7 best places to see glorious sunflowers in and around Tokyo

While spring may be the best time to see cherry blossoms, tulips and wisteria, summer is when himawari (sunflowers) get their time to shine. You’ll find a number of sprawling fields in and around Greater Tokyo, where you can stroll through rows and rows of colourful sunflowers, eat sunflower-themed food, and even enjoy a sunflower maze. 

The best time to see the flowers is from July through to the end of August, but some late blooming varieties will still be around in September. Here are our top sunflower spots to check out this summer. 

Showa Kinen Park, Tokyo

This massive park in Tachikawa is where you can enjoy a unique hybrid variety of sunflowers known as ​​Asteraceae. They also have a flourishing section of Sunfinity sunflowers. Currently, the flowers have yet to start blooming, but you can keep up with the current status of the flowers here.

Akebonoyama Agricultural Park, Chiba

This gorgeous agricultural park in Kashiwa city is home to approximately 80,000 sunflowers which bloom from mid- to late July. The park is hosting a summer festival between July 22 and August 31 where you can stop by and enjoy the flowers in full bloom. Admission and parking are both free here and you can also pick up a number of original items on sale during including wind chimes and picture books. For the latest flowering status, visit here.

Sakura Furusato Square, Chiba

Enjoy expansive fields of sunflowers along with a picturesque Dutch windmill at Sakura Furusato Square. The grounds will be open from July 8 to 23 with approximately 15,000 sunflowers in bloom. There are multiple types of sunflower here including the popular Vincent’s Choice, named after the late painter Vincent van Gogh, whose sunflower paintings are famous around the world. Entry is free and you can check on the flowering status here. 

Yokosuka Soleil Hill, Kanagawa

The annual Sunflower Festival at this park in Yokosuka is always a stunner. The seaside park boasts 100,000 sunflowers from mid-July to September and you might even be able to spot Mt Fuji in the distance over Sagami Bay. The free festival is for July 15 to September 19, and there’s also sunflower themed activities and food to enjoy while you’re on the grounds. 

Narita Dream Farm, Chiba

Enjoy two different varieties of sunflowers at this gorgeous ranch out in Narita where approximately 100,000 sunflowers are in bloom. During your visit, you can also sample a seasonal sunflower-themed menu, which includes dishes such as sunflower burger, panini and a cream soda float. 

You can enter the sunflower area for ¥300 on top of the ¥1,600 ranch entry fee. Flowers have yet to bloom, but you can keep up with the current blooming status here. 

Endo Farm out in Saitama is home to brilliant sunflower fields as well as a bee farm that makes fresh honey from the sunflowers. At peak bloom, the field sees approximately 1 million sunflowers across ten different areas and also includes a sunflower maze. The area is free to enter and you can also pick up some honey before you leave. To see the current status of the flowers, visit here.

Akeno Himawari Festival, Ibaraki

The Akeno Himawari Festival in Ibaraki prefecture sits on a sprawling four hectares of land and boasts about 1 million sunflowers with a spectacular view of Mt Tsukuba in the background. The flowers here bloom a bit later in the summer – the festival begins on August 26 and runs until September 3. Entrance to the festival is free, but do note there is a charge of ¥1,000 per car if you are planning to drive and park at the field. For the current status of the flowers, visit here.

This article was originally published on August 12 2021, and updated on July 3 2023.

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