Ijimino Park Iris Garden

Irises and more at one of Japan's Top 100 parks

Kim   - 3 min read

Located in the Shibata area of Niigata Prefecture, Ijimino Park is one of Japan's best parks for fans of irises. The grounds are home to approximately 600,000 of the beautiful blooms in an incredible 300 varieties, making it one of the country's top four iris gardens – the others are Nagai Iris Park in Yamagata, Maekawa Iris Garden in Ibaraki, and the Sawara City Aquatic Botanical Garden in Chiba Prefecture for anyone curious. Ijimino Park also features on the list of Japan's Top 100 Urban Parks if you needed another incentive to stop by.

Ijimino Park is one of Japan's top iris gardens
Ijimino Park is one of Japan's top iris gardens (Photo: Shinya ICHINOHE / CC BY-NC 2.0)

When the iris flowers are at their best, an annual festival typically takes place – if you're hoping to attend, plan for the late June timeframe based on previous years. Admission the park is normally free of charge, but during peak iris season there is a small fee of ¥ 100.

Photo: Shinya ICHINOHE / CC BY-NC 2.0

It's not just the irises that make the park a pleasant destination for a day out, so don't discount it even if you can't visit during the most popular time of year. There are sporting facilities for athletics, baseball, soccer, and tennis, a duck-filled pond, and a wide variety of playground equipment catering to children of different ages. Earlier in spring the pond is surrounded by fluffy pink cherry blossom trees, and during autumn the area blazes with the color of changing leaves.

Getting there

The Ijimino Park Iris Garden is located around 10 minutes by taxi (or approximately 40 minutes on foot) from JR Shibata Station, which is served by the Uetsu Main Line and the Hakushin Line. For those who opt to drive, the venue is around 20 minutes driving time from the Seiro Shibata IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway, and free on-site parking is available for up to 250 vehicles.

Kim

Kim @kim.b