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
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
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.
Nearly every big shrine (and some temples) host chrysanthemum competitions in the month of November. If you’d like to see the chrysanthemums the next time you’re in Tokyo, directions and maps to the Yushima Tenjin Shrine, Kameido Shrine, Meiji Shrine, Yasukuni Shrine, Shinjuku Gyouen Garden, Senso-ji Temple or any other entertaining shrines & temples or beautiful gardens, maps are are on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had.
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Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!
2 thoughts on “Where To See The Best Chrysanthemums In Tokyo”
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Jonelle Patrick's 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?