A whimsical illumination at the Gunma Flower Park

From where I live in Niigata, it’s about equal driving distance to either Niigata City or Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture. Because of that, it’s quite convenient to check out events and attractions in either location, and recently we drove out to the Gunma Flower Park to explore their seasonal illuminations.

Maebashi in Gunma is a reasonable driving distance from our home, and recently we visited the area to check out the Gunma Flower Park’s seasonal illuminations.

The illuminations here are widely regarded as some of the country’s best, and there are around a million lights on display – it’s quite an incredible sight to see. The theme this year is “Fairy’s Paradise”, and the sheer scale of all the lights provides a whimsical, ethereal charm to the park’s grounds. It does feel a bit like stepping into another land, so I think they achieved the goal of their theme!

With over a million LED lights on display, the park really does feel like a fairy’s paradise

If you’re planning to visit the illuminations, there’s only a short window of time left to check them out – the event is running until January 9th, with the lights on from sunset until 9 pm (last admission is at 8.30 pm). If you’re living in Gunma Prefecture or within reasonable driving distance of the area, I’d definitely recommend putting this on your list of winter illuminations to visit.

Practical info for your visit:

• Admission to the park is 610 yen.
• The park is around 30 minutes driving time from either the Isesaki IC on the Kita Kanto Expressway or the Akagi IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. Free on-site parking is available for over 500 vehicles.
• For those visiting via public transport, the park is around 15 minutes by taxi from Ogo Station on the Jomo Electric Railway.