Cherry blossoms aren’t the only thing blooming in Tokyo this spring. Tulips are one of the many beautiful flowers popping up in and around the city between March and April. The colourful little bulbs come in hundreds of varieties and the gardens around Tokyo sure know how to show them off.
The flowers are often associated with the Netherlands, and that’s true in Japan, too. So if you’re picturing rolling fields of tulips set against a backdrop of spinning windmills, you’re in for a treat. Many of these photogenic parks aim to replicate that scene, right down to the old Dutch windmill. Read on for the best spots to see these stunning spring flowers.
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Tulips blooming throughout April
Showa Kinen Park in Tachikawa is famous for its beautiful flowers growing year-round. Head out for a visit during spring and enjoy the stunning tulip garden filled with approximately 250,000 tulips of 267 varieties. The garden is manicured and set amongst lush nature with some flower beds nestled along flowing streams and towering cherry blossom trees. The colourful tulips just add to that picture-perfect landscape.
Sakura Tulip Festa March 27 to April 21
Sakura Furusato Square in Chiba is home to Kanto's largest tulip festival, featuring approximately 550,000 blooms of 80 different varieties. The flowers are planted over the sprawling area, which also includes a lovely Dutch-style windmill – perfect for a photo. During the festival, there are numerous food trucks, stalls and live organ performances on weekends. You can also pick tulips to take home for just ¥600.
Mid- to late April
The tulip garden at Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki prefecture is nestled among the pine woodlands of the expansive park known as Tamago no Mori. The grounds feature both early and late blooming varieties, which are grown together to produce beautiful flower beds that change over the season. To give you an idea of how large the garden is, there are a whopping 260,000 tulips planted here in 230 different varieties.
Akebonoyama Tulip Festival April 13 to 14
This gorgeous park in Chiba prefecture is worth the trek out of Tokyo just to see 160,000 colourful tulips planted around a charming wooden windmill. The flowers are arranged in unique designs every year, and there are also numerous other flowers you can enjoy on your visit. This year, Akebonoyama’s annual Tulip Festival will feature a market where you can buy fresh veggies as well as a concert by a band of firefighters. The nearest station to the park is Abiko, which is about 40 minutes from Tokyo Station on the JR Joban line. From Abiko Station, take the bus bound for Akebonoyama Park Entrance (around 15 minutes).
Early to mid-April
Come spring, numerous parks and gardens around Yokohama are bursting with colourful flowers – especially tulips. To see these blooming bulbs, you can stop by Yokohama Park, Nihon Odori, Shinko Central Square and Yamashita Park. You'll find 120,000 red, pink, orange and yellow tulips at Yokohama Park alone. These areas are all completely free to visit during the Yokohama Garden Necklace event.
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