Treasure hunting in Toyama Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:00 JST, March 4, 2021

This time around, I tried to look for jade at Miyazaki-Sakai beach, also known as “jade beach” in the town of Asahi, Toyama Prefecture.

Jade is a green gemstone that is made from a few types of minerals. I remember one time I tried looking for jade when I was in elementary school, and I found a really small one. I went in with the belief that I would definitely find one. But then I started to doubt myself and wondered, “Could I even tell the difference between jade and a regular stone?

That’s when I peeked into a nearby building called Hisui (jade) Terrace. Inside, there was a list of hints about how to find jade: the stone is kind of white; the stone is angular; the crystalized parts sparkle; it’s heavy; and the stone has a smooth surface.

After reading these hints, I went back to the beach to look for jade. As I was looking, I found a remarkably large one at the edge of the water.

I went back to Hisui Terrace to compare my stone to the one on display, and the stones looked a lot alike. I don’t know a lot about jade, so I can’t decisively say that I found the real thing, but I’m happy that I found something similar. I’m hoping that it really is jade.

There’s a notebook inside Hisui Terrance in which you can write anything you want, so I left a short note. When you visit, I hope you will look for my note as well as for jade.

Haruna Hashimot

AKB48 Team 8 member representing Toyama Prefecture. Born on May 25, 2000. Her nickname is “Haru-pyon.” In tests on current affairs for students organized by The Yomiuri Shimbun, she always ranked high among the Team 8 members.