Boho Travelogue

Whenever I got a scenic calendar during my childhood days, I loved to imagine myself in those beautiful places. I don't know how many times I have seen a picture of a large field covered with purple flowers in a mountain village of Japan later I came to know the name of that picturesque place is Hokkaido. A place which is famous for its large farms, where a variety of vegetables and flowers are grown throughout the summer. Hokkaido has a relatively comfortable summer when Japan's main island Honshu endures the heat of summer. Although Hokkaido is covered in snow for most of the year, but  throughout the spring and summer, the mountain slopes are covered with flowers. And in summer, lavender flowers are a special attraction among other flowers. To see this lavender flower in large farmlands millions of people from Japan and foreign countries come here every year. Today we will talk about Hokkaido's most popular lavender farm, "Farm Tomita". Farm Tomita This famou...

Today I will talk about one such fortress which has occupied an essential place in the history of Japan and very important as a tourist destination at present.it is the seventh-largest castle of Japan. It is Odawara Castle (小田原城, Odawarajō) Odawara Castle The castle is easily accessible from Tokyo and there are two more interesting museums like the Tokiwagi Gate SAMURAI Museum and the NINJA Museum beside the Main Castle Museum.  The Odawara castle garden also looks just as beautiful during the spring as it does in the monsoon. Odawara Castle Garden   Castle has a long history of events that need to be discussed briefly. Then the trip will become more exciting. The Omori dynasty built the fort during the Muromachi period and ruled for some time. The castle is said to have been built in the mid-15th century and is one of the most significant defensive forts near the Tokyo area. Later, most probably at the end of the fifteenth century, Hojo Soun conquered the region and his desce...

  If you like large prominent and colorful flower bulbs of lily and the charming fragrance make you happy then must visit Saitama's Tokorozawa Lily Garden. Saitama Prefecture is located right next to Tokyo. Although a handful of places are well known among foreign tourists, I personally think that there is a lot to see in all the prefectures of this country, one of which is this Saitama.  This magnificent flower garden can be reached in just 50 minutes by train from Tokyo and only 3-4 minutes away from Seibukyujo-mae station. Although this place is famous in Japan for one more reason. The Metball Dome baseball stadium just outside the station is the home of the Seibu Lions baseball team. This place is very crowded on game days. Metball Dome photo by Nesnad Photo by Hiroaki Kaneko One such day we went to visit this garden. The moment we left the crowded station area or the bustling stadium and entered the garden, the surrounding environment changed drastically. Thousands o...

  The gloomy rainy weather turns colorful in an instant if you see a hydrangea garden around you. A secret spell of happiness is mixed in every bunches of these bright blue or pink flowers. What if you get an opportunity to see the cluster of hydrangeas beside a vast paddy field surrounded by blue Mountains? One such beautiful spot near Tokyo is called Kaisei Ajisai Park or Kaisei hydrangea Village. History of Kaisei Hydrangea Village It is said that, in the year 1977, Hydrangea was introduced as the ‘town flower’ of this Kaisei machi city. Then in 1983, about 5000 saplings were planted at the sides of the paddy fields.  Since the flowers blossomed in 1988, many people have flocked to the area to enjoy the beauty of the flowers. That is why the Kaisei Cho Hydrangea Festival was first started that year and at the same time, the place was named Hydrangea Village. This is the real story of this place. Even today, in the rainy season, when the flowers here intensify the beauty of ...

  A Garden of iris flowers has recently been selected as one of the ‘100 New Tokyo Views’, that blooms brightly during this season. Kitayama Park is a spot full of natural abundance against the backdrop of Sayama hill. Higashimurayama Iris Festival  One of the best attractions of Kitayama Park is "Kitayama Maiden". A few years ago, this very rare iris flower bloomed in the iris garden of Kitayama Park. At present this precious iris flower is not seen anywhere else. Surrounded by swamps and greenery, the park is home to about 600 varieties of 8,000 stock and 100,000 iris flowers in early summer. Various birds can be seen in the forest around the pond. In mid-June, the Higashimurayama Iris Festival is held every year. Various events like dance performances, rickshaw riding, Flower picking, night illumination are organized to entertain the visitors. This is a big event hosted by Higashimurayama City. *Note: Please note that this year's event is closed due to covid rules. How...