more photo ops.
Niigata has the most tulips produced of any prefecture across Japan, and considering Niigata is home to beautiful tulips, sakura, saké, and the country’s best rice, which is in the process of being planted at this very moment, local residents, in spite of social distancing mandates, can enjoy the fruits of nature in Niigata prefecture without having to do any serious traveling.