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While spring might be the best time to enjoy iconic flowers like cherry blossoms, wisteria and tulips, summer can be an equally rewarding period for bloom-spotters. Hydrangeas are now coming into season, and you can catch their colourful blooms at parks, shrines and neighbourhoods across Tokyo. The flowers typically flourish during Japan’s rainy season, which has yet to officially begin, but this year they’ve arrived slightly ahead of schedule, with many blooms already nearing their peak.
To help you catch these seasonal beauties at their best, we visited some of central Tokyo’s popular hydrangea hotspots to see how the flowers are progressing. Here’s what we saw.
Sumida Park, June 1
If you’re in Asakusa doing some sightseeing, it’s worth stopping by nearby Sumida Park for a stroll along the park’s 2km promenade, known as Ajisai (Hydrangea) Road. The route is lined with more than 7,000 hydrangea bushes spanning a variety of species, and offers lovely views of Tokyo Skytree in the background. You’ll find Ajisai Road on the Asakusa side of Sumida Park, stretching between Azumabashi Bridge and Yamaya-bori Plaza.
When we visited earlier this week, the flowers were well on their way to full bloom, with many of the blue, white and purple hydrangeas already flourishing. It was a particularly hot day, so some of the blooms were beginning to wilt, but they should perk up once the rainy season arrives.
Hakusan Shrine, June 1
Hakusan Shrine is a small neighbourhood sanctuary about a ten-minute walk from Koishikawa Botanical Garden. It’s especially charming in early summer, when its around 3,000 hydrangea bushes burst into bloom. The flowers can be found throughout the shrine grounds, from around the main buildings and along the stone steps leading up to the shrine, to the residential streets nearby, where many homes display hydrangea bushes of their own.
On our recent visit, the blooms were already looking beautiful, though many had yet to reach their full size and are likely to be at their best within the next week or so. Be sure to mark your calendar for June 6 to 14, when the shrine hosts its annual Bunkyo Hydrangea Matsuri, featuring live taiko drumming, hula performances, jazz music and, of course, plenty of hydrangeas.
Ueno Park, June 1
Ueno Park is best known for its bustle during cherry blossom season, but it’s also home to a surprising number of hydrangeas. Rather than being concentrated in a dedicated area, the flowers are scattered throughout the park, lining walking paths and adding splashes of colour around Shinobazu Pond – especially near Bentendo Temple.
When we visited this week, we spotted plenty of purple and blue hydrangeas along the path leading from the park’s southern entrance near Ueno Station towards the museum district. The blooms were more abundant here than around the pond, though it was still lovely to see the colourful flowers set against the lush green lily pads covering the water’s surface. Give it another week or so, and Ueno Park’s hydrangeas should look even more spectacular.
For more places to enjoy hydrangeas in and around Tokyo, check out our list of gardens and parks.
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