Hydrangea (Ajisai in Japanese) is a popular summer flower in Japan. It blooms during the rainy season, typically from June to July. There are many renowned Ajisai viewing spots in Japan and some of them can be experienced in Tokyo.
Tokyo is not only famous for its stunning views of sakura and autumn leaves but also for its beautiful hydrangea flowers. In fact, some of the hydrangea spots are situated in the famous parks of Tokyo such as, Ueno Park, Sumida Park, Showa Memorial Park and so on.
The best time to see the hydrangeas in Tokyo is mid-June when they are at their peak. Let’s find out 10 popular hydrangea viewing spots in Tokyo city and municipalities within Tokyo!
1. Hakusan Shrine and Hakusan Park

The famous “Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival” is held here ever year in early June. Located in central Tokyo of Bukyo Ward, Hakusan Shrine is a small Shinto shrine with thousands of blooming hydrangeas in June. This hydrangea spot is considered one of the best in Tokyo.
It was founded in 948 and named after Mount Hakusan, situated on the borders of Gifu and Ishikawa Prefectures.
Approximately 3,000 hydrangeas of 20 varieties including rare ones bloom at Hakusan Jinja and Hakusan Park, making the areas picturesque and ideal to take a stroll during the rainy season. The path that leads from Hakusan Shrine to Hakusan Park also highlights hydrangea bushes.
You can see some food stalls and shops selling foods, drinks, and local goods including potted hydrangeas during the festival. People looking for best photo locations in summer in Tokyo, this place is paradise. This worth every penny!
Note that a lot of tourists visit this shrine when the festival is ongoing, especially on the weekends. The shrine is a 6-minute walk from Hon-komagome Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line and a 3-minute walk from Hakusan Station on the Toei Mita Line.
2. Tokyo Summerland

Located in Akiruno city in Western Tokyo, Tokyo Summerland is a perfect place to visit in the summer in Tokyo. It is one of the biggest water parks in Japan with both indoor and outdoor pools, waterslides, fun rides, and a Ferris wheel.
For a great family outing Tokyo Summerland is a top-notch destination. If you happen to visit the water park between mid-June and early July, be sure to explore its hydrangea garden. Over 15,000 ajisai plants of different types can be found here.
You can see beautiful white Annabelle Hydrangeas that cover the slopes of a hill. Admire the beauty of white hydrangeas by taking a stroll in the garden and take pictures of the surroundings. You will never get bored here.
To get to the site, take the Keio Line from Shinjuku Station to Keio Hachioji Station. Then head over to the number 4 bus stop. Wait for your bus to arrive and reach Tokyo Summerland in 38 minutes!
3. Fuchu City Local Forest Museum (Kyodo no Mori Museum)

About 10,000 hydrangea flowers of various kinds bloom in the garden of Fuchu City Local Forest Museum. A hydrangea festival is held every year from June to early July here.
The museum also hosts a plum blossom festival in February where you can see over a thousand plum trees of 60 different kinds.
Kyodo no Mori Museum is an open air folk museum in Fuchu city that is dedicated to the history and culture of the area. In the main building of the museum, visitors find permanent exhibitions and a planetarium. You should explore the other buildings of the museum and experience beautiful artifacts.
Enjoy your time viewing those blooming hydrangeas during the festival and learn some history of Fuchu visiting the museum’s historic buildings.
Take a train from Shinjuku Station to Fuchu Station on the Keio Line, which takes about 25 minutes. From there take a short walk about 10-15 minutes to reach the museum.
4. Takahata Fudoson

The grounds of Takahata Fudoson are very rich that you will be easily overwhelmed by everything it highlights such as, the pagoda, building architectures, torii gates, teahouses, statues, plants, halls, gardens, walking paths and so on.
The five-storied pagoda of this temple may remind you of Kyoto’s beautiful temples. In fact, it looks very identical to Sensoji Temple’s five-storied pagoda!
Located in Hino city, a beautiful neighborhood of Tokyo, Takahata Fudoson is an ancient Buddhist temple which was built in the 8th century. It is a very famous hydrangea spot in Tokyo attracting hundreds of visitors every day during the flowering season. About 7,500 bushes of 200 different kinds of hydrangeas bloom here.
The annual hydrangea festival is held from June 1 to June 30 every year. Although mid June is the best time to see hydrangeas here, visitors can expect to see them until early July. So, come to see the flower bushes at the right time and take a lot of photos of the beautiful surroundings.
You can reach the temple from Shinjuku Station by Keio Line, which will take 35 minutes and get off at Takahatafudo Station. Then take a walk for 5 minutes to reach the entrance of the temple.
5. Tamagawadai Park

This park in Ota city of Tokyo prefecture is situated by the Tama River. It is a very popular cherry blossom viewing spot in spring.
The park is hilly with plenty of plants to enjoy a pleasant stroll. One of the best highlights of the area is hydrangea plants in the park, which attract many visitors in mid June. They start blooming in early June and reach their peak around mid-June.
About 3,000 hydrangea plants are to be found here with 7 distinct and different varieties. Their colorful blossoms with sweet fragrant and a pleasant stroll in the rain would make your trip absolutely unforgettable.
Besides, you can spend your time sitting on the benches at the observation deck in the park and enjoy the views. Note that you should wear comfortable shoes as you will have to climb up many stairs.
Access to Tamagawadai Park is relatively easy by subway from Hibiya Station on the Toei Mita Line requiring less than a 40-minute (one way). And it is just 1 minute’s walk from Tamagawa Station to Tamagawadai Park.
6. Asukayama Park

Similar to Tamagawadai Park, this park is also a very popular cherry blossom spot in Tokyo. In spring, a lot of visitors come to admire the beauty of sakura here. It has three interesting museums including a paper museum to explore if you want to learn about the history of Kita ward.
Asukayama Park is located in the north of Tokyo on a hill called Mount Asuka. It has over 1,300 hydrangea plants and some of them were also planted along the railway. You can take picture of running trains and hydrangeas together.
Roam around the park with your beloved ones, appreciate the colors of hydrangeas and feel the great joy of the rainy season that this park has to offer you in summer. This is without question is a great place for family outing!
Use the free service of the Asukayama Park Monorail (Mini cable car) to get to the highest part of the park.
The park is located very close to the Oji Station on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line. From Tokyo Station to Oji Station, it takes only 20 minutes.
7. Sumida Park

Never leave Tokyo without paying a visit to Asakusa Kannon Temple (Sensoji Temple). And when you visit the temple area, it is advised not to miss a walk in Sumida Park. Famous for its cherry blossoms in spring, this riverside park in Asakusa area does provide excellent view of Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in Japan.
The park lies on the west and east banks of Sumida River with many sakura trees, coffee shops, and excellent walking paths. If you visit the park between early June and early July, you will see colourful hydrangeas spreading through different parts in the park.
Take a pleasant walk along the Sumida River, gaze at beautiful hydrangeas you see on the way and enjoy the prefect views of Tokyo Skytree in the background. You can walk across the Azumabashi Bridge or Sakurabashi Bridge to reach the either sides of the park.
If you are not in a hurry to move somewhere else in Tokyo from Asakusa, I want you to visit Ushijima Shrine and a Japanese garden located next to it.
Sumida Park is only a few-minute walk from Asakusa Station.
8. Ueno Park

This large public park situated next to JR Uneo Station is one of Tokyo’s best parks. Cherry blossoms in spring attract thousands of visitors both locals and tourists alike every year.
Ueno Park is home to many interesting attractions such as museums, shrines, temples, zoo, pond, gardens and so on. If you have missed the sakura season in the spring, then you should consider coming here in June, when many hydrangeas start blooming along beside the park’s many paths and around Shinobazu Pond.
The best time to visit the park to catch them in full bloom is between mid June and late June.
Enjoy outdoor nature by taking a walk around the pond. If you get tired, sit on the benches with shades. These benches are actually perfect to stare at lotus flowers that bloom in the pond from mid July through mid August.
Assuming that you may not be interested in visiting the Ueno zoo, especially if you are not traveling with your little ones but don’t leave the park without visiting one of its museums, especially Tokyo National Museum, the oldest and largest museum in Japan.
9. Showa Memorial Park (Showa Kinen Koen)

Showa Kinen Koen is a massive park which covers 180 hectares of land. The park was opened to public in 1983 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa’s reign.
It boasts a wide range of facilities, including spacious lawns, cycling tracks, pool, sports facilities, museums, gardens, hills, fields, and walking trails.
Located thirty minutes outside of central Tokyo, this park is stunningly beautiful throughout the year. If flower viewing is one of the main reasons to visit Japan, especially in spring and summer, be sure to get to Showa Memorial Park. In fact, here you can see different kinds of flowers in each season.
In June, many of its areas are filled with colorful hydrangeas. You can spend the entire day viewing not only hydrangea flowers but also other summer flowers such as irises, lotus, lilacs, pinks, dahlias, roses, and sunflowers.
Along with viewing flowers, I highly recommend you to pay a visit to the bonsai gardens. You will be very pleased to see each bonsai that is on display. In addition, you will be overwhelmed by range of the outdoor activities the park usually offers throughout the year.
Showa memorial park can be reached by the JR Chuo Line. You can take a train from Shinjuku Station to reach Tachikawa station which will take about 30 minutes. And it is only a 10-mintue walk from Tachikawa Station to Showa Kinen Park.
Alternatively, get off at Nishi Tachikawa station on JR Chuo Line (selected trains stop here) and take a short walk, about 2 minutes to reach the park.
10. Ikiiki Hydrangea Festival (Ikiiki Ajisai Matsuri)

In Asakusa area, there is a hydrangea matsuri known as Ikiiki Hydrangea Festival, held in mid-June every year at Chokokuji Temple. This temple is located in the neighborhood of Iriya, Asakusa.
This ajisai festival specializes in 100 rare varieties of hydrangeas that you can buy. Here, one basket of hydrangea costs about 1,500 Japanese yen. You will experience a lot of hydrangea plants that are on display.
In addition, visitors can do moxibustion reception at the temple to relieve summer heat sickness. You have to pay to participate in it.
The temple is a 10-minute walk from Iriya Station (Tokyo Metro).
In conclusion, Tokyo has more than the above 10 hydrangea spots and they can be seen almost everywhere in the neighborhoods of Tokyo.
In search of more hydrangea spots in Tokyo, consider visiting these places: Mizumoto Park and Symbol of Promenade Park in Odaiba, Hydrangea Park in Kodaira, Kyu-Nakagawa Waterside Park, and Hama-rikyu gardens.
With the stunning scenery and good transportation facilities, travelling in Tokyo is a mind-blowing experience. Summer in Tokyo has so much to offer you. Viewing hydrangea in Tokyo in summer is just an amazing outdoor activity that you can’t miss.