While cherry blossoms steal all the limelight during spring in Japan, they are not the only beautiful flowers that deserve attention. To be honest, I didn’t like tulips as a kid. There was only one variety sold in Georgia – red and black – back in the day (in 90s Georgia was in a pretty dark place economically) and it reminded me of poppies. It was not until later that I read about and saw photos of Keukenhof Gardens in Netherlands that I got mesmerized at the sheer variety of one flower and was quite smitten by the color palette. I have always wanted to visit, but haven’t made it yet. And while I get constantly get teased via gorgeous photos on Instagram I decided to visit a local tulip garden. A few weeks ago my friends and I got some snacks and threw a little spread (mind the matching pink picnic blanket that Celia brought) on the lawn under the cherry tree in Showa Kinen Park. I was told by a local friend that it used to be a U.S. military base, before it was returned back to Japanese and consequently turned into a vast public space. There is a large pond with colorful boats, cycling path and bicycles available for rent, concert stage and I even spotted a swimming pool. Most importantly, it is an expansive land with myriads of flowers and plants blooming throughout the year. We arrived at a perfect time for tulips though. The bulbs were planted and color coordinated beautifully. It looked like a carpet of candy colored blooms covered the grounds and created mesmerizing views. Anyway, I won’t bore you with my fruitless words any more and let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!
Linking up with Weekend Travel Inspiration, FarawayFiles #28, Monday Escapes and Wanderful Wednesday.
xoxo, nano
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where can we find the tulip area? I believe Showa park is too big?
You are correct, it is indeed huge! I would recommend getting off at Nishi-Tachikawa Station and navigating to the closest gate. You will see tulips not far from there, past the lake I believe.
The place looks awesome…..nice photos……..I was planning to visit Showa park from Yokohama this weekend means 21st April……..Will the bloom still be fresh …..Whats your opinion ….can we get any live information about the Showa park blooming status ?
Thanks…
Hi! Blooms are already all gone I’m afraid. You might have a chance ti catch some tulips though :)
Happy you got your tulips on! To be honest – that looks A LOT like Keukenhof! Beautiful photos as always Nano – thanks for sharing with Faraway Files – Erin (PS… I have those same trainers! ;)
Love your photos, and the adorable picnic. That’s spring in a nutshell!
It definitely is! Thank you for stopping by. xx
As a child I used to visit the tulip fields in Washington State, but I never appreciated it until I was an adult! Your photos, as always, are so special! #farawayfiles
These tulips look too perfect to be real! They’re so colorful and perfectly placed! We’re going into winter right now here in Chile, so this was a well-needed dose of color for me! :D
I can’t believe how perfect those flowers all are! Not a squashed bloom in sight. I love all the different varieties they have, too, like the frilly ones. Lovely photos as ever, the colours really shine. Glad you enjoyed your flower day!
So perfect indeed. Japanese are so organized and take such good care of their recreational areas.
Gorgeous!!! I never went to the tulip fields in the Netherlands either. So I was so pleasantly surprised and happy to discover a tulip garden in Beijing! It looked a lot like this one. Huge fields of tulips of every color. So pretty! And I totally felt like that I’ve been transported to the Netherlands!
OMG, Beijing? It has such a bad reputation for pollution I’d never think. I guess we should not underestimate the city! Happy you got to enjoy tulips! Thank you for reading Anna :)
So gorgeous!!! There’s still snow here in Norway so I wouldn’t mind a visit to these gardens right now ;)
Come visit! :)
Wow Nano – these gardens look like a clone of Keukenhof near Amsterdam which I loved so good to know there’s some equally gorgeous gardens in Japan! Thanks for joining #FarawayFiles
What a beautiful garden. I love tulips and the springtime. Thanks for the inspiration and for linking up this weekend at #wkendtravelinspiration!
Thank you Jim!
Just wonderful, Nano! Who needs to go to the Netherlands now? This is easily as beautiful as any photos I’ve seen of Keukenhof. I love the mixture of the colours of the tulips here. Such a great post again from you. Thanks so much for sharing on #FarawayFiles
Your flower photos are stunning. It is nice to see something other than cherry blossoms in Japan at this time of year.
Thank you Rhonda!
One of the things I love most about tulips is the sheer variety of shapes and colours. What a stunning place and obviously very popular. Thanks for sharing with #MondayEscapes
Your smile says it all. What a breathtaking garden. Love your pics! Which camera and lense do you use?
Beautiful!! I love it! Reminds me of the Kreukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands I’m still waiting to visit! Pinned! #WanderfulWednesday
Oh wow, I’ve never thought of Japan and tulips! When I was a kid we used to drive down to Washington State to visit a big tulip festival there – tulips are such unsung heroes, but they can be so incredibly colourful and beautiful!
Gorgeous flowers and stunning photography! Looks like such an idyllic spot for a picnic. 😍🌷
These are absolutely stunning! Are those even purplish/blue tulips?? I’ve never seen anything like that! I absolutely love tulips. I think they are so unique, and I love the bright colors. They are the epitome of a spring flower for me!
Fascinating! I think the garden is as beautiful as Keukenhof, just smaller in size.
Stunning!
So so beautiful! Love all of these beautiful snaps, there is nothing prettier than this many flowers!
The pictures are gorgeous. I totally get it when you say that you saw the pictures of Keukenhof Gardens in Netherlands and fell in love with tulips. This happened with me too. Though I have not been to Holland yet but you must see also check out the Tulip festival of Kashmir. I had a chance to attend it this year and I was blown away. You can check the pictures on my blog. You will love them sure.
Beautiful!!
So, so, so gorgeous! Particularly like the one with pink and orange tulips – I think 12th from the top if I counted correctly haha. Such a fun day! xx