33,000 kochia bushes are now growing at Hitachi Seaside Park

From fields of colourful tulips to a sea of blue nemophila, the sprawling Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki has something to see every season. In summer, the park starts growing kochia, or summer cypress. These fluffy little bushes look like something out of a Dr Seuss book. 

Currently, there are approximately 33,000 kochia bushes growing at the park’s Miharashi no Oka Hill area, covering roughly 1.9 hectares.

During summer, the bushes are in a fresh, vibrant green colour, but come autumn, they'll turn brilliant red. 

These 'fur balls' will be starting to change colour in the next few days. The best time to see them in their full red glory is in mid-October. Later into the month, they'll start to take on a dusty golden hue.

According to this year's forecast, the best time to see them at peak red is between October 17 and October 23. You can keep tabs on this year’s kochia colours via Hitachi Seaside Park’s website. The park is roughly two hours from Tokyo Station. See the park’s website for information on how to get there.

This article was published on August 18 2022 and updated on October 4 2023. 

More from Time Out Tokyo

Here’s the official 2023 forecast for autumn leaves in Japan

2 Tokyo hotels are on the World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023 list

Exciting new attractions are coming to the all-new Toranomon-Azabudai district in Tokyo

Here are the new prices for all JR rail passes after the October 1 price increase

Japan has one of the world’s ten most captivating Unesco World Heritage Sites in 2023

Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.