June
12
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Great Balls O’ Flowery Fluff: Tokyo’s Best Hydrangea Gardens
If someone says “hydrangeas” and you think “boring white puffballs,” you haven’t seen the outrageous ones in Tokyo yet! Here are my favorite hydrangea garden extravaganzas, and they’ll be blooming ’til the end of June, just sayin’…
HAKUSAN SHRINE in Hon-Komagome
These are just the ones bordering the parking lot at the shrine!
During the Ajisai Festival (the second week in June very year) the fu-dogs greet visitors with a crazy bouquet of living hydrangeas.
The purifying spring is all decked out in hydrangea finery as well.
And of course they sell hydrangea-themed sweets! This is mizu-yokan, a sort of jellied bean paste that is popular in summertime.
Hours: Open 24 hours
Open: Every day of the year. The Ajisai Festival is from June 6 – 14 in 2015, but you can see the hydrangeas blooming through the whole month of June
Admission: Free
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HONDO-JI TEMPLE in Kitakogane
This temple is a little outside of Tokyo – about 25 minutes from Kita-Senju – but it’s well worth the train ride to see the acres of bodacious blooms!
Plus: pagoda
The grounds are really huge, and this bamboo forest sits next to the iris garden, which may still be blooming while you’re there.
Shady flower-lined paths? Check!
Hydrangeas + thick carpets of moss = YES
Hours: 8:00 – 17:00
Open: Every day
Admission: ¥500 during hydrangea season (June)
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ASUKAYAMA PARK/OJI STATION in Oji
The famous banks of hydrangeas are not actually in the park – they border the train tracks between the park and Oji Station. Stairways lead down to the path from the park, though, and you can easily get there from any direction.
The flowers here are mostly the old-fashioned kind, but they bloom in every color, and the display stretches for the entire length of Asukayama Park.
The colors are really exquisite up close.
My favorites are the traditional Japanese blue ones
Hours: Open 24 hours
Open: Every day of the year.
Admission: Free
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TAKAHATA FUDOSAN TEMPLE in Takahatafudo
This temple has a huge “hydrangea mountain” criss-crossed with nicely-groomed hiking paths and planted with many varieties of hydrangeas
It’s shady and cool, even in the dog days of June
And in case you haven’t gotten around to making that famous (and arduous) Shikoku temple pilgrimage, the paths on the hydrangea mountain are populated by Jizo figures from each of the 88 temples on the circuit. Shortcut to paradise? Sign me up!
Interesting varieties bloom in big clumps…
…or dotted about like little wild origami
Shrines like this Inari fox shrine are tucked in among the flowers
And of course, you get to see Takahata Fudo’s gorgeous pagoda while you’re there to see the flowers!
Hours: Open 24 hours
Open: Every day of the year.
Admission: Free
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And of course, I have to mention the two famous hydrangea temples in nearby Kamakura…
HASEDERA TEMPLE in Kamakura
Every kind of hydrangea you can imagine greets the waiting crowds at the foot of Hasedera temple’s ajisai mountain
Stairs climb up through the flowers on the steep hillside behind the temple
You can sort of see why it’s famous
A waterfall of lace-caps engulfs a stone mini-pagoda
There are quiet nooks adorned with ajisai too.
Hours: 8:00 – 17:00
Open: Every day
Admission: ¥500
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MEIGETSU-IN TEMPLE in Kitakamakura
The famous steps leading into the temple
Hydrangeas and bamboo
Hours: 8:00 – 17:00
Open: Every day
Admission: ¥300
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Beautiful! I have always loved these flowers. My grandmother had them growing along the front of her house. I can’t tell you how many times I heard, “Don’t pick the flowers!” But hydrangeas were bouquets on one-stem wonders. So many flowers and so many colors!
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I always felt that way about them too! But I heard an interesting thing while I was standing in line to get into Hasedera. The guy in front of me told me that you were never supposed to give hydrangeas to your girlfriend in a bouquet. The reason: their colors change over time, and this suggests that your heart will also change! Who knew?
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I would think that makes them more magical!
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soo beautiful!
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