The name of this park, Kinchakuda Manjushage Koen, is something of a mouthful. It is also vaguely symbolic of what it offers: a half million plants in one color (red) with blossoms that show little variation. But, that is the source of their appeal, much as it is for the poppy-covered hillsides I used to see cycling in Britain.
The name Kinchaku Manjushage (巾着田曼珠沙華) has two components. One is a kinchakuda (巾着田) description of the park topography (田). The second, manjushage (曼珠沙華) is a formal name for what most would call the flower, higanbana (彼岸花).
A "kinchaku" is a pouch closed at the top with a drawstring.
Manjushage is one of several formal names applied to Lycoris radiata, a plant noted for blooming around the autumn equinox, and Obon. The latter is a Japanese folk and Buddhist holiday celebrating the yearly visit of the spirits of deceased ancestors. Obon is sometimes described as "All Saints Day" with Japanese characteristics.
Several Notable Botanical Traits
Aside from their striking color, higanbana have several notable botanical traits. The blossoms appear before the plants have leaves. Also, the plants do not produce seeds but are propagated from bulbs.
This means that the small clusters of higanbana that you see along roadsides or in fields have been put there by human action.
Historically, two common places for planting higanbana were riversides and burial sites with the hope that the poisonous roots would ward off burrowing animals.
Woodland walks through fields of higanbana add to the enjoyment of the park.
Large black butterflies were busy, as were hummingbirds, although try as I might I could not get a good photo of one.
White flowers are probably a fraction of 1% but provide an interesting contrast. ]
Getting There
The private Seibu Railway has frequent "express" (no extra charge) commuter trains on its Ikebukuro Line terminating in Hanno. From there the park is a 15 minute walk from the Koma Station on the Seibu Chichibu Line.
With a careful selection of trains, it is possible to be in the park 75 minutes after leaving Ikebukuro. The adult fare is ¥550 JPY ($3.70 USD).
Travel by car is also possible. However, the local roads between the park and the several motorways in the area can become very congested. Parking is a flat ¥500 ($3.35).
Getting In to See the Blossoms
During the formal festival period, there is a ¥500 admission charge. At other times the park is free.
The festival dates have been changed several times due to the plants responding to the weather. Currently, the festival is scheduled to end on October 9, a one-week extension beyond the originally advertised closing.
That does not mean the flowers will be gone after the end of the festival. When we visited on October 4, there were some areas where the blossoms had already dropped but other large areas where the plants had buds yet to open.
The current state of the blossoms may be checked online.
Accessibility
The park itself is flat with hard or paved paths. I saw visitors using self-propelled wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The walking path from Koma Station to the park is also barrier-free.
Festival Activities
The festival aspect is mostly more than a score of food stalls surrounding sheltered tables. Food stalls offer all the usual festival fare in Japan, as well as one offering "real Indian curry."
A stall offering "出世クリ" or "success chestnuts" caught my eye because my doctoral dissertation and subsequent English and Japanese language books were about the Meiji Era (立身出世). It's a concept I translated as "self-made" to locate my study within American and British social and intellectual history.
Notably, there was one stall roasting the chestnuts on the spot. It was using three machines that looked like something one might have seen in Victorian Britain during the heyday of "self-made" guides such as Samuel Smiles Self Help, the popularity of which in Japan brought me to the study of Japanese social and intellectual history.
The chestnuts were delicious.
Floral Contrasts
Having arrived early, we did not eat more from the stalls. Instead, we concentrated on viewing the blossoms, looking for striking and unusual clusters or combinations against various backdrops.
Later, on our walk back to the station, we had lunch at the Alishan Cafe. We had noted its unusual menu and were attracted by the straw dolls at its entrance.
As explained by our waitress, the cafe is owned and operated by an American-Taiwanese couple. It specializes in vegetarian and organic items both for its on-premise food offerings and in ingredients sold on-premise and online.
The food was tasty and reasonably priced.
Consuming an organic and vegetarian curry seated in the covered terrace area made me feel that I was back in California in a cafe in one of the northern coastal counties.
Conclusion
When I first was in Japan 1971-1974 I went hiking frequently along the Seibu Chichibu Line. More recently my wife and I have gone hiking from Hanno and other stations on this line. As well, we've used it for access to the Moomin Valley Park near Hanno and the Shibazakura flower festival at Yokoze, the last stop before Chichibu.
In 2013, Cerberus, an American vulture fund that had taken a large holding in the Seibu group tried to kill off the loss-making Chichibu Line. Fortunately, Seibu saw off Cerberus and the Chichibu Line remains. It gives those of us living in that part of Tokyo, the region that influenced Blade Runner and was the totality of Lost in Translation, a convenient escape to an alternate green universe.
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Author: Earl H Kinmonth
Photographs by EH Kinmonth. Find other stories about Tokyo and nearby areas by Dr Kinmonth.
