Tripbaa Funbaa!, Asia’s Free Travel Expert
In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Japan has been continuously increasing. Japan is not only a paradise for food and shopping. The most famous flower season in Japan is the welcome of spring with cherry blossoms. From Hokkaido to Okinawa, romantic cherry blossom spots can be found everywhere. In autumn, the mountains and fields covered with orange-yellow maple leaves are also a highlight of Japan's floral seasons. But you don’t have to squeeze into the crowds — Japan has different beautiful flowers to admire in every season. Next time during the Japanese flower season, try planning a trip with some unique scenic spots!
When it comes to flowers in Hokkaido, many people think of the lavender fields in Furano. But actually, not far from New Chitose Airport and Sapporo City, there is a well-known “Hometown of Flowers” in Japan — Eniwa, which has the largest number of flowers planted in Hokkaido.
Starting with the 1991 Summer Eniwa Garden Competition, Eniwa earned its reputation as a garden city. Then, in 2005, the “Eniwa Flowers and Life Exhibition” began, where locals guide visitors on strolls through outdoor gardens. In Eniwa, aside from the dazzling array of flowers, picking flowers and even eating them are fun experience activities. Come to Eniwa for an in-depth trip with the local residents of Hokkaido!
■ Eniwa Flowers and Life Exhibition: June–September
■ Official Website: Eniwa City Tourism
2019 Japan Flower Season - Eniwa Gardens. (Photo / Eniwa City Official Website)
Both rapeseed flowers and cherry blossoms are iconic spring blooms. In Japan’s flower season, visit Shizuoka Prefecture’s Izu River at Itoshima. Not only is this the earliest cherry blossom viewing spot in Eastern Japan, but the blooming period of rapeseed flowers coincides with that of cherry blossoms. Usually planted along riverbanks, 800 cherry trees bloom along the Itoshima River while being accompanied by rapeseed flowers. The intertwined pink and bright yellow hues create an even more stunning beauty than typical Japanese flower seasons.
When talking about rapeseed flower spots, you can’t miss the Chiba Kosan Railway and the Isumi Railway, which offer great photo opportunities with trains passing through vast fields of rapeseed flowers. During Japan’s flower season, don’t overlook the beauty of rapeseed flowers just because of the cherry blossoms.
■ Best viewing time: mid-March to early April
2019 Japan Flower Season - Shizuoka Itoshima Cherry Blossoms. (Photo /
The cherry blossoms of Japan's flowering season are the country's most famous sight, drawing tourists from around the world who chase the predicted bloom schedule and top 50 viewing spots, scrambling to book flights to Japan in spring. Not only visitors, but even locals celebrate the season with various events and festivals, or enjoy a leisurely picnic under the cherry trees—the popularity of sakura spans the globe.
When visiting Mount Fuji during Japan's cherry blossom season, you can take a stroll at Asama Shrine in Shinjuku. After climbing the 398 stone steps, you'll be greeted by Japan's iconic symbol—Mount Fuji. The breathtaking view of cherry blossoms, the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji, and the five-story pagoda is something you'll never forget once you've seen it.
■ Best blooming period: March to May, progressing from south to north
Recommended reading:
2019 Japan Flower Season - Cherry Blossoms at Mount Fuji. (Photo/
After the end of the cherry blossom season comes the start of another Japanese floral event—the shibazakura season. "Shiba" in Japanese means lawn, so after enjoying the romantic spectacle of falling cherry blossoms, take a different perspective and admire the ground-covering beauty of shibazakura!
The most famous shibazakura display near Tokyo is the Mt. Fuji Shibazakura Festival, featuring a variety of colors—from peach pink, light pink, lavender to white. The vast expanse is especially adorable and vibrant. Once you climb up to the observation deck, you’ll be greeted by a panoramic view of Mt. Fuji surrounded by a sea of pink shibazakura. Whether you admire the shibazakura up close or gaze at the distant mountain, each offers a unique experience.
Best viewing period: Mid-April to late May
2019 Japanese flower season—Mt. Fuji shibazakura. (Photo/
Ashikaga Flower Park was rated by American CNN as one of the world’s top 10 dreamlike scenic spots. The park features over 10,000 wisteria plants, including a 50-year-old great wisteria and a wisteria flower cascade resembling a dreamy waterfall. The flower tunnels of light red, white, and yellow wisteria are also enchanting. Every year, visitors can join in the lively “Great Wisteria Festival.”
Ashikaga Flower Park is also a site certified as a Japanese Night View Heritage, and during Japan’s flower season, visitors can enjoy the beauty of wisteria both in daylight and at night. The illuminated scenes at night offer a unique palette of colors, and even sitting by the pond to admire the wisteria and its reflections is quite dreamy.
■ Best flower viewing period: Late April to early May
2019 Japan Wisteria Season.(Photo/Photographer: TANAKA Juuyoh, Flickr CC License)
Speaking of Japan’s flower season, one absolutely cannot forget lavender, which is synonymous with Hokkaido. Lavender instantly brings to mind places like Furano and Biei. In 1976, a photo of a lavender field in the JR calendar made Furano famous, and among its attractions, the vast Furano Farm is the most well known, featuring flower fields with up to 13 different types of flowers, among which the colorful flower field on the slope, covered with a variety of blossoms, is especially eye-catching.
Biei's Shikisai no Oka (Seasonal Colors Hill) is certainly no less impressive, featuring breathtaking, colorful fields of flowers that become even more unique when set against the distant Tokachi Mountain Range. Visitors can also take a ride on the "Shikisai Norocco" train to explore the flower fields.
■Best Flower Viewing Time: Early July to Early August
Furano, Hokkaido.(Photo / Tripbaa Fun Asia!)
Although this is about Japan's flower season, viewing autumn foliage is also a highly important travel activity throughout the year. In fact, both cherry blossom viewing in spring and maple leaf viewing in autumn are extremely significant to Japan. In Tokyo, Showa Memorial Park features a maple and ginkgo avenue; in Fukuoka, Kama Shrine is a hidden gem for locals to enjoy autumn leaves; in Kyoto, Shimogamo Shrine boasts a grand torii gate along with red and yellow maple trees; in Nara, Nara Park offers wild deer alongside the vibrant foliage. Visiting Japan to view the fall colors during peak season gives you a particularly relaxing and vacation-like feeling.
■ Best time for flower viewing: Early October to early December
Recommended reading:
Japanese Maple Leaf Spots – Arashiyama Autumn Leaves. (Photo/
In the snow-blanketed month of December, vast fields of daffodils bloom at Ōkaku Seaside Park, located at the northernmost tip of Ehime Prefecture, and along the Echizen Coast in Fukui Prefecture, known as the "Hometown of Daffodils." The beauty of the mountains and sea, combined with the simple yet elegant colors of white and yellow daffodils swaying in the breeze from the Sea of Japan, creates a stunning sight. The fragrance is rich and long-lasting. Every mid-December, the Echizen Coast also hosts a "Daffodil Festival," where visitors can enjoy not only the beautiful scenery but also fresh matsutake crabs.
■ Best time to view flowers: December ~ March
2019 Japan Flower Season - Daffodils at Ōkaku Seaside Park. (Photo /
[Tripbaa Funbaa]Authorized repost. Original source: [2019 Japanese Flower Season: Wisteria & Rapeseed Flowers!Japanese Flower Season Attractions × Four-Season Blooms]