Category: Attractions

Sakura 2018: Inokashira Park

Visit Date: 03/25/2018 (Best Time: early April)

Inokashira Park (井の頭恩賜公園) is a 43-hectares park located on the western side of Tokyo, which sits on both Mitaka and Musashino cities. It is easily accessible via the lively Kichijoji neighborhood. The park’s large pond is one of the favorite sakura spot in Tokyo with its 250 cherry trees lining up its banks.

The warmer weather over the past few days lead to the blossoming of sakura buds. The trees around the pond were 50-70% in bloom and looked very pretty.

Lovely cherry blossoms dangling over the pond.

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Kiyose Sunflower Festival 2017

20% of Kiyose City’s land area remains agricultural which makes it a great producer of crops such as wheat, cucumber, eggplant, spinach, carrots, and more. But every year, about 100,000 sunflowers are planted on a 2.4 hectares land which creates a  brilliant yellow field under the dazzling summer sun.

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Water Parks around Tokyo 2017

Summer is here and what could be the best way to cool off the summer heat than to go swimming and enjoy the water. Fortunately, Tokyo offers abundant water parks where family and friends can go for a refreshingly cool getaways. Here are some of the water parks accessible from central Tokyo:

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Hakone Gora Park

Gora Park (強羅公園) is Japan’s first French style garden opened in the 3rd year of the Taisho era (1914). It features a large fountain at the center with various seasonal flowers such as roses, azaleas, hydrangeas, wisteria, bougainvillea, peony, as well as cherry blossoms scattered around the garden. The garden is surrounded by wide sky and mountains which makes it a very relaxing place.

05/14/2017: The azalea flowers around the park are past peak with most of the flowers fallen on the ground. Those that were left however are still very pretty.

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Fuji Shibazakura Festival 2017

The Fuji Shibazakura Festival (富士芝桜まつり) or moss phlox festival at Lake Motosuko is one of the most popular event in Japan. About 800,000 five-petaled moss phlox of about seven varieties bloom in about 2.4 hectares field, creating a beautiful bright floral carpet under the foot of Mt.Fuji. These shibazakuras grow in white, fluorescent pink, red, rose pink, deep mauve, and white.

2017 Season: April 15 – May 28, 2017

The moss phlox which is native to North America is called shiba-zakura (or lawn cherry in Eglish) because its flowers resembles to cherry blossoms, where both have five petals, and it is a creeper plant that covers the ground like a lawn.

05/07/2017: Almost all of the shibazakura flowers are in full bloom and at their best viewing. Despite the cloudy weather, Mt Fuji presented itself the entire day, creating a breathtaking landscape which indeed leaves an unforgettable memory.

The cherry trees around the resort were also in full bloom, providing a complete experience of sakura and shibazakura.

Sakura and shibazakura flowers reflected on the Ryujin pond.

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