Currently I am leading an extension of my annual Essence of Autumn Japan photo tour.  This year due to an unusually warm autumn I chose to travel north along the sea of Japan with participants who opted for the extension.   The past couple of days we have been photographing in the Senami sasagawanagare Awashima national park.  The park is 90 square kilometers of space and takes up a substantial amount of Niigata coastline.  The region was first declared a national park in 1959, and it has been a magnet for local and international photographers who have a keen eye and know what parts of the 11 kilometer stretch of Niigata that encompass sasagawa nagare.  Thankfully, I know the region like the back of my hand, and I have spent over six years exploring each section of the 11 kilometer stretch in person, and I know precisely what times and which locations will lead to once in a lifetime photos.  The ocean/sea stacks and scenery in this region caught my eye years ago while exploring with camera in hand.  Sasagawa Nagare magical scenery keeps me coming back year after year as well as compelling me to introduce the area to as many of my colleagues and friends as I can when they join me on my Japan photography workshops.  The frequently rough waves in this region have created spectacular formations in the eroded rocks, created peaks and caves that change with the tide, and they are especially beautiful during blue hour and golden hour.