What kind of flower is a hydrangea?
Hydrangea is a seasonal flower which is native to Japan and there are more than 50 diverse varieties of this flower. In Japan, a rainy season called Tsuyu starts around mid-June, and actually many people hate this season because of this gloomy weather. However, at the same time, you can feel many Japanese attractions which can’t be found in any other season, and Hydrangea is one of them.
Hydrangea flowers change color depending on the acidity of the soil. We will introduce spots in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo where various kinds of hydrangeas such as blue, purple and pink bloom.
<Table of Contents>
- 【Osaka, Suita】Expo ’70 Commemorative Park
- 【Osaka, Ikeda】Kyuan-ji Temple
- 【Kyoto, Ukyo-ku】Umenomiya-taisha Shrine
- 【Kyoto, Nishikyo-ku】Yoshimine Temple
- 【Kyoto, Nagaokakyo】Yanagitani-Kannon
- 【Hyogo, Kawanishi】Shounsan Raikouji Temple
- 【Hyogo, Kobe】Kobe Municipal Arboretum
- 【Hyogo, Rokko】Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden
1.【Osaka, Suita】Expo '70 Commemorative Park
About 4,000 hydrangeas of about 30 varieties, including Western hydrangeas and Yaenoamacha, will be in full bloom at the Hydrangea Forest in the Nature Park of Expo ’70 Commemorative Park. Enjoy the fantastic space surrounded by diverse hydrangeas in red, blue, pink, etc.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
1-1, Senribanpakukoen, Suita, Osaka [MAP]
Access
From Hankyu Kyoto Line Minami-ibaraki Station or Hankyu Takarazuka Line Hotarugaike Station,
transfer over to the Osaka Monorail and go to Bampaku-kinen-koen Station.
It's a 7-minute walk from there.
2.【Osaka, Ikeda】Kyuan-ji Temple
Kyuan-ji Temple has a path of hydrangeas so overgrown that they hide people. The gradation of hydrangeas on both sides of the path is a feast for the eyes.
Floating hydrangeas on the pond are also popular as they look great on Instagram. The “Ajisai-Ukabe” usually held from mid to late June is even more impressive than the “Hana-Chozu”(flower water with handkerchiefs)!
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
697, Fushio-cho, Ikeda-shi, Osaka [MAP]
Access
Take the Hankyu bus from Hankyu Takarazuka Line Ikeda Station
and alight at Kyuuanji. It's a short walk away.
3.【Kyoto, Ukyo-ku】Umenomiya-taisha Shrine
At Umenomiya Taisha Shrine, visitors can enjoy approximately 140 varieties of unique hydrangeas from the East Shrine Garden to the North Shrine Garden.
You can also appreciate Hanashoubu, which blooms at the same time of the year.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
30, Umezu Fukenokawa-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto [MAP]
Access
11-minute walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Line Matsuo-taisha Station
4.【Kyoto, Nishikyo-ku】Yoshimine Temple
Located in the precincts of Yoshimine Temple halfway up the mountain is the Hakusan Hydrangea Garden, which boasts an area of 3,000 tsubo (about 1,000 square meters). About 8,000 hydrangea plants, including gaku hydrangea, color the entire slope of the garden.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
1372, Oharano-koshio-machi, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto [MAP]
Access
Take the Hankyu bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Higashi-muko Station and alight at Yoshiminedera.
It's a 8-minute walk from there.
5.【Kyoto, Nagaokakyo】Yanagitani-Kannon
Visitors to Yanagitani Kannon can enjoy a cluster of about 5,000 hydrangea plants, including Japanese and Western hydrangeas. The hydrangea corridor in the precincts of the temple allows visitors to view the hydrangeas at their leisure without getting wet, even if it is raining.
Yanagitani Kannon is famous for its “Hana-Chozu” (flower water with handkerchiefs). Many visitors come to the temple for Hana-Chozu, which is decorated with colorful seasonal flowers.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
2, Jododani, Donotani, Nagaokakyo-shi, Kyoto [MAP]
Access
Take the Hankyu bus from Hankyu Kyoto Line Nagaoka-tenjin Station and alight at Oku Kaiinji.
It's a 8-minute walk from there.
6.【Hyogo, Kawanishi】Shounsan Raikouji Temple
Shounzan Raikoji Temple is commonly called “Hydrangea Temple”. About 500 plants, including Western hydrangeas lovingly nurtured by the temple’s priests, bloom in large profusion. Take a stroll through the temple grounds and enjoy the different colors of the flowers.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
2-17-2, Higashiuneno, Kawanishi-shi, Hyogo [MAP]
Access
From Hankyu Takarazuka Line Kawanishi-noseguchi Station,
transfer over to the Nose Railway Line and go to Uneno Station.
It's a 5-minute walk from there.
7.【Hyogo, Kobe】Kobe Municipal Arboretum
The Kobe City Forest Botanical Garden is home to many rare hydrangeas, such as the fantastic Shichidanka flower and the clustered white Annabelle. The forest of approximately 50,000 hydrangeas of about 350 varieties is a sight to behold.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
1-2, Nagao, Yamada-cho Kamitanigami, Kita-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo [MAP]
Access
From Kobe kosoku Line Shinkaichi Station,
transfer over to the Kobe Electric Railway and go to Kita-Suzurandai Station.
It's a 10-minute a free shuttle bus from there.
8.【Hyogo, Rokko】Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden
At the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, located near the top of Mt. Rokko, 865 m above sea level, the “Shichidanka” hydrangea, said to be a phantom hydrangea, blooms. Characterized by its double-petaled flowers with overlapping petals, visitors can enjoy its pretty purple appearance.
Also recommended is the “Hydrangea Garden,” where a wide variety of hydrangeas bloom, including the “Himehydrangea,” the city flower of Kobe City.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Address
4512-150, Kita Rokko, Rokkosan-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo [MAP]
Access
Take the Kobe City Bus from Hanshin Main Line Mikage Station and get off at the Rokko Cable Shita stop.
Ride the Rokko Cable Car to the top.
Take the Rokko Sanjo Bus and get off at the Museum-mae stop.
Hydrangeas shine in the rain. Feel the change of the season by looking at the pretty blue, purple, and pink flowers.
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