Earl Kinmonth 
Minka (traditional rural home) and nearby fields. (©JAPAN Forward)
Spring in Japan sees a succession of flowers, shrubs, and tree blooms of which sakura is the most famous. In recent years tulips, sunflowers, and baby blue eyes have joined more traditional blossoms as part of the season mix. Tulips, closely associated with Holland, are now widely planted in Japan and there are some venues that attract crowds comparable to those drawn to places known for their sakura. Well-known venues for tulips in the Kanto (Tokyo) region include Showa Kinen Park and Shinrin Koen.
My favorite is, however, a venue that did not appear in any English language recommendations for tulip viewing venues: Adachi City Urban Agricultural Park (AUAP, 足立区都市農業公園).
During the past few weeks, this park has been the host to both a field full of tulips and scores of sakura in full bloom as well as some yet to bloom.
What the Park Offers
Although not as large in scale as some famous tulip sites, the AUAP offers not just decorative floral displays year-round. Its main function is teaching children about agriculture. It offers hands-on experience planting and harvesting rice and other farm produce that most urban dwellers will know only from plastic-wrapped produce in supermarkets.
Because of its teaching function, signs in the park are mostly in simplified Japanese with pronunciation (furigana) for kanji.
Organic produce grown onsite is used for inexpensive but tasty meals in the Rest House Kitchen Toretate. The restaurant offers panoramic views of the park and the Arakawa.
Note that the restaurant is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The park also has a small museum of traditional farm implements.
In season, children (and adults) can see live silkworms up close.
The park also features a play area with a jungle gym and roller slide, popular with small children.
Floral and Botanical Displays
In addition to field crops, flower beds, and groves of flowering trees and shrubs, the AUAP has an herb garden and a small hot house which despite its diminutive size always seems to have something interesting in bloom.
Dried herbs are on sale at very nominal prices. My wife was delighted with a potpourri she bought on one of our visits.
The AUAP is one of the few venues in Tokyo where you can see numerous sakura other than the Somei Yoshino. This is the most widely planted variety and that which is most closely associated with ohanami (flower viewing) by both Japanese and foreign visitors.
The uncommon varieties at AUAP are more interesting than the Somei Yoshino. Each variety has blossoms with a distinctive structure. Colors range from white to red to greenish-yellow.
Hanamomo (blossoming peach) are interplanted with the traditional sakura varieties.
Later in 2025, the AUAP will have ajisai (Hydrangea) and a field of sunflowers replacing the tulip bed. In the fall, its maple trees provide a miniature display of autumn colors.
Early in the spring, AUAP ume and kanzakura (cold weather cherry) come into bloom.
Events
AUAP has numerous "events" keyed to floral displays, autumn colors, the agricultural planting and harvest cycle, and traditional holidays such as the upcoming Children's Day (kodomo no hi) on the 5th of May.
The koinobori and samurai armor are in the grounds of a reconstructed minka (traditional) farmhouse. Unfortunately, the minka and nearby gate are off limits for a "structural evaluation" that has been going on for several years.
Some events are open to all. Others may require application and payment of a nominal fee in the case of hands-on projects that use construction materials.
Access
The AUAP is best reached by bicycle. It is at the junction of the Arakawa Cycling Road and Shibakawa Cycling Road courses. Bus service is available from the Nishiarai Station of the Tobu Skytree Line (get off at Shikahama Toshi Nogyo Koen 鹿浜都市農業公園). Parking for 155 cars is available at a nominal fee.
The AUAP itself is wheelchair friendly but the riverside field where tulips, sunflowers, and other seasonal items is not suitable for wheelchairs.
There is no charge for admission to any part of the park. It is closed on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. It keeps business hours: 0900-1700 and is locked and gated outside of open times.
Conclusion
Tokyo has a number of attractive parks within the 23 city wards. Our favorites are Shakuji Koen, Mizumoto Koen, and Adachi Nogyoen. We visit the Adachi park most frequently not just because it is close but because it offers a greater range of seasonal change than the other parks and is easily combined with an excursion to Toneri Koen.
Although not an issue for us now (our two sons are in their early 20s) it provides an opportunity to give city-dwelling children a chance to see something of traditional agriculture. Foreign residents might find its events and courses a chance to make friends and practice Japanese in a social setting.
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Author: Earl H Kinmonth
Photographs by EH Kinmonth.
Find other stories about Tokyo and nearby areas by Dr Kinmonth.
