Japan is a FLOWER PARADISE!

A couple of weeks ago I received a direct message on Instagram asking about what’s the best time to visit Japan if you want to see flowers. My response to this person was, “It depends on what you want to see.”

When I went to Kuju Flower Park last September.

I then wrote a list of the seasonal flowers in Japan and I realized that there are tons of flower fields and parks in Japan! Fortunately, I have visited a lot of them, but there are still many flower spots that I want to see.

Best Flower Season

It’s spring (for me).

In spring you can see cherry blossoms, starting as early as February and lasting until May. Everybody goes gaga for these pink beauties, but for me, I look forward to wisteria during this season.

Cherry blossom trees nearby IKEA in Fukuoka.

Not all of Japan's prefectures have wisteria. During the time I was living in Yamagata I didn’t even know that there are wisteria in Japan. I became aware of it when I started traveling. The first time I saw these purple flowers was in Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture.

However, during that period, I wasn’t a fan yet. My experience at Ashikaga Flower Park was quite mixed. It was memorable because it’s the first flower park that my husband and I visited together. However, it was also horrible because it was very crowded, humid, the trains didn’t have enough room for the passengers, and there was a rope that surrounded the trees, hence you couldn’t get under the tree.

That wisteria viewing experience wasn’t very pleasant, so I never went to see wisteria again, until my husband and I moved to Fukuoka.

Nakayama no Ofuji in May 2021

Fukuoka is not as crowded as the Kanto region of Japan, plus we got a car once we started living there. We were able to visit places that are challenging to reach without a car. Thus, we visited a lot of off-the-beaten-path wisteria locations. On top of that, the wisteria in Fukuoka were more scenic compared to Ashikaga!

Aside from sakura and wisteria, you can see fields of rapeseed, nemophila, tulips, poppies, shibazakura, azalea, roses, and many more during spring!

Summer, Autumn, and Winter Flowers

If you think spring has all the fun, think again. There are still several flowers to look forward to in summer, autumn, and winter!

At the beginning of summer, you can see hydrangea which I think are one of the popular flowers of this season. Hydrangea spots are not difficult to find in Japan. You could probably see one in your neighbor’s garden.

Takatouyama Park in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka

NOTE: One of the famous hydrangea gardens in Tokyo is Odaiba Marine Park. I’ve never been there, but I saw a lot of photos on Instagram and they look so lush and beautiful!

I have visited a lot of wonderful hydrangea spots in Fukuoka, but one of the best is Senkoji Temple. It’s located in Kurume, Fukuoka and can be reached by bus from Kurume train station. It’s a bit difficult to reach by public transport but it’s worth it.

Other notable flowers in summer are lavenders, irises, sunflowers, lotus, etc.

NOTE: For those looking for lavender fields in Japan, they're not very common but there are a lot in Hokkaido, so I highly suggest heading there if you are solely looking for lavender.

Nakafurano Flower Park in Hokkaido, August 2021

For sunflower fields, there are quite a few. One of the most impressive sunflower fields I’ve seen was in Fukushima.  It’s called Koriyama Nunobiki Kaze-no-Kogen. A lot of people go there, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. As far as I know, you can only reach it by car.

When my husband and I went there, there were a lot of cars on the road. We waited 2 HOURS to be able to park our car! We didn’t stay long because there were too many people. But the size of that field was wide. Would have been nice if it wasn’t crowded.

As the weather gets colder, many greens start to wither but spider lilies, cosmos, globe amaranth, and chrysanthemums start to bloom in autumn, while daffodils, camellias, peonies, and plums do so around winter time.

Cosmos field in Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka, October 2021

I am sure I’m missing a lot, but these are the most common flowers that you can see in Japan throughout the year.

Best Place for Flower Hunting

You could go flower hunting anywhere in Japan, but if you don’t live here and are just visiting JApan, I highly suggest Furano, Hokkaido. The flower parks there are close to each other and there are so many kinds of flowers to see in one destination.

Here are some gardens you could visit in different parts of Japan:

Tohoku- Higashizawa Rose Garden in Yamagata

Kanto- Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki

Kansai- Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens in Kobe

Chugoku- Sera Kogen Park in Hiroshima

Kyushu- Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka and Kuju Flower Park in Oita

Shikoku- Monet Garden Marmottan in Kochi

Conclusion

Japan isn’t only a flower paradise during the season of cherry blossoms. The country has tons of flower events that are also worth visiting.

How about you? What’s your favorite flower?

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