The cherry blossoms are gone, but there are still plenty of flowers to see this spring. Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki boasts an enormous flower field planted with tulips, hydrangeas, cosmos and more. Despite being a replica of a Dutch village, the park is more famous for its roses than its tulips. From May 8 to 30, you can see the entire park decked out in around 1 million roses, making it one of the most extensive rose festivals in all of Asia.
The Rose Festival features five main areas where you can admire the gorgeous spring blossoms, starting with the Flower Square at the centre of the park, where musical performances and parades take place. Head further into the park where you’ll see a trail of roses more than 1km long running along the beautiful canal. If you have time, we recommend hopping on the canal cruise to get the best view.
The Rose Palace looks like a scene from a fairytale. Its entrances are marked with rose gates and the palace also features a fragrance garden where you can compare the scent of different types of roses. Don’t miss the white rose garden, which has a beautiful tunnel of white roses.
The Grand Rose Garden is the biggest area of the lot, housing all 2,000 species of roses together. It’s especially gorgeous in the evening when the entire garden is lit up.
Even if you’re here just for the day, it’s worth paying a visit to the park’s ritzy hotel, as its lobby will be decked in bright red roses and flower bouquets.
There will also be plenty of rose-themed foods to feast on including a rose afternoon tea, rose flavoured cheesecake and rose castella, plus an exclusive shop selling accessories and souvenirs sporting a rose motif.
Not to worry if you can’t make it to Huis Ten Bosch during spring though – you’ll have another chance to celebrate the warmer weather at the park’s hydrangea festival this coming summer.
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