The Ajisai Matsuri (Hydrangea Festival) is held annually from mid-June until early July in Otawara. About 6,000 hydrangea flowers bloom, awakening this isolated town into a small local festival.

Although I could have chosen many more, in this piece, I profile five gardens from all across Kyushu for a diverse yet uniquely southwestern Japanese botanical experience.

Since I moved to Chiba Prefecture, I found a garden I really fell in love with, this beautiful garden is “Keisei bara en” it is a 30,000 square meter and the area has 10,000 roses of 1,600 varieties.

This route is designed for all visitors who only have one day to visit Kanazawa and want to make the most out of it. It starts and ends at Kanazawa station. You can reach all destinations via foot or by bus (check the section below for the information about bus routes).

One Kyoto local has taken the tourism boom as an opportunity to provide a sustainably-focused day tour from Kyoto. Chuck Kayser, moved to Kyoto over 20 years ago and has been organic farming for 11 years. He is also a member of Seeds of Sustainability Kyoto, a group which hosts events throughout the city promoting sustainable ideas.

The garden is known for its wide array of stones, of all sizes and shapes. It is said the garden dates back to the Edo-period and was a former mansion site of a wealthy man named Kinokuniya Buzaemon in 1716. Then in 1878 Iwasaki Yataro (the founder of Mitsubishi) purchased the land and turned it into a place of recreation for his employees and distinguished guests.

The ultimate reason to why the area of Hiruzen is so cool compared to other parts of Western Japan is the altitude of where this place is located along with all the mountain ranges and dense forests which help block off rays from the sun.

Approximately 11km east from Nara Park, lies an ancient trail called Yagyu Kaido. This track once served as pilgrimage for mountain Buddhists, a form of mountain asceticism during the Nara and Heian period, therefore many historical sites, monuments, and ruins of the time remain here barely touched.

Entering the elevated gardens, one is instantly confronted by the robust clouds of green surrounding the elegant reddish stone building, now housing the Otani Art Museum, which reflects English aristocratic homes. It was originally the residence of Meiji-era politician Mutsu Munemitsu (1844-1897), whose son was adopted into the Furukawa family.

Known as the Temple of Flowers, Mimuroto-ji sits amidst an expansive garden that offers a wonderful array of plants and trees coming in to bloom at different times throughout the year.

Kawasaki, a city in Kanagawa-ken, has a 1.2-hectare park named Ikuta Ryokuchi. They have many places to visit such as Kawasaki Municipal Science Museum, Japan Open Air Folk House Museum, Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Yomiuri Land, and Kawasaki Art Center. But the one that I will share here is the rose garden.

Kagoshima city holds a large number of interesting historical sites, but few of them are as big as Sengan-en, a sprawling Japanese garden and house on the northern edge of the city. It is one of Kagoshima's most popular tourist spots and aside from the attraction within the gardens itself, it commands a wonderful view of Sakurajima, Kagoshima's iconic volcano.