On the edge of Tokyo in Saitama, Kinchakuda Manjushage Park is a gem in any season, but it blooms especially brightly from the end of September to mid-October.
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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.

Large map of the park showing it's resemblance to a drawstring pouch. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Clusters of higanbana line the roads and stream in the park. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

Historically, two common places for planting higanbana were riversides and burial sites with the hope that the poisonous roots would ward off burrowing animals.

A close look at higanbana with clinging raindrops. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

Woodland walks through fields of higanbana add to the enjoyment of the park.

Visitors stroll along the woodland path amidst fields of higanbana. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)
This field of higanbana shows off its brilliant autumn red.  (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)
The striking architecture of this bridge adds to the photogenic nature of the park's scenery. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

Large black butterflies were busy, as were hummingbirds, although try as I might I could not get a good photo of one.

A large black butterfly alights a white higanbana.  (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

White flowers are probably a fraction of 1% but provide an interesting contrast. ]

A few white higanbana mixed in with the abundant red variety. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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).

Walking from the Seibu Line station to Kinchakuda Park. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

Getting In to See the Blossoms

During the formal festival period, there is a ¥500 admission charge. At other times the park is free.

Many varieties to be seen but I did not have time to look up their names. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Some of the blossoms are well past their prime but others are not yet out. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Food stalls offer a variety of festival-style fare for quick bites at sheltered tables. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)
Children also had a delightful time wading and looking for critters by the river. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Chestnuts on display along the path to the park (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

A very old-fashioned chestnut roaster (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Clusters of higanbana, shrubs and autumn flowers.  (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Straw dolls (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

Our ¥1,300 ($8.75 lunch. (©JAPAN Forward by EH Kinmonth)

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.

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