Ibaraki's Golden Fields: The Akeno Sunflower Festival

It’s Summer in Japan!

Summer in Japan is so busy. With all the festivals here and there, it’s like almost every week you’ll be able to attend one.

Last weekend, I went on a bus tour and part of the tour was to go see a sunflower festival.

I’ve been a sunflower farm before but never a festival. I wasn’t so impressed with what I saw on the farm so I lowered my expectations on this one.

We reached the festival venue at almost lunch time. It was so hot but these sunflowers were dancing gracefully to the maximum heat. They were pretty! 🌻

The festival name is called Akeno Sunflower Festival. It’s located in Ibaraki, so don’t be confused as there’s also a similar name located in Yamanashi which apparently was famous.

It was the first day of the festival so what good timing!

The sunflowers here are of different variant because it’s not the usual brown center. They say these sunflowers are called yae sunflowers, with golden yellow center and apparently they’re rare!

They set up frames so we could take an iconic photo so I didn’t miss my chance. It was awkward at first because many people were watching but later on, I got used to it. It’s like everytime we position ourselves in a frame, a crowd would build up. 😅

Some areas were not yet in bloom though. But it’s okay, I can understand. After all, this sunflower field is approximately 4 hectares!

Or maybe we were just too early? It seems the best time to go is late August to early September.

Mount Tsukuba can be seen on the background but I totally have no idea which side. 😅

At the festival area, just near the sunflower field, they set up a stage for performances and some stalls for snacks and souvenirs.

I got myself a kakigori or shaved ice with melon flavor because I wanted some coldness. The heat was intense, so I was a bit worried for the vendors especially the older ones.

I think there was one stall that was from a nearby school selling stuff but I wasn’t able to check it. I saw some students though roaming around and selling things. I was planning to buy one but I couldn’t find them after.

They were also selling sunflowers. It would be nice to take them home but not this time. There’s no space in the house for flowers. 🥲

They also prepared a small walkway where you will be surrounded by wind chimes. It was so cute! I’ve been planning to go to a wind chime festival but it never happened. I was happy I got to experience the wind chimes here. Most of them were designed with sunflowers. Or maybe all of them? Anyways, they’re just so cute and they make beautiful sounds.

We didn’t stay long but we’re glad to hear a performance. When we arrived, I think she was doing sound check and now before we left the venue, she performed. The background song in the video below was from her singing. Sorry, I don’t know her name.

To reach Akeno Sunflower Festival, I think it’s more realistic to take a car. I haven’t seen a nearby train station or a commuting bus that passed by. It’s the countryside so better to go here by car.

The sunflowers were beautiful! I just hope that I will able to see more of them, like the entire area covered in these yellow flowers. I think coming here during sunset would have a terrific view. Next time, if there is!

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Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

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With love,

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^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}