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Nikko NP, Tochigi
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Yahata’s 23-hectare azalea sea began as pasture: cattle and Nasu koma (military horses) ate other plants but left the azaleas standing. About 200,000 shrubs now flower here, with competing growth cut back to keep the landscape open.
The flowers arrive in a relay, not all at once: Togoku-mitsuba azaleas bloom first, followed by yamatsutsuji, rengu-tsutsuji, and sarasa-doudan. Different species take their turn bringing color to Yahata.
In 2001, Yahata was selected as one of Japan’s “100 Fragrant Landscapes,” chosen from 600 proposals nationwide. Its official entry name is “Azaleas of Nasu Yahata.”
The flower fields need a little conservation work, too: in a 2019 cleanup, about 90 people—including local school groups and residents—pulled roughly 400 kg of invasive plants from Yahata in about an hour.
