Find Out Why Travellers Love Mr. Mishima's Garden In May and June

31 May, 2017 Matt Kaiser

The Niseko area is full of hidden treasures, like Mr. Mishima's garden. Take a look at why travellers come from across Japan and Asia to see it during spring.

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Welcome to Mr. Mishima's garden, Shibazakura no oka or Shibazakura hill.

Don't worry if you missed out on the sakura season this spring. The shibazakura last a bit longer during their peak and are still beautiful both before and after their full bloom. Shibazakura or pink moss phlox, are a perennial flower that spread out into large mats or cushions. They are particularly lovely when they cover wide areas and there are a number of popular places around Hokkaido for the flowers.

Here in Niseko, you will find the flowers adorning private gardens across the region. Many public facilities have the flowers peppering gardens, too, but none come close to the impressive size of Mr. Mishima's garden in Kutchan Town. In between the train station and Asahigaoka ski resort, Mr. Mishima's shibazakura garden is a real spectacle that draws busloads of guests each year. When we went up there the other day, the parking lots were so full we had to walk ten minutes just to get there!

The garden spreads out over sculpted bumps and mounds in an impressive 4,000 square metre sea of pink, purple and white. With Mt Yotei in the distance, Mr. Mishima's garden is a fantastic place to take a photo or go for a walk on a nice spring day.

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Mishima's Shibazakura Garden
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Currently, the tiny little flowers are at their peak and should last until the end of next week for those hoping to catch them. They tend to bloom from mid-May until mid-June with the peak falling somewhere in between. So if you miss them this year, you can always catch them in 2018!

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Matt Kaiser
Matt Kaiser

Originally from Canada, Matt first came to Hokkaido in the summer of 2012. Living in the northern reaches of Hokkaido, he gradually moved south until he arrived here in the Niseko area in the fall of 2015. His involvement with Experience Niseko began just before it's official online launch in June 2016. Now the international editor for both the print and digital editions, he spends his time exploring the Niseko area for more exciting stories to share with our readership.