Spring is here, the flowers are blooming and many of us are excited to spend more time outdoors without bundling up. Cherry blossoms may get all the love and attention this season, but there are still a host of other flowers blooming all across Greater Tokyo. And you can see all of them for free at the two-month-long Garden Necklace event in Yokohama.
This year’s Garden Necklace takes place from March 23 to June 9 and highlights some of Yokohama’s most impressive flower gardens and parks. You’ll find beautiful spring flowers like cherry blossoms, tulips, roses and lilies.
Here’s the breakdown of Garden Necklace Yokohama: what flowers are blooming when and where you can see them.
Cherry blossoms
Where: Yamashita Park, Sakura-dori, Ooka River, Motomachi Park, Kisha-michi Promenade, Cup Noodle Museum Park, Shin-Yokohama Ekimae Park, Kamon-yama Park
When: Now to early April
Garden Necklace begins at Sakura-dori, which gets its name from the 100 someiyoshino sakura trees that grow along the street. If you visit during peak bloom, you’ll be able to enjoy the pink blooms from the starting point at Sakuragicho Station all the way towards Yokohama Landmark Tower and further until Pacifico Yokohama.
There are also cherry blossoms to be found at Kisha-michi Bridge, Motomachi Park and along the Ooka River between Kannon Bridge and Idogaya Bridge.
Tulips
Where: Yokohama Park, Nihon Odori, Shinko Central Square, Yamashita Park
When: Early to mid-April
Visit Yokohama Park in April to see a whopping 120,000 red, pink, orange and yellow tulips. You should also make your way to Nihon Odori, Shinko Central Square and Yamashita Park to see even more gorgeous scenery of tulips in bloom.
Roses
Where: Yamashita Park, Minato-no-mieru-oka Park, Yamate Italian Garden, Yokohama English Garden
When: Early May to early June
Enjoy walking through Yamashita Park, which has around 1,900 roses across 160 species at its Future Rose Garden. You should also visit Minato-no-mieru-oka Park (Harbour View Park) for the impressive collection of roses in its three gardens. Don’t miss the Scented Garden, where you can walk through a tunnel of roses and compare the scent of the different species.
Satoyama Garden
When: March 23 to May 6
Satoyama Garden’s annual spring celebration takes over its 10,000sqm grounds with a variety of colourful blooms. The pastel-coloured flower field will feature pansies, violas and nemophila in addition to tulips and cherry blossoms.
The Welcome Garden at the entrance, on the other hand, is designed by famous actor and ambassador of Satoyama Garden, Masashi Mikami. Here you’ll find Yokohama’s exclusive Lover’s Town tulip.
Satoyama Garden is open from 9.30am to 4pm daily and free to visit.
Visit the Yokohama Garden Necklace website for more information.
This article was originally published on March 25 2022 and updated on April 1 2024.
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