Japan Journals: Cosmos Flowers at Showa Kinen Park

If I were to take a break from all the things that have been keeping me busy for the past several months, what would I do? Visit a flower field, of course!

Fortunately, Tokyo is home to several parks. Among them, the largest one is Showa Kinen Park in Tachikawa City, which is located on the far western side of the metropolis.

Showa Kinen Park hosts an annual cosmos festival, where visitors can enjoy vast and colorful fields of cosmos. It’s fun to stroll around and admire these pretty blooms!

The Cherry Blossoms of Autumn

Cosmos are annual flowers that resemble a daisy. It comes in a variety of colors such as white, pink, red, orange, and yellow.

In Japan, cosmos are also called “akizakura,” with the kanji 秋 (aki) for fall or autumn and 桜 (sakura) for cherry blossoms. Thus, its name literally means “autumn cherry blossoms.” However, they are most commonly referred to as simply “cosmos” (コスモス) written in katakana.

Cosmos flowers start to grow in early summer and bloom in September and
October. They reach full bloom in mid-October.

Being annual flowers, they only bloom once and soon die when the first frost of winter comes.

Parks where cosmos are grown would plant new seeds every year and cultivate them until they fully grow into flowers of vibrant colors.

Showa Kinen Park’s Cosmos Festival

Showa Kinen Park hosts the Cosmos Festival from mid-September to late October. It has the largest and most impressive fields of cosmos in Tokyo, with millions of flowers covering 20,000 square meters in total.

There are three flower fields:

1. Kibana Cosmos “Lemon Bright” (キバナコスモス”レモンブライト”) includes only one variety of cosmos that has a refreshing yellow color.
2. Autumn Bouquet Garden (秋のブーケガーデン) includes 22 varieties of flowers including cosmos, zinnia, and celosia.
3. Cosmos “Sensation” (コスモス”センセーション”) features cosmos that come in pink, red, and white colors.

Although these three flower fields are mostly just cosmos, their peak blooming times vary slightly. If you need to time your visit perfectly, then it’s worth knowing that Lemon Bright is the earliest to bloom, followed by Bouquet Garden, and lastly Cosmos Sensation.

In the past, the park also had a fourth flower field called Cosmos Parade Mix (コスモス パレードミックス) that featured orange and red cosmos, but it did not make a return for the 2023 festival.

The Cosmos Sensation field is my favorite among the three as the various shades of pink remind me of cherry blossoms.

Location

The cosmos fields are located in the Open Field (みんなの原っぱ) and Flower Hill (花の丘), which are most accessible from the park’s Nishi-Tachikawa Entrance.

To reach it, take the JR Chuo Line to Nishi-Tachikawa station from Shinjuku station. The one-way trip costs 483 yen and takes 35 to 45 minutes, depending on whether you take the express or local train.

Alternatively, you can take the same line and get off at Tachikawa station, one stop before Nishi-Tachikawa. The Akebono Entrance of the park is a 10- to 15-minute walk (650 meters) from there.

Although the second option is a little farther away, there are many shops, restaurants, and cafés along the way that could catch your interest. Stop by Green Springs for some great shopping and dining!