Sep 25, 2024
No big higanbana fields, but they're still here!
BigFamJapan recently wrote about one of fall's iconic flowers, higanbana, or spider lilies. We don't have any large-scale fields of higanbana out here in Niigata -- at least none that I'm aware of -- but they do show up in some more understated ways. I've seen them here and there on grounds of temples and shrines, in the gardens of my neighbors, and even a smattering of them surrounding some of the local rice fields.
They're not large-scale fields, but I feel like they have beauty in their own right!
When I lived on a military base in Tokyo for a couple of years, we had one lone higanbana that bloomed in our small yard. I still don't know how one lone flower ended up there (we didn't plant it ourselves!) but we looked forward to it blooming annually each September. It really did feel like a sign that autumn had arrived!
Do you have any large higanbana fields near you, or are they a little more understated like in my local area?
1 Comment
TonetoEdo
on Sep 25
The cycling and footpath along the Edo River from Noda City to Matsudo City has many higanbana plantings. There are varieties, too, with some hot pink and ivory ones.