A garden park where flowers of all seasons bloom in abundance and lush greeneryHamamatsu Flower Park"fart!
This park opened on September 10, 1970, and is a massive flower park with a total area of 300,000 square meters (approximately 6.4 times the size of Tokyo Dome) and features over 3,000 species of plants!
the current"Hamamatsu Flower ParkFrom March 21st (Thursday) to June 30th (Sunday), from spring to summer, the "Hamanako Flower Festa 2019" is being held, featuring a variety of events including special exhibitions!
Although the rainy season had begun, this day, which saw a beautiful break in the rain, was perfect for photography with a clear blue sky dotted with countless clouds and a pleasant breeze!
In mid-June, the best flowers to see include the irises in the "Iris Garden," the lilies in the forest, and the hydrangeas lining the "Hydrangea Avenue"!
This will be my first visit in about 20 years, but recently I've been practicing photography with my husband's old camera, a Canon 1D Mark III, under his guidance. The natural scenery and the beautiful contrasts of the vibrant flowers will be the perfect place to practice!
I immediately went to the ticket office and bought my admission ticket!
Admission to the flower park is 800 yen for adults, but a combined ticket with the neighboring Hamamatsu City Zoo is available for only 950 yen (an additional 150 yen), making it an incredibly good deal and highly recommended! The flower park and the zoo are connected by a common gate, so you can freely enter and exit both parks with your QR code ticket!
While looking at the park map, ask the guide staff for the most efficient walking route to get through both parks!
Going counter-clockwise means going downhill, which seems to reduce the strain on your body!
Once you pass through the main gate, a vast and open "Welcome Garden" unfolds before you!
Further on, there's the Flower Train boarding area, which takes you on a 15-minute loop around the park. A blue train, perfectly matching my outfit for the day, greeted me, so I snapped a photo to commemorate the occasion!
We recommend this service for people with mobility issues or those with small children!
(*Fare: 1 ride: 100 yen for adults / 50 yen for children)
In the garden surrounding the enormous "fountain pond" that spreads out below, you can see the "Great Triangular Flowerbed" designed by Maki Harada, who has a learning disability (LD) but possesses an excellent sense of color and sensibility!
The triangular flowerbeds, in a variety of colors, contain approximately 5,000 seedlings, creating a vibrant display of red, pink, yellow, orange, and more!
The "Rose Garden," which is at its best from mid-May to early June, boasts approximately 1,000 rose bushes of 170 varieties spread across about 3,000 square meters!
At this point, we were able to enjoy a few varieties of roses, but it must be absolutely beautiful when they are in full bloom!
If you visit during the season, the rose tunnel is also a must-see!
Continue to the left from the "Rose Garden" and go down the stairs!
You'll arrive at a "cherry blossom avenue," a "tulip field," and a "mini garden" where you can enjoy cherry blossoms and tulips in full bloom in the spring!
In the "Mini Garden," which is at its best in mid-June, you can see a vibrant display of colors as the hydrangeas blooming along the alleyways come into full bloom!
Further on, there's a photo panel set up as an Instagrammable spot, where you can enjoy taking pictures using the Dutch-style windmill and the cute duck-shaped window!
Introducing the "Flower Train," a flower-themed train with a red and green color scheme that perfectly complements the scenery! Its leisurely and graceful journey through the cherry blossom-lined streets makes for a truly picturesque scene!
Ancient lotus and Oga lotus flowers spread across the "Waterfowl Pond," and a cool arched bridge spans the pond, where you can see adorable carp opening and closing their mouths, waiting for food!
The "Hydrangea Avenue," which is currently in full bloom, features a 600-meter-long avenue lined with approximately 3,000 hydrangea plants!
The hydrangeas, having absorbed raindrops the previous night, are a deep, vibrant color, and their swaying in the breeze is truly endearing!
Upon arriving at the "Iris Garden," which is at its best from early to mid-June, you'll find yourself surrounded by lush green trees, creating a landscape that resembles paradise!
The area spans 5,000 square meters and boasts approximately 700 varieties of irises in full bloom!
Irises are short-lived flowers, with each bloom lasting only about three days. That's why, during this season, the staff removes the withered flowers every morning to maintain their beauty!
The official website showed the flowers in full bloom as early as the beginning of June, so the early-blooming varieties have already finished blooming, and there will only be a short time left to enjoy the regular-blooming varieties!
Turning back from the "Iris Garden," we head to the "Smile Garden," passing the "White Wisteria Trellis" (best seen from late April to early May) visible beyond the pond!
This is a 150-meter English-style border garden produced by Keiko Yoshitani, one of Japan's leading garden designers, where you can enjoy the flowers that spread out on both sides of the path!
Among them, my favorite is the pale purple "Eryngium planum," which has countless needle-like intricate details and a unique, almost sculptural appearance, giving it a cool and refreshing look!
Once we get off at the "lawn area," we'll take a break as there's a rest area with shops and stalls!
We took our time strolling around and enjoying taking photos, and it's been about 3 hours of walking so far!
Perhaps because I'm spending my time in nature and feeling calm, I don't feel tired at all!
Since Nakayasu Farm from Hamakita had a stall there, I bought a gelato for 400 yen!
Since the price doesn't change even if you choose two flavors, I ordered a double: salted milk and matcha!
The salted milk has a rich, deep flavor thanks to the addition of salt to the creamy milk, and the matcha buried at the bottom of the cone allows you to enjoy the aroma of matcha while savoring the milky taste!
I enjoyed it very much, even though I was taken aback by how quickly it melted under the summer sun!
When you arrive at "Observation Hill," you'll see "mosaic culture," a three-dimensional sculpture of plants!
At the "Mosaic Culture Memorial Garden," you'll find Mozai-kun, the character from the Mosaic Culture World Expo, as well as "Harmony of Smiles," fitting for Hamamatsu, the city of musical instruments, "Geneva, the City of Clocks," the Nazca Lines, and "Let's Take Flight Towards the Future" in a hot air balloon. This is also a highly recommended spot for Instagram-worthy photos!
The wooden deck stage in front of the large greenhouse is always lively on weekends, with events held regularly!
On this day, the Japanese taiko drumming group "The☆Ryushin" performed, and the attendees who participated seemed to enjoy the experience!
It was 3:30 PM, and I took a breather on a bench while enjoying the cool breeze from the grand fountain show held every hour at midnight and every 30 minutes at the "Fountain Pond"!
This spot offers a magnificent panoramic view and boasts the best scenery!
Enjoy watching the fountains, which reach heights of up to 15 meters, erupt in time with the music!
Summer has arrived at the Crystal Palace Greenhouse, which stands 14.6 meters high and is filled with abundant natural light. The entrance patio, which was renovated and reopened in March 2019, is now teeming with vibrant flowers!
When you hear "greenhouse in summer," you might imagine scorching heat, but this one is equipped with air conditioning, so you can enjoy a comfortable stroll!
The most popular attraction in the patio was the "Queen of the Night," famous for its beautiful flowers that bloom at night, but which has been artificially conditioned to bloom during the day!
The night-blooming cereus is a flower that blooms for only one night, wilting by evening after opening in the morning—truly a flower of "beauty is fleeting"!
Since this is a special exhibition that only takes place when the flowers are in full bloom, I think we were very lucky to be able to see the delicate yet gorgeous "Queen of the Night"!
The garden theater inside the greenhouse features a different theme each season, and this season's theme is "Seeking tranquility...a feeling of travel," with an arrangement inspired by the tropics!
Inside "Bali Garden," you'll be surrounded by tropical plants such as trees and flowers that evoke the tropical atmosphere of Bali, giving you a real sense of the heat of the tropics!
Inside the "Mexican Garden," you'll find a collection of rare succulent plants, including the "Golden Barrel Cactus," considered the king of cacti, and gigantic agaves, creating an exotic atmosphere!
I took a stroll around the park and returned to the main entrance, and finally enjoyed the "Special Exhibition," the "Exhibition of Large Bonsai Trees"!
During the exhibition period, you can see a massive bonsai worth 200 million yen that was displayed at the 2016 Ise-Shima Summit, as well as other gigantic bonsai trees that are over 150 years old and have been cultivated to a height of 3 to 5 meters!
You can be overwhelmed by the sheer power and grandeur of gigantic bonsai trees unlike anything you've ever seen, while simultaneously appreciating the delicate beauty of Japan against the backdrop of the blue sky!
This exhibition of Japanese beauty was bustling with activity, and it seemed to attract many visitors and fans from overseas!
With its clear blue skies, refreshing air, seasonal flowers, and lush natural scenery, Hamamatsu Flower Park is more than enjoyable enough just for a stroll. But next, I'll introduce Hamamatsu City Zoo, which I visited using a discounted set ticket!
Hamamatsu Flower Park
Address: 195 Kanzanji-cho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
TEL: 053-487-0511
Admission fees (May 23rd - June 30th): Adults 800 yen, Elementary and junior high school students 400 yen, Zoo set ticket: Adults 950 yen
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (March-September)
Closed days: None
Parking: 600 passenger cars (fee: 200 yen)
http://www.e-flowerpark.com/
