Jonelle Patrick's Only In Japan
Every day, stuff you'd never see anywhere else.
If you have to postpone your Japan trip and miss the cherry blossoms this spring, don’t despair! There are other flower seasons you can catch after the current contagion dies … Continue Reading Five Japanese flower seasons that will make you happy you missed the cherry blossoms
It’s that time of year again, when the chrysanthemum wranglers of Tokyo liberate their flower-of-choice from ragtag funeral bouquets and show the world they can hold their own with far … Continue Reading Killer Chrysanthemums 2019
This year’s Flowers by Naked (at the same Coredo venue that hosts Art Aquarium during the summer) was better than last year but not as engaging as the first year I saw … Continue Reading Flowers By Naked 2019
Okay, what do you think THIS floral designer got in trouble for drawing in the margins of his schoolbooks…? If I’d come in through this portal, I might never have … Continue Reading Gateway To Chrysanthemum Bliss?
There’s a secret walled garden at the Ueno Toshogu Shrine that’s only open once a year for peony season, but guess what? This year they’re letting us come in to … Continue Reading In The Japanese Dahlia Garden
Went to check on whether the cosmos were blooming yet at Hama-Rikyu Teien garden last week and discovered that the lovely fields of gently nodding multicolored blooms I remembered were looking … Continue Reading Who Knew There Was A Butterfly Season In Tokyo?
Just when you need a little something to lift your wilted spirits, the dog days of summer fail to dish up a single Japanese flower extravaganza. Which is why I’ve … Continue Reading Flower Dream 2017
So, everybody knows about the cherry blossoms, and I bet you flower mavens even know about the glories of the plums, wisteria, azaleas and iris. But recently a bunch of … Continue Reading Secret Flower Seasons of Japan
Every once in a while you discover a place where the photos that made you run to the nearest station and jump on godzilla-knows-how-many-trains to get there did not lie. Not even a … Continue Reading Endless Fields Of Blue
From mid-April to mid-May, it seems like there are bright pink bushes whipping by the train window everywhere you go in Tokyo, but there are a few special places that just … Continue Reading Where To See The Most Amazing Azaleas In Tokyo
So, around this time of year, I get to thinking about how everybody is about to crowd into Japan to see the fluffy pink things, but that cherry blossom season is far … Continue Reading What’s Blooming In Japan Right Now?
Yesterday I got to stumble around doing a 360˚ gawk in a forest of plum trees wearing all their favorite clothes at once. Kairakuen Garden in Mito was planted by a genius of a daimyo who totally got that too … Continue Reading Lost In A Forest Of Blooming Plum Trees
All of February (and a little of March) is the best time to see fluffy pink and white and red beauties bursting like popcorn all over Tokyo. Here are the … Continue Reading Plum Blossom Countdown
If you think that vast fields of blooming wildflowers are something you won’t find in Tokyo…think again! From mid-September to mid-October every year, the lowly cosmos is elevated to extravaganza status at … Continue Reading Where To See Huge Fields Of Cosmos In Tokyo
If it happens to be raining when you are invited to walk through a magical forest carpeted with five million blooming amaryllis, do not say no. Because this. If you’re in … Continue Reading The Magical Red Forest
I have a confession to make. Although my job is to write about ingenious ways people commit murder and mayhem, when it comes to obsessing about how I’d commit the perfect crime, … Continue Reading Hydrangeas: Gateway To A Life Of Crime
If you’ve never walked among peonies that stand shoulder-high, with flowers as big as your head, get thee to these Tokyo gardens right now and prepare to be amazed! NISHIARAI-DAISHI TEMPLE … Continue Reading Where To See The Most Gorgeous Peonies In Tokyo
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 … Continue Reading Great Balls O’ Flowery Fluff: Tokyo’s Best Hydrangea Gardens
Fields of riotously blooming purple, blue & white iris? Yes, please! Here are the best places in Tokyo to see the iris extravaganzas of your dreams. New for 2020! HASEDERA … Continue Reading Where To See The Best Iris Gardens In Tokyo
Outside of Japan, nobody has heard of shibazakura, but they should! Check out the rolling hills covered with pink flowers that bloom in the middle of May! (They’re actually a … Continue Reading Vast Carpets Of Lawn Cherries!
Okay, it’s spring in Tokyo, so grit your teeth and strap on your martyr beanie, because it’s time to endure a higher than usual number of flower posts for a while! Today’s is … Continue Reading Flower Dream Strikes Again
Many a cherry blossom party has been thwarted by wacky weather or unavoidable business trips, but even if the gods throw a wrench into your best-laid plans, don’t despair! Late-blooming yaezakura come into their … Continue Reading The Best Places To See Late-Blooming Cherry Trees In Tokyo
Cherry blossoms and crowds go together like long bathroom lines and hanami parties, but at these secret Tokyo spots, you can enjoy the pinkness without getting trampled, even at peak season! Here … Continue Reading The Best SECRET Cherry Blossom Spots In Tokyo!
I am a total, total sucker for plum blossoms. The flowers are much more beautiful than cherry blossoms up close, and you gotta admire that the damn things even bloom in … Continue Reading Where To See The Best Plum Blossoms In Tokyo
As you may have guessed by now, in Japan no flower is safe from being planted together en masse, in order to deliver total sensory overload at the appointed moment. It’s no surprise … Continue Reading Up To My Knees In A Vermilion Sea
Remember those big white snowball-y bushes that bloomed next to Grandma’s porch all summer long? Believe it or not, those everyday flowers were where they started hybridizing to get these fancypants. Some temples in … Continue Reading Gorgeous Japanese Hydrangeas = Summertime!
Not to be outdone by the cherry blossoms, azaleas and wisteria, the peonies of Tokyo come into their glory in May and June! First the big boys, like these at … Continue Reading Peonies As Big As Dinner Plates!
In case you need proof that “the harder a garden is to get to, the more spectacular it is,” look no further than Ashikaga Flower Park. Two solid hours from Tokyo … Continue Reading Yes, This Is One Wisteria Plant!
You know how everybody thinks Japanese people sit around in their kimonos all day, arranging flowers into works of art? Well, they don’t. But when they do…it’s amazing. If you’re in … Continue Reading Flower Dream Expo
Okay, in a cherry blossoms vs. azaleas fight to the death, where are you going to slap down your hard-earned cash? (Hint: Let me put it this way, I’ve seen Japanese azalea gardens reduce people who … Continue Reading Azaleas For The Win
Okay, the season of all-sakura-all-the-time is officially over, and the cherryliciousness did not disappoint. From late-blooming white ones to pinker-than-pink, here are a few of this year’s faves. If you’d like to … Continue Reading Cherry Blossom Roundup
Oh no, don’t think you can put your feet up and flip some channels after the sun goes down during cherry blossom season – thanks to the current craze for “illuminations,” … Continue Reading Cherry Blossoms Lit Up At Night: My Favorite Spots!
Okay, hanami warriors, it’s time to charge up your camera batteries, sharpen your elbows, and strap on your subway card, because the cherry blossoms only last a couple of days, … Continue Reading Hanami Blitz: My Picks For The Best Cherry Blossoms In Tokyo!
Don’t let this big daddy sneak up on you in the dark! In Japan they don’t mess around when it comes to cherry trees. I saw this explosion of goodness last … Continue Reading The Godzilla Of Cherry Trees
Today it was raining. But I went to Shinjuku Gyouen garden anyway. If you’d like to visit Shinjuku Gyou-en garden the next time you’re in Tokyo, a map is on my website, The … Continue Reading Early Spring At A Beautiful Garden
It’s not that I don’t like cherry blossom season, I just like plum season better. (Okay, azalea season too. But that’s not ’til the end of April.) In case I haven’t … Continue Reading Once Again, Plum Blossoms Do Not Disappoint
Chrysanthemum growers, You are the slaves Of chrysanthemums. I must admit I didn’t fully understand Basho’s haiku until I saw these astonishing examples of chrysanthemum husbandry at the Yushima Tenjin Shrine … Continue Reading Slaves Of Chrysanthemums
Once again, the Nezu Shrine does not disappoint – at the end of April, the hills surrounding my favorite shrine are paved with azaleas of every color. But my favorite … Continue Reading Azalea Mania
Behind the long, boring building mostly known for blocking views of the pagoda at Senso-ji is the secret garden of Denpo-in. Within those walls is a serene retreat used by … Continue Reading The Ultimate Secret Garden
It’s crowded. It’s crazy. But I’ve got to admit, cherry blossom season here does not disappoint. • After scouring Tokyo for the best of the pinkness, Jonelle Patrick writes novels set … Continue Reading Cherry Blossom-O-Rama
At first glance, I thought I’d climbed that big hill to Okurayama Park for nothing. Hey, what’s with the bare branches? Where’s the fluffy pink and white goodness? It’s supposed to … Continue Reading Better Than Cherry Blossom Season
Cherry blossoms are definitely the favorite child. Back in March, as The Season approached, the newspapers all breathlessly reported the movement of the pink tide from south to north, weather … Continue Reading So How Come Azaleas Are Chopped Liver?
Jonelle Patrick's Only In Japan