Shibazakura and Tulips: An Amazing Flower-Filled Hokkaido Road Trip

As the cherry blossoms fall, other beautiful and exciting flowers such as shibazakura and tulips begin to bloom. I’m sure when most people think of Hokkaido, their first thought is of a snowy white wonderland. But did you know Hokkaido is also famous for its stunning flower fields? The famous lavender and sunflower fields are undoubtedly a summer highlight, but the fun begins in spring with the bright pink shibazakura!

What is Shibazakura?

Pink shibazakura/moss phlox — Moss Phlox known as Shibazakura in Japan

White shibazakura is in the forefront and pink shibazakura covers the ground up the hillside. — Moss Phlox known as Shibazakura in Japan

Shibazakura 芝桜 is the Japanese name for this flower, also known as moss phlox or moss pink. It is a low lying plant that covers the ground like grass and has small bright pink flowers. These flowers have a similar shape to cherry blossoms, so that’s why the Japanese name literally means turf cherry blossom. One day, a man had the idea to plant this flower on the hillside of a town called Takinoue 滝上. The town holds a flower festival from the beginning of May until June and it only costs ¥500 (~$5) to enter.

Josey poses on the sidewalk on the left making a v sign. On the left is a hillside covered with pink shibazakura. — On the hillside in Takinoue

Road Trip Time

Instead of doing a trip in Golden Week (29th April – 5th May), I decided to wait until mid-May so I could see the amazing shibazakura. Websites had told me that the best time to see it was from the middle of May to the end of the month. The only problem was, Takinoue is a good 5-hour drive from where I live. I like long drives, but the thought of driving 10 hours in a single day isn’t very appealing. In the end, my friend and I decided staying a night would be best. We began our road trip at the bright and early hour of 5am. I’m not a morning person at all, but with all my excitement and the early sunrise at 4am, getting up was no problem.

Scenic Drive

Yes, a 5 hour drive is pretty long, but when you’re driving through a scenic national park, it goes by surprisingly quick. We drove up through the Daisetsuzan National Park (Hokkaido’s largest) and we were able to see the mysterious disappearing Taushubetsu bridge and the mountain range from an observation deck at Mikuni Pass.

Josey poses making a v sign in front of a tree. In the background, a dried up lake and bridge can be seen.

The diasetsu mountain range viewed from Mikuni Pass in Hokkaido,Japan. The mountains still have some snow on the top.

Takinoue Shibazakura

We arrived at our destination on time as planned, and were slightly overwhelmed upon stepping out of the car. It was a beautiful sunny 25°C, about 7°C hotter than our town. Normally this kind of temperature isn’t hot to me (Aussie summers are much hotter than this), but after living in Hokkaido for 3 years, I think my body has finally adjusted.

Shibazakura Takinoue Park. Pink shibazakura covers the hillside above the town houses. — Shibazakura Takinoue Park

The hillside covered in varying shades of pink was absolutely spectacular! I was also particularly surprised and delighted to see a helicopter flying above. It looked very cool making some sharp turns when flying about. If you’d like to see some videos of this, you can check them out here. My friend and I had a lot of fun taking lots of photos. After walking around for a while, we ate some great festival food and got to try the most delicious shibazakura flavoured soft-serve ice cream. I think this might be one of the best flavours I’ve had yet!

Different shades of pink shibazakura cover the hillside at Takinoue. In the background there are some green trees and a small stream runs through the middle from the left.

A white helicopter with a rainbow and blue tail sits on green grass at Shibazakura Takinoue Park.

Josey poses holding her hat and smiling at the camera. Her hat is straw coloured with a black band. She wears a white short sleeve blouse with a blue floral print. Behind her the background is all pink from the shibazakura.

Shibazakura grow in a the shape of Hokkaido Japan. The border is white. This is at Takinoue Shibazakura Park.

Pink shibazakura soft-serve ice cream in a cone at Shibazakura Takinoue Park.

Josey poses at the top of the stairs. On both sides are bright pink shibazakura at Takinoue.

We saw a very special guest at the park, Kyun-chan キュンちゃん！ Kyun-chan is the Hokkaido Tourism Mascot and this time he was wearing a shibazakura hat. He is a Hokkaido Pika, which is a small rodent-like mammal. Kyun-chan was incredibly cute and we got to take a photo with him!

Josey poses making a v sign with Kyun-chan キュンちゃん, a Hokkaido mascot that looks like a rodent-like mammal called a pika. The mascot is wearing a pink shibazakura hat and has a name tag saying 芝桜キュンちゃん. Behind is hill covered in shibazakura and then green trees and a blue sky. — Hokkaido’s mascot Kyun-chan

Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park

When researching Takinoue, I discovered there was a tulip park nearby. What’s better than one flower park? Two! It was really good timing that both the tulips and shibazakura were in bloom. There is a lovely Dutch-style windmill there and an incredible variety of tulips. I’d never realized how many different kinds there could be! Check them out here!

Josey takes a selfie making the v sign and smiling at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park かみゆうべつチューリップ公園. The dutch style windmill can be seen in the background and tulips can be seen on the left. Josey has long brown hair and teal coloured glasses.

Dark pink open tulip can be seen up close with rows of the same kind in the background.

A close up image of a striking match tulip. The base of the flower is yellow and transitions to a bright orange with the petal tips slightly unfolded at the top. Row of the same kind of tulip can be seen in the background

Josey poses in front of a row of purple tulips. Josey is wearing a white blouse with blue floral print and a black kimono style shrug and black pants. In the background to the left pink and white tulips can be seen.

Two rows of short yellow tulips are in front of rows of tall vivid red tulips. In the background the dutch style windmill at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park can be seen.

Josey poses on the left in the field of tulips. There are rows of various coloured tulips. White, purple, pink, red and yellow tulips can be seen. In the background the windmill can be seen. This is Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park かみゆうべつチューリップ公園

In front dark purple tulips can be seen. In the mid-ground Josey can be seen and in the background is the windmill at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park かみゆうべつチューリップ公園

A close up of a special red tulip that has multiple open petals fanning out.

Josey sits on a black and white diary cow shaped seat. Her hand is on the cows head and her black bag is beside her. In the background two tulip statues can be seen amongst some purple tulips.

The Sun glows orange among a slightly cloudy sky as it begins to set. A field full of rows of tulips of many colors can be seen below the sun. This is Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park かみゆうべつチューリップ公園

A bright pink tulip is shown with light pink stripes on the petal. More of the same can be seen either side and above and orange setting sun is visible.

A tall red tulip is seen. The stem is green with yellow edges on the leaves. Rows of red tulips are in the background and an orange setting sun amongst the clouds can be seen.

Bonus Adventure

On Sunday, we hadn’t planned anything as the weather forecasted rain. But in the morning, the rain hadn’t started yet. We had stayed in the Sounkyo area in the Daisetsusan National Park, so we made our way to the visitor center there. The facility was really nice and there was a staggering amount of information available, it was like a miniature museum. The best part though was the lady working there, she ended up giving us a little tour around the displays and telling us all about the history of Sounkyo and Mt Kurodake. It was amazing!

Wooden Cabin at Sounkyo Auto Camping Ground. It is made of a light colored wood with the window frames in black. — Sounkyo Auto Camping Ground where we stayed overnight

Inside of the cabin at Sounkyo Auto Camping Ground Hokkaido Japan. The interior is wooden and two built in bunk beds with a wooden ladder are on the right. There is a table and a small white heater. — Sounkyo Auto Camping Ground where we stayed overnight

A large taxidermy brown bear is seen standing on its hindlegs with its mouth open at Sounkyo Visitor Center — Sounkyo Visitor Center

The interior os Sounkyo Visitor Center. It is an open space with a large round map on the left and a table on the right. In the background other information areas can be seen. — Sounkyo Visitor Center

The rain was holding off and the sun even came out a bit, so we headed off to Daisetsu Mori-no Garden. There was a stunning view of the Diasetsu Mountain Range and each garden was beautifully curated. It was a mix of garden and forest styles and many different kinds of spring flowers in bloom. They even had some hammocks set up! After enjoying the garden, we spent some time at the cafe there and ate a yummy hot dog and a sweet berry pie gelato. As we enjoyed our food, the forecasted thunderstorm and rain rolled in. It was incredible to watch.

Josey is sitting on a bench in a garden facing a giant snow-capped mountain. The mountain is part of the Diasestu Mountain Range in Hokkaido Japan

A pathway lined with trees and daffodils. There is a black fence on the right. This is part of Diasetsu Mori-no Garden

A spring garden filled with tulips and other flowers can be seen. There is a pathway through the flowers and a bench and grass is visible in the background. This is Diasestu Mori-no Garden

Someone is laying in red striped hammock. Only the persons legs are visible. A nice forest can be seen in the background with pine trees.

Diasestu Mountain Range viewed from Diasetsu Mori-no Garden in Hokkaido Japan. There are green fields in the forefront and the snow-capped mountain in the background. The sky is blue with some clouds coming from the left.

A dark purple burgundy tulip is seen amongst daffodils in the garden at Diasetsu Mori-no Garden

There is a wooden undercover deck. In the middle are two trees extending up through a circular cutout in the roof. On the trees are multiple birdhouses.

A hot dog covered in ketchup and mustard is on a napkin on a white plate sitting in front of a large glass window overlooking Diasetsu Mori-no Garden.

Two gelatos in small paper cups are being help up in front a large glass windows overlooking Diasetsu Mori-no Garden. On the left, a spoon is being held up with berry pie flavored gelato on it. The gelato is white with purple swirls.

A picture taken from a bridge. The railing is light blue and a river runs under the bridge. On either side are rows of green trees. In the background the Daisetsu Mountain Range can be seen. The sky is grey with storm rain clouds but clears above the mountain.

Our Road Trip Plan

Sightseeing places visited:

Have you ever seen flower parks like these? Which do you like better, shibazakura or tulips? Let me know in the comments below! If you want to see more flowers, don’t forget to read about the Cherry Blossoms.