The official flower of Zama City in Kanagawa Prefecture is the sunflower. Every year in mid-August, the city holds the Zama Sunflower Festival. It takes an hour and a half by train or bus from Shinjuku Station to get to this event.

The festival is split into two areas: the Zama sunflower field and the Yotsuya sunflower field. In total, this amounts to over 5.5 hectares of land filled with approximately 550,000 sunflowers.

People from all over visit this venue to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Also, you can take an even closer look by walking on the path that leads you through the waist-high sea of sunflowers!

Every year, observation decks are placed around different parts of the facility. This allows you to take in a sweeping view of the entire sunflower field. Also, a sunflower picture-taking contest is held around the same time, providing you with the opportunity to get gorgeous shots of these flowers.

During the duration of the festival, you can enjoy purchasing fresh-cut flowers, farm products, and other specialties. In addition, there are many other fun events, such as catching sweetfish with your bare hands.

Best time to view: mid-August

Scale/Number of flowers: Around 550,000 sunflowers
*Around 440,000 at the Zama sunflower field and around 110,000 at the Yotsuya sunflower field.

Zama City Sunflower Festival
・Event Period: August 10th - 13th
・Hours: 9:30 AM–5 PM
・Event Locations: Zama Area and Yotsuya Area in Zama City
・Admission: Free
・Closed: Open daily during the event period.
*The event may be canceled or the details may be subject to change depending on the situation. Please check the official website for the latest information.

The Akeno Sunflower Festival is held annually from late August until early September in the Akeno district of Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Double-petaled sunflowers known as the Tohoku yae sunflower cover a field of around four hectares. Here you can enjoy the view of over a million beautiful yellow flowers.

The dark yellow field of sunflowers, the greens and purples of Mount Tsukuba, and the clear sky of early autumn make it the perfect scenic spot! Besides the Tohoku yae sunflower, there’s a mini sunflower garden where you enjoy a few different varieties of mini sunflowers.

During the festival, there are various attractions such as the "Cut Flower Experience" (5 flowers for 300 yen, additional 100 yen for wrapping, details for 2024 to be determined) where visitors can take home sunflowers. Additionally, the festival features music stages, gourmet booths, sunflower candle nights, sunflower markets, and more, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

Best time to view: Late-August to early-September

Scale/Number of flowers: Tohoku yae sunflowers and mini sunflowers, a total of around one million

Akeno Sunflower Festival
・Event Period: August 24th - September 1st
・Hours: 9 AM–4 PM
・Venue: Akeno Himawari no Sato (near Miyayama Furusato Fureai Park)
・Admission: Free
・Closed: Open daily during the event period.
*Please note that the event may be canceled or the details may change depending on the circumstances. For the latest information, please check the official website.

Yokosuka Soleil Hill is located in Kanagawa Prefecture’s Yokosuka City. From Tokyo, it takes about two hours by train and bus. From French, Soleil translates into the word sun, a perfect name for a park filled with sunflowers!

You can find a 5,000-meter-long garden at the entrance of the park. What’s more, at the 1,000-meter-long sunflower garden, you can find some 100,000 of them in full bloom. On a sunny day, the blueness of the sky and sea act as a beautiful contrast against the bright yellow sunflowers, making for a photogenic and scenic spot.

You can also find a sunflower-inspired menu at the facility’s restaurants and fast-food shops. You can also purchase sunflowers sold at workshops, take part in a stamp rally, and enjoy the photo spot set up in the field for a limited time only.

In addition, Soleil Hill is a nature-oriented park where you can interact with animals. It offers experiences such as Animal Village (admission fee: 700 yen, 4 to middle school students: 350 yen), paid attractions, a splash pool where children can enjoy water play, and on weekends and holidays, there are also summer vegetable harvesting experiences (paid).

With all of these activities, there’s no doubt that you’ll have a fun-packed day!

Best time to view: Late July to mid-August

Scale/Number of flowers: Approximately 100,000

Just two hours away from Tokyo Station, the Narita Dream Dairy Farm holds a 'Sunflower Festival' each year.

The festival is split into two sections, a 'Tall Sunflower Garden' with high-reaching hybrid sunflowers that have a strong impact, and a 'Short Sunflower Garden,' with smaller, cute sunfinity sunflowers. Any photos taken here are sure to be a hit on social media!

If you want to take a nice photo of your children or pets, we recommend stopping by the mini sunflower garden where sunfinity sunflowers bloom.

Additionally, there are many activities that you can enjoy as a family! This includes a photo contest, as well as a 'Sunflower Post Service' run by a goat!

Also, you can find limited-time sunflower dishes such as sunflower pizza and sunflower curry at the restaurant. For those who enter the sunflower maze, you get a discount coupon for the farm’s soft serve, carefully made with fresh milk.

As it is a farm where you can enjoy interacting with cute animals such as goats, sheep, and ponies, there are unique events only found on a farm, such as the Milk Ice Making Workshop (700 yen) and Butter Making Workshop (700 yen). Additionally, you can have a day full of fun with activities like archery (500 yen) and fishing (500 yen). You can create unforgettable summer memories that will make your day feel too short.

At Narita Dream Farm, there is an English-language map (guidebook), and some of the signs and precautions are written in English. The official website is also available in English and Chinese.

Usual Best Time late-July to late-August

Scale/Number of flowers: Hybrid sunflowers and sunfinity sunflowers: a total of over 900,000

Sunflower Festival - Smiling Sunflower Project
・Event Period: Typically from late July to late August
・Event Locations: Tall Sunflower Field, Short Sunflower Field, 2nd Yume Farm Estate, and more
・Farm Admission Fee: Junior high school students and above: 1,600 yen, 3 years old and above: 800 yen, Seniors (65 years old and above): 1,400 yen.
*Tall Sunflower Field (350 yen)
Closed: July 17th

Prepare to be moved by the beautiful scenic sight of these golden sunflowers! A field of sunflowers against the background of a blue sky is something you have to experience at least once.

It’s best to come to see them within a week after they bloom, so before making your way to the venues, please check online for when the peak period is.

*All the prices shown in the article include tax.
*The best time to see the sunflowers may change depending on the weather conditions.
*This article was originally published in June 2021, with information updated in June 2024.

Text by: Click