Admiring Lotuses in Japan

The sacred flowers of Buddhism

Japanese lotuses are unique with their huge round leaves and flowers having pink, red, or white petals. Open or closed, they are magnificent and give off an intoxicating fragrance. Lotuses are plants that thrive in wetlands and are grown in ponds and lakes. Their flowering period is from mid-July to mid-August, and early September.

Shinobazu Pond, Tokyo

 

Shinobazu Pond is located in Ueno Park, in central Tokyo. It is divided into three sections, and one of them called Hasu no Ike (or Lotus Lake), houses one of Japan's largest lotus collections. When they bloom in August, the pond fills with beautiful pink and white flowers.

The pond is also home to several dozen species of migratory and stationary birds, the number of which sometimes exceeds ten thousand. Very easy to access, it is also an opportunity to discover all the riches of the Ueno district.

 

  • Address: 5-20 Uenokoen, Taito, 110-0007 Tokyo
  • Access: Ueno Subway Station, easily accessible with the Yamanote Line

 

Lotus à l'étang Shinobazu, Ueno

Lotus at Shinobazu Pond, Ueno

Dick Thomas Johnson

Lotus au sanctuaire Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Lotus at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

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Sankeien Garden, Kanagawa Prefecture

 

The lotus was the favorite flower of Tomitaro Hara, known as Sankei Hara, founder of the Sankeien garden.

This garden, located in the city of Yokohama, is one of the most beautiful places to admire the blooming lotuses. What makes this garden special is that when the sea breeze from Yokohama Bay blows over its body of water, the lotus flowers seem to dance in the wind.

It was an incredible and rare find. These lotuses thus flower earlier than their modern variants, usually in June and July, with some remaining until August.

Around 120,000 lotus flowers of 42 types can be seen at Kodai Hasu no Sato. You can admire them from above if you climb the park's observation tower. Don't forget to also visit the museum which provides information about these ancient lotuses and their characteristics.

  • Address: 2375-1 Kobari, 361-0024 Gyoda
  • Access: From Gyoda Station on the JR Takasaki Line, take the City Loop bus (Nishi Junkan bus counterclockwise) and get off at the “Kodaihasu-no-sato” bus stop.
Lotus au Kodaihasu-no-sato

Lotus at Kodaihasu-no-sato

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