Yamagata

Jun 22, 2014 - 1 min read

Yamagata's Rose Haven

Higashizawa Rose Park Rose Festival 2014

By Radica Sooknarine

Community writer

The flowers with the lake in the background looked like a paradise.

From any angle you look at it, it's an absolutely beautiful place!

On weekends. I imagine the park is very crowded. But fear not - over yonder lies a somewhat secluded lookout if you want to get away from the crowd.

It was very hard to choose my favorite rose!

What would a Rose Festival be without an arch full of roses?

The red roses were simply magnificent! There were some so huge that people kept trying to go closer to compare it to the size of their hands.

This sculpture is symbolic of the park. In the midst of some roses, the statue holds a rose.

Another view of the floral arch. And to think, there are still quite a few unopened buds amongst those blooms.

The serenity and natural beauty of this park add to the enchantment.  It was my first visit to a rose garden and I definitely hope to return before the festival ends.

The further I strolled, the more blooms I saw ahead of me. Roses of every size, color and scent can be found here.

Flowers were first planted here in 1956 and those aged trees still produce magnificent blooms to this day.

Be prepared to spend quite a few hours enjoying the garden. Apart from the visual delight, you'll find yourself smelling the roses too. They each have their own unique scent. Some had a very mild scent, and others you could smell them before you reached them.

If you look carefully enough, you would notice a tinge of red. This is something that drew my attention because the closer I got to the roses, the more fantastical they became.

One of the surprises in the area was this pond. This is an ideal stroll for couples! This is one of three ponds in the park.

Even the trees were eager to be part of this festival of nature. Their trunks were almost entirely covered with vines.

I was told this is a "Happiness Bell". Everybody who passed near it stopped to ring the bell. Not wanting to miss out, of course I joined in too.

From this spot I stood admiring the scene in front of me.

Snuggled in a picturesque valley in Murayama, the Higashizawa Rose Park is one of the gems of Yamagata. This year, the annual Rose Festival is being held from June 5th to July 6th. This park has an incredible display of 750 species of roses, and there are about 20,000 roses in bloom. The magnificence of the colors capture your attention from the moment you enter the park, and their incredibly sweet scents linger with you long after you've left. Amidst the roses, there is also a shrine and three ponds that add an extra touch of awe to the ambiance.

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By Radica Sooknarine

Community writer

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Kim Bergström 6 years ago

So much color and beauty - a real treat!

Radica Sooknarine Photographer 9 years ago

@Des, in that case I need to show you as many photos as I can!! ^___^

Desmond Gerard Kee 10 years ago

Nice photos. Every time I see them, I feel like hopping on the next flight to Japan.

Radica Sooknarine Photographer 10 years ago

@Kay elle, I'm g;ad you enjoy it. The photos are by no means an exact replication of what you will witness with your own eyes. And you know the best part about this, the butterflies outnumbered the bees here!