Best destinations in Japan for azaleas

Best destinations in Japan for azaleas

Japan is home to various beautiful flowers, and azalea is one of them. There are over 40 varieties of azaleas in Japan, which come in a variety of hues pink, white, red, and more.

Particularly in bloom from April through May, cultivating azaleas has become a tradition in Japan since the Edo period, and when azaleas are in season, there are a lot of spots to view azaleas in Japan.

Here are some of the best azalea viewing spots in Japan!

Index: Best destinations in Japan for azaleas

1. Komuroyama Park, Shizuoka
2. Mifuneyama Rakuen, Saga
3. Tokusenjo, Miyagi
4. Nezu Shrine, Tokyo
5. Yamato Katsuragi

1. Komuroyama Park, Shizuoka

Komuroyama Park is a park in Ito City, Shizuoka, and the park hosts one of the biggest azalea festivals in Japan annually. The park is best known for having more than 100,000 azalea bushes, and many people visit this park to enjoy both the azaleas and the panoramic view of Sagami Bay. The large azalea bushes in the park form a breathtaking azalea tunnel, and the azaleas look the best when they’re lit up at night, making it perfect for a romantic night stroll.

You can visit this park for free, and the easiest way to visit this park is by walking for 20 minutes from Izukyu Kawana Station.

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2. Mifuneyama Rakuen, Saga

Mifuneyama Rakuen is a park in Saga Prefecture that is best known for its colorful azaleas and Mt. Mifune as a backdrop. The park sits at the foot of Mt. Mifuneyama, featuring more than 50,000 azalea bushes, cherry blossom trees, and wisteria blossoms.

Inside the park, there are hot springs and tea houses, and the garden looks more beautiful when it’s lit at night. The park is a 25-minute walk from Takeo-Onsen Station.

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3. Tokusenjo, Miyagi

Mt. Tokusenjo is in the South of Kesennuma City, Miyagi, and this 711-meter tall mountain is best known for its charming azaleas. Although it takes 2.5 hours round trip to hike this mountain, you won’t regret doing so if you can see one of the most popular,  yet the best, azaleas viewing spots in Japan.

There are over 500,000 azalea bushes that turn the mountainside into a sea of pink and red every spring, featuring two different varieties – the Japanese azaleas and mountain azaleas.

If you visit the mountain during the azalea season, you can reach the mountain by taking a bus that operates limited only for that season from Kesennuma Station.

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4. Nezu Shrine, Tokyo

Nezu Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Bunkyo, Tokyo, this 1900-year-old shrine was opened in 1705, making it one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. The current structure was reconstructed after World War II, and the shrine is best known for its bright torii gates pathway and of course, its beautiful azaleas.

Every year, an azalea festival called Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri (Bunkyo Azalea Festival) is held at the shrine from early April to early May, and during this festival, you can take a walk through the azalea garden while enjoying the surrounding atmosphere.

The azalea garden at Nezu Shrine features several varieties that burst into bloom in spring, and many locals come to the shrine dressed in kimonos to take beautiful pictures with the azaleas. There are stalls set up offering food, toys, and games during the festival as well.

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5. Yamato Katsuragi

Mt. Katsuragi is a mountain in Nara, and every spring, thousands of azaleas decorate its hillsides with their red and pink petals, creating a stunning contrast to the green landscape and the blue sky.

It takes around 90 minutes to hike through the area, and if you don’t like hiking, you can go to the top of the mountain with a ropeway, which opens at 9:0. You can also book a mountaintop lodge if you want to stay overnight, and make sure to arrive early at the mountain to dodge the rush.

Take the Kintetsu-Limited Express from Tokyo to Kintetsu Gose Station, and from there, take a bus to Katsuragi-Tozanguchi Station and then take the ropeway to Katsuragi-Sanjo Station to reach the mountain.

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