It’s worth the trip out to Chofu, just to see the cartload of fox tails
But they also have the full complement of pagodas, Elvis pompadours, perfect specimens of many varieties, and an odd category, which is cascades of blooms in the shape of Shizuoka Prefecture WHY
Dates: October 25 – November 17th (2019)
Admission: Adults: ¥500, Children: ¥250
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Hibiya Park has lots of every kind of chrysanthemum you can imagine, but the thing not to miss here is the various bonsai categories
These Xmas-tree-shaped ones come in every color
But there are lots of other styles too, including ones that have been trained to look like trees clinging to rustic cliff faces…
And miniature landscapes, where chrysanthemums are king
Of course, they have the usual perfect examples of unusual types and colors
…including these, which are the tallest freaking chrysanthemums I’ve ever seen (oyaji for scale)
EVery year, Yushima Tenjin Shrine serves up a new diorama of life-sized historical figures, made from living chrysanthemums (These are the ones from 2014, but every year they’re just as great)
Great balls o’ chrysanthemums, each of these is ONE PLANT.
Prize specimens vie for top honors. This style requires the grower to train the plant into three stalks of exactly the same height, then coax three perfect flowers to bloom at the exact same time.
You can see this one for free, advertising the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum goodness inside the gates
These are them. They’d be amazing enough if they were just giant living bouquets, but the truly astounding thing is that each of these is ONE PLANT
I knew you wouldn’t believe me, so I took a picture of one from underneath. The single stem is that one highlighted in the middle – the stem-like things on the corners are the metal supports for the training trellis
Of course they have magnificent Elvis bouffants, in every shape and color
And acres of fluffball perfection
As well as some technically challenging styles, like these. Think about it: how do you get an unruly shrub to produce exactly 25 flowers, blooming on straight stems in a perfect circle, angled for ideal viewing pleasure?
But one of the things I like best about the chrysanthemums at Shinjuku Gyouen is the displays that are part of the landscape, like this beauty set along my favorite strolling path
If you look closely, you’ll see that they’ve chosen subtly different colors of flowers to enhance the sense of depth
And this one perking up the Japanese garden features varieties that have a mix of purple and gold in their petals
Admission: ¥500
Dates: November 1-15 (2019)
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KAMEIDO TENJIN SHRINE
In addition to the bouffants, balls and prize specimens, the Kameido Shrine features this model of Skytree, with the real thing helpfully standing around for comparison in the background
It also has some nice displays that make great insta-backdrops
What the Meiji Shrine chrysanthemums lack in artistic innovation, they make up in perfection. I dare the gods to find any flaw at all in those white ones.
Dates: October 27 – November 23 (2019)
Admission: Free
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For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it…read more
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
Only In Japan 
Is that Oda Nobunaga? He’s never looked dandier.
Whoa, got it in one! It IS Oda Nobunaga! Wonder what he’d think if he came back and saw himself as a chrysanthemum effigy?