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...

  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...

  Hydrangea flowers are one of the highlights of Tokyo's rainy season. This season, people flock to various temples and parks to see these flowers. One such place for Hydrangea viewing is the Hakusan Shrine. Founded in 946, this Shinto shrine is not very large, but about 3,000 hydrangea flowers are bloomed here during this season. How to Go Hakusan Jinja is in the Bunko Ward of Tokyo. By Train : You need to take the Mita Line train to reach Hakusan Station. From there it will take 3 mint to reach the shrine by walk. Best Time As hydrangeas are the rainy season's flower so it is best to visit this shrine from June to early July. The Hydrangea Festival is also held here every year in mid-June because during this time the beauty of these flowers is at their peak. History of Hakusan Jinja Shrine Although Hakusan is a local temple it was given considerable importance by the ruling Shoguns during the Edo period and was also regarded as one of the most important temples in...

  For centuries, these bright and vibrant flowers not only have won the hearts of Tokyoites but also many foreigners like us love to visit Horikiri park during this time. The painting of Horikiri Iris Garden is a significant part of Hiroshige's famous 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo'. So that picture proves how old this place is. 6,000 iris flowers of about 200 species are now grown in this popular Japanese-style garden of the Edo period. This small park has many types of flowers all year round but is the most visited during the whole month of June.  It is said that in the early nineteenth century, a farmer named Kodaka Izaemon planted an Iris garden in Horikiri. According to other source, marshlands may be another reason for the natural growth of Iris flowers here. One of the attractions of Tokyo's rainy season is the bright purple or blue irises which also symbolize hope and wisdom. This spectacular eye-catching flower's name 'Iris' is taken from the Gree...