If you’re lucky, you can see Mount Fuji past the sunflowers just over Sagami Bay. ()
Bright yellow sunflower fields are a source of happiness during the hot Japanese summer! Here we will introduce five spots in the Kanto region to see this beautiful and iconic summer flower.
The best time to visit sunflower fields near Tokyo is from late July to August. The spectacular sight of a field of yellow sunflowers against a bright blue sky will leave you exhilarated! You can find them in Tokyo's residential areas and in farms and parks located in Tokyo’s suburbs. Why not enjoy summer by visiting some sunflower fields?
*Flower bloom times differ every year. *Depending on the situation, the date of the event and its contents are subject to change. Upon making your way to each venue, please make sure to avoid crowds and take careful countermeasures against Covid-19.
1. Himawari Garden Musashimurayama: Tokyo's Largest Sunflower Field Will Leave You Smitten!
Himawari Garden Musashimurayama, located in a residential area of Tokyo, is the largest sunflower field in the city. Here around 100,000 flowers bloom. From July to August, it’s become a tradition for Musashimurayama City to welcome the many people who visit this popular spot.
Once at the sunflower field, you can enjoy watching large sunflowers compete for space as they bloom. What’s more, the fact that it’s only an hour away from Shinjuku Station by train makes it all the more attractive.
You can find approximately ten varieties of sunflowers throughout the park, including the hybrid sunflower and big smile sunflower. Also, the Claret sunflower with its burgundy, black, and wine-red coloring as well as Monet’s pallet with its diverse mix of red and yellows are definite eye-catchers.
Offering views that will soothe your soul, this field has somewhat of a nostalgic atmosphere to it. Even with continuous days of hot weather in Tokyo, visiting this field will leave you feeling refreshed. There are also sections of the park that will tug at your heartstrings. It’s said to be a good omen if you find these spots as a couple!
Best time to view: mid-July
Scale/Number of flowers: Approximately ten varieties and 100,000 flowers
Himawari Garden Musashimurayama Period: From July 23rd 9:00a.m. (scheduled) *The dates and times are subject to change depending on when the sunflowers bloom. Admission: Free *Parking costs 300 yen per vehicle. Closed: Still to be confirmed *The event may be canceled or content may change depending on the situation. For updates, please visit the official website.
Health & Safety Measures Sanitizer installed - Guests are required to wear masks
Himawari Garden Musashimurayama’s Offical Website
Himawari Garden Musashimurayama ひまわりガーデン武蔵村山 Address: 1460, Midorigaoka, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo 208-0012 Nearest Station: A ten-minute walk from Kamikitadai Station on the Tama Monorail TEL: 042-565-1111 (Tourism Promotion Sector of the Collaboration Promotion Department)
2. Zama Sunflower Festival: A Garden Where 550,000 Beautiful and Picturesque Sunflowers Bloom
The official flower of Zama City in Kanagawa Prefecture is the sunflower. Every year in mid-August, the city holds the Zama Sunflower Festival. It takes an hour and a half by train or bus from Shinjuku Station to get to this event.
The festival is split into two areas: the Zama sunflower field and the Yotsuya sunflower field. In total, this amounts to over 5.5 hectares of land filled with approximately 550,000 sunflowers.
People from all over visit this venue to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Also, you can take an even closer look by walking on the path that leads you through the waist-high sea of sunflowers!
Every year, observation decks are placed around different parts of the facility. This allows you to take in a sweeping view of the entire sunflower field. Also, a sunflower picture-taking contest is held around the same time, providing you with the opportunity to get gorgeous shots of these flowers.
During the duration of the festival, you can enjoy purchasing fresh-cut flowers, farm products, and other specialties. In addition, there are many other fun events, such as catching sweetfish with your bare hands.
Best time to view: mid-August
Scale/Number of flowers: Around 550,000 sunflowers *Around 440,000 at the Zama sunflower field and around 110,000 at the Yotsuya sunflower field.
Zama Sunflower Festival Period: August 11th - 14th Open: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Venue: Zama area in Zama City and the Yotsuya area Admission: Free Closed: Open throughout the event period *The event may be canceled, or content may change depending on the situation. For updates, please visit the official website.
Zama Sunflower Festival (Zama Area) 座間ひまわり畑 (座間エリア) Address: Shindenjuku, Zama-shi, Kanagawa 252-0026 Nearest Station: Take a temporary direct bus (fare required) to the Zama Sunflower Festival from Soubudai-Mae Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line. TEL: 046-205-6515 (Zama City Tourist Information Association)
Zama Sunflower Festival (Yotsuya Area) 座間ひまわり畑 (四ツ谷エリア) Address: Yotsuya, Zama-shi, Kanagawa 252-0025 Nearest Station: Get off at either Sobudai-Mae Station or Zama Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line. Take a bus going to Yotsuya for five to ten minutes, and get off at Zama Jinja Mae Bus Stop. The festival is a ten-minute walk from this stop. TEL: 046-205-6515 (Zama City Tourist Information Association)
3. Akeno Sunflower Festival: A Glorious Sea of One Million Sunflowers
The Akeno Sunflower Festival is held annually from late August until early September in the Akeno district of Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Double-petaled sunflowers known as the Tohoku yae sunflower cover a field of around four hectares. Here you can enjoy the view of over a million beautiful yellow flowers.
The dark yellow field of sunflowers, the greens and purples of Mount Tsukuba, and the clear sky of early autumn make it the perfect scenic spot! Besides the Tohoku yae sunflower, there’s a mini sunflower garden where you enjoy a few different varieties of mini sunflowers.
What’s more, during the festival, you can cut and wrap Tohoku yae sunflowers to take home (300 yen for five sunflowers, a wrapping fee of 100 yen). It’s also lively with other fun activities, including live music, food stalls, an event called sunflower candle night, and a sunflower market.
Best time to view: late-August to early-September
Scale/Number of flowers: Tohoku yae sunflowers and mini sunflowers, a total of around one million
Akeno Sunflower Festival: *The event for 2022 is still to be determined. Period: Late August to Early September Venue: Akeno Fureai no Sato（Close to Miyamama Furusato Fureai Park） Admission: Free Closed: Open throughout the event period *The event may be canceled or content may change depending on the situation. For updates, please visit the official website.
Akeno Sunflower Field 明野ひまわりの里 Address: 504, Miyayama, Chikusei-shi, Ibaraki 〒300-4504 Nearest Station Access: ・Train Route 1: Take the train to Shimodate Station on the JR Mito Line. From there, take the Chikuseishi Koiki Renkei Bus bound for Tsukuba-san-guchi for 30 minutes. Get off at Akeno Shisho Mae Bus Stop and walk for 20 minutes. ・Train Route 2: Take a twenty-minute taxi ride from Kurogo Station on the Kanto Railway Joso Line. ・By car: Take the Joban Expressway on the Tsuchiura-Kita Interchange for 40 minutes, and the Yawara Interchange for 50 minutes. You can also take the Kita-Kanto Expressway on the Sakuragawa-Chikusei Interchange, or the Ken-O Expressway on the Joso Interchange for 30 minutes.
4. Yokosuka Soleil Hill: An Exhilarating and Glorious Collaboration Between Sunflowers, the Sky, and the Sea!
Yokosuka Soleil Hill is located in Kanagawa Prefecture’s Yokosuka City. From Tokyo, it takes about two hours by train and bus. From French, Soleil translates into the word sun, a perfect name for a park filled with sunflowers!
You can find a 5,000-meter-long garden at the entrance of the park. What’s more, at the 1,000-meter-long sunflower garden, you can find some 100,000 of them in full bloom. On a sunny day, the blueness of the sky and sea act as a beautiful contrast against the bright yellow sunflowers, making for a photogenic and scenic spot.
You can also find a sunflower-inspired menu at the facility’s restaurants and fast-food shops. You can also purchase sunflowers sold at workshops, take part in a stamp rally, and enjoy the photo spot set up in the field for a limited time only.
Yokosuka Soleil Hill is an interactive park where you can enjoy the surrounding nature and animals. It has a petting zoo (admission: 320 yen per person for anyone over four) and other paid attractions. This includes a water playground for children as well as a summer vegetable harvesting event held on weekends and holidays (separate fee).
With all of these activities, there’s no doubt that you’ll have a fun-packed day!
Best time to view: late-July to mid-August
Scale/Number of flowers: Approximately 100,000
Health & Safety Measures Sanitizer installed - Ventilation measures in place - Staff wear masks, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature - Entry declined to anyone who is feeling unwell - Guests are required to wear masks
Yokosuka Soleil Hill’s Official Website
Yokosuka Soleil Hill 長井海の手公園 ソレイユの丘 Address: 4 Chome, Nagai, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa 〒238-0316 Nearest Station ・Access: From Misakiguchi Station on the Keikyu Railway, take the bus bound for Soleil-No-Oka and get off at the final stop (takes approximately 15 minutes.). ・By car: Approximately ten minutes from the Hayashi Exit on Miura Jukan Road Phone Number: 046-857-2500 ・Period: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (March to November), 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (December to February) ・TEL: 046-857-2500 ・Closed: Open daily ・Admission: Free *Paid attractions can be found in the park
5. Narita Dream Dairy Farm: Snap the Perfect Shot With Fields of Two Varieties of Sunflowers
Just two hours away from Tokyo Station, the Narita Dream Dairy Farm holds a 'Sunflower Festival' each year. The theme for 2022 is 'Town'!
The festival is split into two sections, a 'Tall Sunflower Garden' with high-reaching hybrid sunflowers that have a strong impact, and a 'Short Sunflower Garden,' with smaller, cute sunfinity sunflowers. Any photos taken here are sure to be a hit on social media!
If you want to take a nice photo of your children or pets, we recommend stopping by the mini sunflower garden where sunfinity sunflowers bloom.
Additionally, there are many activities that you can enjoy as a family! This includes a photo contest, as well as a 'Sunflower Post Service' run by a goat!
Also, you can find limited-time sunflower dishes such as sunflower pizza and sunflower curry at the restaurant. For those who enter the sunflower maze, you get a discount coupon for the farm’s soft-serve carefully made with fresh milk.
What’s more, you can interact with the farm animals such as goats, sheep, and ponies through a range of activities. This includes cow milking (free) and a butter-making workshop (650 yen).
There are also fun events unique to the farm, such as archery (600 yen) and fishing at a fishing pond (800 yen). Even if you decide to stay at the farm all day, you’ll be spoiled with all the options it has to offer. Your trip to Narita Dream Dairy Farm is sure to be an unforgettable summer memory!
At Narita Dream Farm, there is an English-language map (guidebook), and some of the signs and precautions are written in English. The official website is also available in English and Chinese.
Usual Best Time: late-July to late-August
Scale/Number of flowers: Hybrid sunflowers and sunfinity sunflowers: a total of over 900,000
Sunflower Festival: The Sunflower Smile Project Period: late-July to late-August Venue: Tall Sunflower Garden, Short Sunflower Garden, Narita Dream Farm’s second garden, etc. Admission: Middle school students and up (1,450 yen), age three and up (700 yen) *Tall Sunflower Garden admission 350 yen.
Health & Safety Measures Sanitizer installed - Guests are required to wear masks-temperature checks enforced
Narita Dream Farm’s Official Website
Narita Dream Farm 成田ゆめ牧場 Address: 730-3, Nagi, Narita-shi, Chiba 〒289-0111 Nearest Station ・Access: A ten-minute free shuttle bus ride from Namegawa Station on JR’s Narita Line. ・By car: Take the Ken-O Expressway on the Shimofusa Interchange for two minutes. Phone Number: 0476-96-1001 ・Hours: Weekdays (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Weekends and Holidays (9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) *last admissions are an hour before closing. ・Closed: Open daily
Prepare to be moved by the beautiful scenic sight of these golden sunflowers! A field of sunflowers against the background of a blue sky is something you have to experience at least once.
It’s best to come to see them within a week after they bloom, so before making your way to the venues, please check online for when the peak period is.
*All the prices shown in the article include tax. *The best time to see the sunflowers may change depending on the weather conditions. *Due to the spread of COVID-19, there may be some changes regarding business hours, holidays, service methods, when the event is held, and the event’s contents.
Via Live Japan
