Delight your summer with Yamanashi's sunflower and lavender festivals

Yamanashi prefecture is famous for its magnificent Mt Fuji but during the summertime, you can enjoy and explore so much more. Akeno Sunflower Festival is held every year, where you can enjoy the blooming more than 600,000 sunflowers in the city of Hakuto or even get lost in the beautiful garden of lavender near Kawaguchiko.

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Sunflower Festival in a city of longest daytime

Hakuto city is located in Yamanashi prefecture and is said to be the city with the longest day in Japan. Every year during the Summer between mid-July to mid-August, the Akeno Sunflower festival is held celebrating the wonderful bloom of more than 600,000 sunflowers. This place offers a breathtaking scenery that looks like a carpet of vibrant sunflowers or a sea of sunflowers and as far as you can see, sunflowers are spread throughout the field. Roam through the field of sunflowers or take pictures, or even enjoy the Japanese Summer foods here. At the festivals, you can find many food stalls which offer many kinds on Japanese street foods such as Japanese fried noodles called "Yakisoba", grilled corn cobs, BBQ meats and variety of flavours of locally made ice creams. You will be surprised that they also offer Sunflower ice cream which is actually made of vanilla and honey with sprinkles of sunflower seeds, which you won't find elsewhere. Enjoying the magical view of sunflowers is definitely worth visiting the Akeno Sunflower Festival.

Make your lavender dreams come true at Lake Kawaguchiko Herb Festival

Lake Kawaguchiko Herb Festival is held annually at the shore of Lake Kawaguchi in two different locations: Yagizaki Park and Oishi Park. In summer here, nine thousand stocks of vibrant lavenders bloom, creating a magical purple carpet. Although Lake Kawaguchiko is frequently visited by lots of tourists throughout the year, summertime provides an opportunity to enjoy the majestic view of Mt Fuji with lovely fields of lavender. The wonderful scent of lavender and the contrast of vividly purple beds against the clear blue Kawaguchiko lake along with the humongous Mt Fuji in the background will definitely take your breath away. Walk through the garden, and pick the lavender here to bring it back home. At the Lake Kawaguchiko Herb Festival they hold special events such as fireworks and jazz band performances to enjoy lavender blooms in a special atmosphere. Food stalls here also offers a variety of street foods and while you are visiting here. Trying the garden's lavender-flavoured ice cream is a must. At the festival, you can even buy different kinds of herbs and treats, even locally-grown fruits and vegetables too. Lake Kawaguchiko Lavender Festival is held between mid-June to mid-July, so don't forget mark it down on your calendar!

Cool down with freshly milked ice cream

Yatsugatake Seisenryo farm in Yamanashi is widely popular for its freshly milked ice creams. The farm itself stands at the elevation of 1,200m and it is surrounded by green mountains, snow-covered Alps, and endless tablelands. Cows here are cultivated with extra care and the environment and beautiful natures also contribute to it, producing fresh and flavoursome milk which is used for making the rich and delicious ice creams. Having the ice cream while viewing incredible Mt Fuji and the snow-covered Alps is truly one of the best ways to make the most of Yamanashi.

Make the most of your summer at Yamanashi

sunflower lavender festivals yamanashi Lovely flowers and delicious ice creams are not the only things great about Yamanashi's summer. Visit Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum where you can see the collection of world-famous music boxes. Cute buildings and gardens at this place will make you feel like you are in a fairy-tale and you can even see professional music performances. Along with many entertainments and fun activities, this museum also has a rose garden where you will see lots of different kinds of lovely roses. You can also ride on a Kachikachi-yama Ropeway or hike to the top of Mt Tenjo where you will be rewarded with a wonderful panoramic view of Mt Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko surroundings.

How to visit?

To visit Yamanashi prefecture, it will be a two hours train ride from Tokyo. Once you get to Yamanashi, take Chuo line towards Matsumoto to JR Nirasaki station to visit the Akeno sunflower festival. Take a Mizugaki line bus from JR Nirasaki station which is just a 25 minutes-drive or alternatively take a car. To get to the Lake Kawaguchi lavender festival, the best station is Kawaguchiko station where you have to take different bus routes to get to each lavender park. Take number one Kazaana bus line to get to Yagizaki park or take number 5 to Akebonosou-mae station to go to Oishi park. To visit Yatsugatake Seisenryo, take Koumi line towards Komoro to Kiyosato station.