travel

The magical red spider lilies of Kinchakuda

0 Comments
By Joelle Kuiper

Summer’s grip has loosened, the days are shorter and soon the red spider lily will bloom, heralding the arrival of autumn. Chances are, you’ve never seen this peculiar flower. In Tokyo you might spot a few, but the best place in Japan to see them is growing en masse at Manjushage Park in Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture. For two weeks a year, this riverside plain transforms into an enchanted forest, carpeted by 500,000 flaming red spider lilies.

The red spider lilies of Kinchakuda were discovered growing wild on fields left fallow during a land dispute. It’s thought the meandering Koma River washed the bulbs onto the riverbanks.

Spider-Lilies-Along-Koma-River-The-Magical-Red-Spider-Lilies-of-Kinchakuda-1024x704.jpg
It is believed that the river carried the bulbs to where they grow today, during a period when a local land dispute had left the area to fall fallow and become overgrown.

The fame of the site grew and in 2017, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko paid Kinchakuda a much-feted visit. And no wonder—the effect of these tall, red flowers blooming to the horizon is glorious. The absence of leaves intensifies the deep scarlet and you wander along Manjushage Park feeling like a royal, on your own magical red carpet.

Click here to read more.

© Savvy Tokyo

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

No Comment
Login to comment

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites