HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Irises in Suigo Sawara
A summer Iris Festival along the colorful banks of Little Edo Sawara in Chiba
Katori City
At this aquatic botanical garden, which contains an island, a bridge, and waterways, you can enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of the riverside district. Suigo Sawara Ayame Park is famous for its irises and is the largest iris garden in Asia. During the Iris Festival in June, 1.5 million irises of 400 species bloom, painting the entire surface with a myriad of vivid colors.
Irises are not the only flowers that sway along the colorful banks of Little Edo Sawara. In the beginning of May, a tunnel of cascading wisteria blooms, filling the soft breezes of spring with its gentle fragrance. As summer unfolds, so too do the lotuses. During the Lotus Festival, which takes place in July and August, you can appreciate over 300 species of lotuses.
Of the numerous iris gardens in Japan, Ayame Park is the only garden where you can ride a boat on the waterways, just as the people of Sawara did in the olden days. As you drift among the irises and lotuses, appreciate their intoxicating beauty up close, breathe in the fresh air intertwined with their heavenly scent, and simply relax.
How to get there
Take the train from Narita International Airport to JR Sawara Station (about 40 minutes) or the highway bus from Tokyo Station to JR Sawara Station (1 hour and 30minutes). From JR Sawara Station, take a taxi or bus to Suigo Sawara Ayame Park.
1837-2 Ougishima, Katori-shi, Chiba-ken
