Partners Information: The Azalea Festival at Tsutsujigaoka Park, Gunma Prefecture takes place from around mid-April to mid-May each year, with a number of special events held in the park during this time. Wander the park at your own pace to enjoy the colourful blooms, or take a boat ride on the pond to enjoy them from a different viewpoint.
Azaleas have grown in this location since ancient times and it has been known as a place to view azaleas since the early Edo Period (1603-1867). It was also was designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty in 1934.
The park is now home to over 10,000 azaleas, many of which are very old, including one that is believed to be over 800 years old. It is also famous for the ‘Space Azalea’ which was grown from seeds that Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai took into space on the space shuttle Columbia in 1994.
