Outdoor / Nature

Kiyose Sunflower Festival 清瀬ひまわりフェスティバル

26 August 2015

Last Sunday, Fu and I headed to Kiyose Sunflower Festival, where one can bask in the presence of over 100,000 sunflowers in bloom at its peak!

The location is very close to the border of Tokyo and Saitama, but it technically still holds a Tokyo address. Interesting to know that land can still be dirt cheap (pun intended) in Tokyo, isn’t it?

We arrived early at around 10am in an attempt to beat the crowds.

Still, there is already a growing crowd even at 10am!

It was my first time in a sunflower farm and it’s quite overwhelming to have all these flowers towering over me!

For comparison, Fu is about 1.8m

But it’s pretty nice to be enveloped by these happy flowers!

Sunflowers display heliotropism, which means they move in response to the direction of the sun.

So at some parts of the farm, all you see are backsides of the sunflowers

PANDEMONIUM. WHERE IS THE SUN, GAIZ?!!

The different ways sunflowers display their love for the sun:
Those that gaze lovingly into the face of the sun, and those that bow in deep respect before the sun.

Even in the world of plants, life is unfair:

“… how is it that flowers that haven’t bloomed are taller than me?! There’s no more chance for me, is there? :'(“

Towards the later part of the day, we spotted a fair bit of cosplayers trooping in, and I shyly asked for a photo with a group of them, hehe.

YOWAPEDAL!

After roaming for about 2 hours in the farm, we decided to head back to the entrance, where there were several stores selling sunflowers as well as other locally grown produce.

I wanted to get a pot of sunflowers (only 200 yen!) but… It was all sold out!!! :( :( :( I asked if we should buy them at the start, and Fu was all “Aiya, got so many!!! Won’t sell out one la!” Sob.

He good la, managed to buy a huge watermelon at a huge discount at only 1,000 yen (they go for about 2,800 yen in supermarkets now) but I don’t have my flowers :( But I did get a free lunch treat and a pack of chocolate sunflower seeds later as apology, so I guess it’s ok ;D

Very glad we came here today, and at the time we did! The flowers were almost in full bloom (about 95%, I would say) and shortly after we left, it started to rain! LUCKY!

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KIYOSE SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL

Sunflower diary
2015 Kiyose Sunflower Festival Official Page

16-30 August (2015)
Admission and parking free

How to access

Train + Bus
Kiyose station on the Seibu Ikebukuro line. From the North exit, board the 清61系統 bus at bus stop #2.
Get off at下宿入口. Takes about 3 mins.

Bicycle
Rent a bicycle near Kiyose station (North exit) for 100 yen. 1o bicycles available.

Car
Free parking at 清瀬市下清戸1-212-4.
8 min walk to farm.

4 Comments

  • Reply Zhen 26 August 2015 at 10:19 pm

    The buying of the sunflower REMINDS ME OF THE TIME WE WANTED TO BUY THE STRAWBERRIES N YOU SAID THE SAME THING FUGE SAID. *HMPHHHH*

    P.s. I can see your invisaligns through your smile in the last photo…. muahahahaa

    • Reply Rin 26 August 2015 at 10:44 pm

      And were the strawberries sold out? I don’t even remember which incident you’re talking about!

      HOW CAN YOU SEE THEM. THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE INVISIBLE.
      But yeah man, I don’t know how to smile lately! Smile with teeth looks so ugly. Smile without teeth looks so constipated. :(

  • Reply senangsenangyuks 27 August 2015 at 9:09 am

    So beautiful and nice photographs. <3
    We wold love to see it someday. Nice sharing. :)

    • Reply Rin 27 August 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Thank you :) It’s definitely a sight worth seeing!

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