Hanachōzu at the Gyōda Hachiman Shrine In Japan, too many flowers is just enough, especially when it comes to hanachōzu! The latest fashion for excess splendor started at shrines that fill their purifying mizu-chōzuya (“hand washing water place”) with a mix of spring blooms and colorful floating balls… Hanachōzu at Kawagoe Hachimangu …but it grewContinueContinue reading “Floating flowers are taking over Japan this spring”
Tag Archives: flower extravaganzas
Where to see the best plum blossoms in Tokyo
Here are my favorite places to ogle the plum blossoms in all their glory! • YUSHIMA SHRINE This shrine is one of the most beautiful in Tokyo… and it not only has a ton of plum trees, it has a festival to celebrate them the whole month of February, with monkey shows, taiko performances andContinueContinue reading “Where to see the best plum blossoms in Tokyo”
Five Japanese flower seasons that will make you happy you missed the cherry blossoms
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 down that deliver just as much flowers-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see amazement, without the crowds. If eye-popping flowers are what you’re longing to see, here are my five favorites,ContinueContinue reading “Five Japanese flower seasons that will make you happy you missed the cherry blossoms”
Spring Arrives Early: Flowers by Naked 2020
Just when you’re beginning to long for spring but it’s still shivery and damp and gray outside…Flowers By Naked arrives! The projection-mapping environment group Naked is staging its annual flower-themed extravaganza again for the whole month of February, so hop on over there and get a dose of spring fever. This year’s theme is “Sakura”ContinueContinue reading “Spring Arrives Early: Flowers by Naked 2020”
Killer Chrysanthemums 2019
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 more glamorous blooms! Here’s what’s new for 2019: • YUSHIMA TENJIN SHRINE It’s hard to argue that this isn’t the must-see chrysanthemum diorama every year.ContinueContinue reading “Killer Chrysanthemums 2019”
The Enchanted Hydrangea Forest
The spring rainy season isn’t the most delightful time to be in Japan…unless you’re hiking through a shady forest, surrounded by heaps and heaps of blue hydrangeas! Minamisawa Ajisai Mountain’s groomed trails wind up the side of a mountain, through a silent and stately cedar forest that’s robed in countless poufs of cooling blue andContinueContinue reading “The Enchanted Hydrangea Forest”
Gateway To Chrysanthemum Bliss?
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 made it to the annual Shinjuku National Garden chrysanthemum displays, because I’d have died laughing, so it’s a good thing I entered from the otherContinueContinue reading “Gateway To Chrysanthemum Bliss?”
In The Japanese Dahlia Garden
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 see the dahlias too! Bring your thesaurus, though, so you don’t wear out the word WOW. Open: Every day from September 30 – October 29ContinueContinue reading “In The Japanese Dahlia Garden”
Butterfly Season In Tokyo
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 vastly overgrown and (honestly!) kind of ratty. I was about to stalk away muttering, “Disappointment, thy name is Hama-Rikyu” when the corner of my eyeContinueContinue reading “Butterfly Season In Tokyo”
Flower Dream 2017
At Flower Dream Expo, floral artists duke it out to the death, vying to see who can go furthest beyond your basic dozen roses 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 beenContinueContinue reading “Flower Dream 2017”
Secret Flower Seasons of Japan
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 parks & gardens have figured out that the best way to attract crowds of wallet-carrying camera-toters in the off-season is to plant lots and lotsContinueContinue reading “Secret Flower Seasons of Japan”
Endless Fields Of Blue
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 little bit. Those pictures of hills swathed in an unbroken carpet of blue flowers at Hitachi Seaside Park? 100% REAL. Then there was this rōnin… And it’sContinueContinue reading “Endless Fields Of Blue”
Where To See The Most Amazing Azaleas In Tokyo
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 beg you to take the kind of snaps that make everyone scream “I want to go to there!” Here are my favorite places to take azaleaContinueContinue reading “Where To See The Most Amazing Azaleas In Tokyo”
Where To See The Most Beautiful Wisteria In Tokyo
You haven’t seen wisteria until you’ve ogled the giant purple vines of Tokyo. Not only is each plant astoundingly huge and lush with garlands of blooms, the streamers of flowers can be nearly a meter long! Here are my favorite places to see them in Tokyo: • NISHIARAI DAISHI TEMPLE This year is the firstContinueContinue reading “Where To See The Most Beautiful Wisteria In Tokyo”
If I Were A Thousand Years Old, I Would Not Be Putting Out Like This
This tree is so famous, it has a name: Miharu The Waterfall Cherry I mean, look at it. This tree is a THOUSAND years old. It has cranked out cascades of blossoms like this every spring, a thousand times. And if yesterday was any indication, the grand old lady is showing no signs of shirking anytime soon. Even when it freakin’ snowsContinueContinue reading “If I Were A Thousand Years Old, I Would Not Be Putting Out Like This”
What’s Blooming In Japan Right Now?
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 from the only time that this place delivers yowzah-level flower extravaganzas. So I made a thing. Here’s what’s blooming when, and the best places to take photosContinueContinue reading “What’s Blooming In Japan Right Now?”
Lost In A Forest Of Blooming Plum Trees
This is just the entry forest Yesterday I got to stumble around doing a 360˚ gawk in a forest of plum trees wearing all their favorite clothes at once. Everywhere you look, tunnels and tunnels of plum goodness Kairakuen Garden in Mito was planted by a genius of a daimyo who totally got that too much of a good thing is never enough. 2,490 fluffy-branched trees later, IContinueContinue reading “Lost In A Forest Of Blooming Plum Trees”
Plum Blossom Countdown
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 best places to see them, in order of when they bloom: Note: These photos were all taken from 2014-2016, so depending on how warm or coldContinueContinue reading “Plum Blossom Countdown”
Where To See Huge Fields Of Cosmos In Tokyo
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 two different gardens, blossoming in snapworthy profusion for about four weeks. • SHOWA KINEN PARK – Tachikawa The first ones to bloom (mid-September to mid-October) in theContinueContinue reading “Where To See Huge Fields Of Cosmos In Tokyo”
The Magical Red Forest
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 Tokyo at the end of September and would like to see the higanbana in bloom, get thee on the train to Koma Station (it takes aboutContinueContinue reading “The Magical Red Forest”
Hydrangeas: Gateway To A Life Of Crime
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, it always ends up with hydrangeas. Yes, hydrangeas. To be more specific, hydrangea smuggling. Because before I went to Japan, I never dreamed that the humble fluffballs flanking granny’sContinueContinue reading “Hydrangeas: Gateway To A Life Of Crime”
Where To See The Most Gorgeous Peonies In Tokyo
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 This garden never disappoints. As you can see, it’s not small! Each bush is pretty much more beautiful than the last. I recommend recording yourselfContinueContinue reading “Where To See The Most Gorgeous Peonies In Tokyo”
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’… MINAMIYAMA HYDRANGEA MOUNTAIN in Musashi-itsukaichi As you can see, these are wild hydrangeas at their finest! The trail winds up a gully lined withContinueContinue reading “Great Balls O’ Flowery Fluff: Tokyo’s Best Hydrangea Gardens”
Where To See The Best Iris Gardens In Tokyo
Fields of riotously blooming Japanese iris? Yes, please! The iris gardens in central Tokyo are small, but choice; the ones in the outskirts are vast and exuberant and well worth a pilgrimage! Here are the best places in and around Tokyo to see the Japanese iris extravaganzas of your dreams: HORIKIRI IRIS GARDEN in Horikiri-shobuen TheContinueContinue reading “Where To See The Best Iris Gardens In Tokyo”
Vast Carpets Of Lawn Cherries!
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 variety of phlox, so I’m guessing the “sakura” part of the name is a feeble-ish attempt to ride the coattails of Japan’s more famous flower season, but they DO deliverContinueContinue reading “Vast Carpets Of Lawn Cherries!”
Flower Dream Strikes Again
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 some of the wild and weird stuff I saw last weekend at Flower Dream 2015, the floral design show that’s more likely to feature bark andContinueContinue reading “Flower Dream Strikes Again”
The Best Places To See Late-Blooming Cherry Trees In Tokyo
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 full glory after the regular sakura fade to black. The late-bloomers don’t deliver the big pink cloud thing in quite the same way, but I secretly think they’re much more beautifulContinueContinue reading “The Best Places To See Late-Blooming Cherry Trees In Tokyo”
Where To See The Best Plum Blossoms In Tokyo
Suddenly, on the busy shopping street of Kappabashi-dori: these! 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 the snow. I mean, they famously bloom in the snow (thousands of haiku can’t be wrong.) HereContinueContinue reading “Where To See The Best Plum Blossoms In Tokyo”
Where To See The Best Chrysanthemums In Tokyo
These eye-popping exhibitions will change your opinion of those humble fall flowers forever! Here’s where to see the best chrysanthemums in Tokyo: • JINDAI BOTANICAL GARDEN 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 manyContinueContinue reading “Where To See The Best Chrysanthemums In Tokyo”
Up To My Knees In A Vermilion Sea
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 that cherry blossoms, wisteria and azaleas all vie to attract record crowds as they burst into bloom, but who knew that lesser-known denizens have their ownContinueContinue reading “Up To My Knees In A Vermilion Sea”
Gorgeous Japanese Hydrangeas
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 Japan have whole hillsides covered with so many varieties of hydrangea, you can’t count them. Here are a few: •
Peonies As Big As Dinner Plates!
If you could smell these right now, you’d be in heaven. Nishiarai Daishi Temple, Tokyo 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 the Hama-Rikyu Garden, then the lovely fragrant ones at NishiaraiContinueContinue reading “Peonies As Big As Dinner Plates!”
Yes, This Is One Wisteria Plant!
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 by car (or two and a half hours hopping on and off four different trains), I didn’t believe any flowers could be worth the trip. But as youContinueContinue reading “Yes, This Is One Wisteria Plant!”
The Godzilla Of Cherry Trees
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 night at Rikugi-en garden in Tokyo, where they light up the all-powerful sakura until 9:00 every night during The Season. But this one isn’t the only monsterContinueContinue reading “The Godzilla Of Cherry Trees”
Slaves Of Chrysanthemums
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 last weekend… Yes, this is ONE plant! This style always makes me think of the Yoyogi Park rockabillies’ hair! All the specimens have to bloomContinueContinue reading “Slaves Of Chrysanthemums”
So How Come Azaleas Are Chopped Liver?
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 forecasts were read as anxiously as tea leaves in order to plan trips to cherry infested locations at the exact moment of full bloom, andContinueContinue reading “So How Come Azaleas Are Chopped Liver?”
Only In Japan 