Aug 31, 2021
No spider lilies at Kinchakuda again this year
Gallery
For the second year in a row, Kinchakuda Manjushage Park in Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture, are discouraging visitors by cutting the red spider lilies down. In a 'normal' year, thousands of people descend on the otherwise quiet Hidaka City to witness one of Japan's most famous autumn scenes. Perhaps one of Japan's most famous scenes ever.
Normally, about FIVE MILLION spider lilies bloom in Kinchakuda from mid September to the end of the month. During the period of bloom there is normally a festival on with food stalls and stage performances. Not only was there no festival in 2020 they cut the flowers down. A drastic move spurred by the hundreds of spectators who were turning up daily to view the flowers despite the request from the park not to.
In 2020, they advertised well in advance that there would be no festival. They also asked people not to come to see the flowers. But a couple of days after the spider lilies bloomed, there were already hundreds of people visiting daily. As a result, on September 17th 2020 they mowed all the flowers down. This year, to avoid a repeat of last year, they have already announced that they are going to mow the spider lilies as soon as they stalk.
There will be nothing to see at Kinchakuda Manjushage Park in September 2021 folks! Pass it on, so others don't go out of their way to visit, only to be disappointed. As happened quite a few people last year judging by social media posts at the time! Thankfully there are plenty of other places to view spider lilies, although maybe not as dramatic as Kinchakuda.
Former nickname was "Saitama". Changed it to save confusion on place review posts! Irish, 20+ years in Japan! I also write on my personal website: insaitama.com
5 Comments
Bella
on Aug 31
noooooooo! Again?!? That's just sad...
TonetoEdo
on Aug 31
So sad to read that this harbinger of autumn is canceled. I can understand that the authorities' intent is to prevent people from gathering when the pandemic is surging and we know that the virus is airborne. It would be awful for the municipality if they were to attract people resulting in an outbreak. I'm hoping we get to see this amazing carpet of red in autumn 2022.
BigfamJapan
on Sep 1
@TonetoEdo I always feel safe outdoors with a mask on, but the sheer numbers of people that this event attracts would make me feel quite nervous even outdoors. It probably is the best thing to do to prevent further spreading of the virus. Thankfully in Saitama there are dozens of low key, off the beaten path, spots to view the carpet of red. :-)
BigfamJapan
on Sep 1
@Bella it is sad :-( and so unfortunate, but understandable. It does seem extreme for an outdoor event, BUT I would guess the biggest concern is the cross-prefectural traffic as people normally come from all over Japan to view these famous spider lilies.
TonetoEdo
on Sep 2
@Saitama I hear you! It’s the density of people and cross-prefecture visitors at issue. Chiba Prefecture’s got some spider lily beauty spots, too. We’ll just enjoy the where they are, close to home, right?