Sakura blossoms are one of the most famous symbols of Japan worldwide, and thousands of tourists visit Japan in early April to catch that wonderful season. Sakura season marks the start of a longer blooming period during spring when hundreds of other flowers create a real feast for the eyes! There are many special flower parks across Japan and I was fortunate enough to visit some of them.
1. Hitachi Seaside Park is located in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo. It’s a very spacious park that features many kinds of flowers, but it is particularly famous for the fields of nemophila flowers that look like a light-blue carpet covering the ground. Those blue fields can be seen from late April to early May. The event is so fleeting that it attracts thousands of visitors with picnics and photo sessions. Besides nemophila there are late tulips, daffodils and azaleas in bloom.
2. Ashikaga Flower Park is located in Tochigi Prefecture, approximately 2 hours by train from Tokyo Station. It’s a really gorgeous park, especially at the beginning of May. The park is famous for very old fuji trees (wisteria) that come in different colors such as violet, white, purple and yellow. The wisteria trees are the highlight of Ashikaga Flower Park without a doubt, but there are many other flowers that create the image of a ‘paradise garden’.
3. Hamamatsu Flower Park is located in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The park is so spacious that it has taken me the whole day to explore it. The greenhouse is a grand size and features traditional gardens of Indonesia, Europe and Mexico and some special flower exhibitions. The park has many beautiful sections of flowers and plants, playgrounds for kids and lawns for picnics. A special electric train also offers a tour around the park.
4. Floral Garden Obuse in Nagano Prefecture is a small, but very beautiful garden located in a mountainous area. It has a nice design and in early spring it pleases the eye with various colorful flowers.
5. Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden is located on a hill and features flowers, flower compositions, greenhouses and picturesque views of the garden and Kobe City from the top and on the way downhill.
6. Kobe Animal Kingdom is an indoor park that features gorgeous decorations of hanging flowers and a pond with water lilies – the view is just fantastic!
7. Hitsujiyama Flower Park in Saitama Prefecture features huge flower beds of shibazakura flowers in bright pink, light pink, white, and light violet colors. From late April to early May is the best time to visit Hitsujiyama Flower Park. Similar fields of shibazakura with a view of Fuji-san can be seen in Fujigoko, Yamanashi Prefecture.
