Kanagawa

Ohanami

Event

[Odawara Flower Garden]One of the largest plum orchards in the Kanto region, with 500 trees of around 300 varieties, will soon be at its best! Plum Blossom Festival 25 Jan (Sat) – 2 Mar (Sun), 2025.

2025.01.29

The Odawara Flower Garden, located at an altitude of 113 metres in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, will soon be at its best at the free-to-entry ‘Ume Garden of the Stream’, where you can admire 500 plum trees of about 300 varieties, the largest number in the Kanto region.

At present, flowering is expected to be slightly later than usual, with the early varieties beginning to bloom one after the other from the end of January. The plum orchards overlooking the mountains of Tanzawa will then become a colourful landscape of red and white in the clear air. The best time to see them is expected to last until the end of February.

A ‘Plum Blossom Festival’ is held from late January to late February, when the plums are at their best.

fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Shirakaga
Awaji weeping
Kokinsyu

The Plum Blossom Festival will be held from 25 Jan (Sat) to 2 Mar (Sun) 2025 to coincide with the best time to visit the ‘Plum Blossom Garden of the Stream’! During this period, the park will be open all year round and visitors can enjoy the Plum Blossom Garden of the Stream with free admission and parking. In addition, various programmes will be held to allow visitors to experience the many charms of the plum tree.

Plum flowers are pure white, with five, round petals. Wild plums and plums for harvesting the fruit are basically ‘white plums’. However, instead of lumping them all together as ‘white plums’, try to feel the ‘differences’ that are possible only at our garden, where there are many varieties.

The famous Juro plum, bred and named in Odawara, a local town, is also a white plum. Of course, you can see it in the garden, so be sure to have a look.

Odawara Flower Garden 2025 ‘Plum Blossom Festival’ Overview.

Period: 25 Jan (Sat) – 2 Mar (Sun), 2025
Open all year round during this period.
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
Admission: Free

>Odawara Flower Garden official website

New

New

Featured articles

Yamaguchi

SAKURA

Event

[Kai Nagato]Spring-only cherry blossom viewing stay to enjoy the rows of cherry trees along the Otoshin River, ‘Spring Ranman Stay’.

From 25 March to 6 April 2025, Kai Nagato Onsen Ryokan is offering a “Spring Stay” to enjoy the murmur of the Onshin River, which heralds the arrival of spring, and the cherry blossoms. In spring, the rows of cherry blossom trees along the Onshin River, which flows in front of Kai Nagato, are in full bloom, adding colour to the hot spring resort. This plan allows you to enjoy the rows of cherry blossom trees, which have attracted many tourists to the area, to your heart’s content. This plan offers guests a special seat on the Kawadoko Terrace before dinner so that they can enjoy the cherry blossoms at any time during their stay.

Hiroshima

Art

The Most Beautiful Museum in the World: Simose Art Museum Wins UNESCO’s Prestigious Versailles Prize!

--

Food

[ Kimuraya (department store)]Snowman’ is available only during the Christmas period. Japanese Stollen, made with traditional sake-type dough and Japanese ingredients, is on sale again this year.

December sees the arrival of a number of Christmas breads. The Snowman with his cute smiling face is a sweet loaf with two different flavours: pudding cream and chocolate cream. It is a heartwarming treat with flavours that both children and adults can enjoy.

Also back this year is the popular Japanese Stollen, which was a big hit last year. This is a special cake that can only be tasted at Kimuraya, using Japanese-inspired ingredients such as persimmons, figs and koshi-an (sweet bean paste). Please take this opportunity to try Kimuraya’s limited edition Christmas bread.

Hiroshima

Art

ZIPANGU Contemporary artists who have run through the Heisei era” Takashi Murakami x Sueo Mizuma dialogue: ‘Beyond the Theory of Artistic Entrepreneurship’ / Interview with Mr. Mizuma: ‘Rediscovering the Value of Japanese Culture by the Japanese People

The Hiroshima Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition “ZIPANGU: Contemporary Artists Who Defined the Heisei Era” (November 2, 2024 – December 22, 2024). This showcase brings together works by some of the most prominent figures in Japan’s contemporary art scene, including Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Makoto Aida, Yoshitomo Nara, Chiharu Shiota, Izumi Kato, Akira Yamaguchi, and Miwa Komatsu. The exhibition has already garnered significant attention, exceeding 10,000 visitors.

HYAKKEI covered the dialogue between contemporary artist Takashi Murakami and Sueo Mizuma, the curator of this exhibition, held at the RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima. We also conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Mizuma.

The discussions centered on the aspirations behind the ZIPANGU exhibition and offered forward-looking insights, not only into Japan’s art world but also into the rediscovery of value within Japanese culture by its people.

Pick Up

Pick Up