Opening hours, fees and event dates change. Before you go, please confirm the latest details on each facility's or organizer's official information.
Kitayama Park's own highlights and how to get there are covered on the spot page. This column is a read for enjoying, as a festival, the “Higashimurayama Iris Festival” held there each year.
First, see the Kitayama Park (Iris Garden) spot details →When is it held?
The Iris Festival is held usually from late May to mid June, when the irises reach their peak. Because the dates are set each year to match the bloom, always check “this year's dates” with the Chamber of Commerce or the city's official site before you go. It is busiest mainly on the weekends during the period.
How to enjoy the festival
- Irises in full bloom: the scale of about 100,000 blooms of roughly 600 varieties is stunning. Colorful irises fill the waterside.
- Evening illumination: during the period, evening illuminations are sometimes held (availability and times vary by year). You can enjoy a dreamlike iris garden different from daytime.
- Food stalls and events: during the festival there are sometimes stalls and various events (content varies by year).
- Nearby walk: the National Treasure, Shofukuji Jizodo Hall, is in the same Noguchi-cho area. Combining it with the irises is recommended.
To my friends in Taiwan — this is the season I want you to come
Speaking honestly as the tourism ambassador, if you're visiting Higashimurayama for the first time, this iris season is the best. The irises blooming all across the garden are far more beautiful than any guidebook photo. To avoid the crowds, weekday mornings are recommended. If you're planning a trip from Taiwan, it's worth timing it just for this.
The dates, whether evening illuminations are held, and the content of stalls and events change every year. Before you go, always check “this year's information” with the Higashimurayama Iris Festival (Chamber of Commerce) and the city's official sources. The currency of this column is indicated by the last-updated date at the bottom of the page.
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