Japan is of course famous for sakura season when everyone goes crazy for the fleetingly pink cherry blossoms but that also makes it one of the busiest and most expensive times to visit. Luckily there are beautiful flowers to be seen all through Spring to Autumn, and winter foliage too. Here’s some of my favourites and you can see more of my Japan flower photos on Flickr.

Sakura / Cherry Blossom (March/April)

Okay, I can’t miss sakura out! Our first visit was in late March and we were a tiny bit early for the full sakura display but still managed to spot some. Plum blossoms also appear just before and are almost as pretty. If you want to see sakura, make sure to check the blossom forecast before you book and be prepared to travel north or south if things start sooner or later than expected.

Roses (May-July)

My 2016 trip coincided with quite a few different flower festivals but the main ones were for roses, with amazing displays at Shinjuku Gyoen (at top of post), Yoyogi Park and Nagoya‘s Higashiyama botanical garden. There were hundreds of perfect flowers in every colour and everyone was going photo mad with total heart eyes.

Azaleas (May/June)

Azaleas are considered a bit too boring for a festival but you’ll find them in lots of gardens and the hot pink flowers are so cheerful, especially contrasted with the green leaves. Shinjuku Gyoen had an area with hundreds of bushes and it was so pretty.

Irises (May-June)

I was lucky to see so many different flowers during my May 2016 trip and especially this field of Irises. I managed to catch them at Koishikawa Korakuen on the last few days and take the same photo as the brochure cover! They don’t bloom for long and there were a lot of photographers out as well as a wedding party.

Hydrangeas / Ajisai (June-July)

On my last full day in Japan in early June the hydrangeas were just starting to bloom so I was able to add them to my collection. I think they’re so pretty especially alongside the monuments in the quiet gardens close to Sensoji in Asakusa.

Chrysanthemums (October)

There weren’t a lot of flowers to see during our second and third Japan trips in the autumn but we were mesmerised by these perfect chrysanthemums at Meiji Shrine in Harajuku. There were rows and rows of them, all in different colours but exactly the same size.

Flower Festivals

If you’re visiting Japan in the spring or summer, check for flower festivals. These are out in the countryside so usually require a train and a local bus but the reward is huge displays of thousands of flowers. The most famous ones are nemophila, shibazakura and wisteria but you can also see tulips, sunflowers and lavender. I’d love to do this sometime though they’re very crowded.

• Rainbowholic’s flower festival visits
• Japan Guide’s extensive information on flower viewing

It’s the last stop on my mini tour around Japan – after visiting Hiroshima and Miyajima, I moved on to Osaka, with a day trip to Arashiyama, and then headed over to Nagoya before returning to Tokyo.

Since Nagoya is only an hour from Osaka on the Shinkansen, I had the option to spend some of the day in Osaka but decided to go straight to Nagoya. Once there, I found it easy to navigate with a similar subway system to Osaka and Tokyo so had no trouble finding my hotel in the Sakae shopping district. I stayed overnight so here’s what I got up to in my time there.

Usagito Cafe

The main reason I added Nagoya to my itinerary was so that I could finally visit this bunny cafe and buy one of their trademark bunny ear mugs. It was everything I hoped for and more – baby bunny! – and I blogged about it in great detail last year.

Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Visiting botanical gardens is a favourite hobby of mine so I wasn’t going to miss this chance. It was easy to get to – close to Higashiyama Koen subway station (which has a big supermarket with plenty Pocky and snacks). The zoo and gardens are connected so you have to pay for both and walk all the way through the zoo to get the to the gardens. I didn’t have very long before closing time so I only popped in to see the koalas and spend some time in the little shop, so I could buy something featuring their cute mascot.

The gardens were lovely, especially the rose garden which was in full bloom and had some water features too.  The larger part of the garden is in a separate section across a road so make sure to keep your ticket handy. There are various sections to explore plus a big glass house. There’s a monorail connecting the two gardens if you don’t want to walk but the signs are all in Japanese and I couldn’t quite figure out the times and prices. If you have more time, there’s a big lake with swan boats, a Sky Tower and an amusement park (see top photo).

Nagoya City Science Museum

This was a last minute addition when I realised the bunny cafe didn’t open until lunchtime. The City Science Museum was about halfway between my hotel and the bunny cafe so it seemed like a good plan. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s worth visiting the park as the building is really cool and there’s a big rocket to look at and a fountain. I did go inside and it was worth the entry fee as there’s six floors of exhibits including lots of cool space stuff for me. The signage is all in Japanese but I got along okay.

There’s also a lots of stuff for kids with a huge water-powered machine covering two floors, lots of interactive exhibits and a miniature Nagoya with moving trains. If you have more time, and understand Japanese, you can book a visit to the planetarium or deep freeze lab. It’s a great place to wander around for a few hours.

Sunshine Sakae

Only in Japan would you discover your hotel was opposite a Kirimichan ferris wheel! You can’t really ignore such an opportunity so I made time to visit. Sunshine Sakae is a shopping centre and also home to idol group SKE48 who make regular appearances. It also hosts temporary character cafes – there was a full Kirimichan restaurant and also a stand selling crepes. I did go on the Sky Boat ferris wheel which was only ¥500 and gives you pretty good views over Nagoya.

It’s situated inside a huge branch of Tsutaya, which has books and kawaii merchandise, plus some gashapon. There’s also a big branch of Don Quixote across the street which had flavours of KitKats I didn’t have room for and then never saw back in Tokyo. So annoying!

I had a great time in Nagoya and wish I hadn’t waited so long to visit. I will definitely be back as I want to visit the railway museum, and also see the bunnies again! If you get the chance, go!

You can see more of my Nagoya photos in Day 13 & Day 14 of my Flickr albums.