Nabano No Sato: Flower Park and Winter Illumination Guide!

Japan has one of the most dazzling light displays, transforming their garden and cities into dazzling dreamlands adorned with thousands of colorful lights and  larger-than-life cosmic illuminations.

But did you know that a place near the city of Nagoya holds the biggest illumination display in all of Japan?

Nabano No Sato is a botanical garden plus theme park located in the Mie Prefecture. People from all over the world flock to this garden to witness the variety of vegetation and the fields of gorgeous flowers! But what everybody’s excited about is when, come nighttime, the 8 million LED bulbs light up and transform the gardens into a twinkling wonderland complete with magical light tunnels and animated light shows.

Nabano No Sato
駒江漆畑-270 長島町 Kuwana, Mie 511-1144, Japan
Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Website: www.nagashima-onsen.co.jp

Cherry Blossom Kansai Series:

• Kansai, Japan Itinerary! Exploring Osaka, Nara & Mie using the Kintetsu Railway Pass!
• Visit The Best Cherry Blossom Spot in Japan! (Mt. Yoshino & Nara Park Itinerary)
• Nabano No Sato: Flower Park and Winter Illumination Guide!

Watch Cherry Blossoms in Japan: Sakura Season in Kansai (Vlog)

How to Get There:
It can easily be visited as a day trip from Nagoya or Osaka.

Via Osaka
2 hours and 11 minutes away from Osaka-Uehommachi to Kintetsu-Nagashima.
Note: There will be one transfer in Kuwana station.

The Regular fare is free if you use your Kintetsu Rail Pass. But you need to add an additional (Y1,610) for the Limited Express Fare.  (Online Purchase: www.kintetsu.affiliates.veltra.com)

TRAVEL BUDGET (OSAKA):
Total Fare w/o the Kintetsu Rail Pass = Y7460
Total Fare using the Kintetsu Rail Pass = Y4720
(Save= Y2740)

 

Via Nagoya
18 minutes away from Kintetsu-Nagoya to Kintetsu-Nagashima.

The Regular fare is free if you use your Kintetsu Rail Pass.

 

Illuminations start from mid-October and end in early May, drawing a huge crowd to the park, but the beautiful garden is open all year-round. 🙂

In the flower area, you can find cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, tulips, roses, azaleas and more.  Lucky for us, we were just in time for the cherry blossom and tulip season!

 

I was surprised by Nabano No Sato’s never-ending field of tulips. Go up the observatory, and you’ll find that the tulips are planted in an order forming several images. Did you find Mt. Fuji?

 

The Begonia Garden is a really nice place to rest in while waiting for the winter illuminations to start at 6:30 pm. (Because it is a greenhouse, it’s actually warm inside.)

Make sure to walk further the maze, that’s full of beautiful flowers, towards the end. You’ll see a beautiful cafe serving hot coffee and dessert!

 

For the  Kintetsu Rail Pass holder, the Begonia Garden is free entry.Without Kintetsu Rail Pass, it’s an additional 1000 yen entry.

 

The park grew busier with most of the people flocking directly to the light tunnel to the main illumination area first. (After watching the light show, we went back inside the tunnel to get a solo shot. My advice? Be patient for that perfect moment when no one is around.)

 

After the tunnel, we came across the main attraction of Nabana no Sato—the animated light show!  The entire field was filled with lights and a large animated illumination wall that changed colors to show different moving scenes. A must watch… Sugoi!

 

As we exited the show, we were greeted again by another gorgeous tunnel of lights that paid tribute to Japan’s beloved lavender fields, just in time for spring!

Nabana no Sato’s winter illumination was a fantastic side trip from Nagoya or Osaka. The best time to visit is in spring where you can both enjoy the field of flowers and the winter illuminations at the same time!

 

Opening Hours:
9:00 AM to 9:00 PM (until 10:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday during winter illumination)
Light show starts at 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm depending on the season.

 

Entrance Fee
Y1600 – spring and autumn
Y1000 – summer
Y2300 – winter illumination
The admission fee includes a Y1000 gift certificate to be used inside the park.
(Nabana no Sato Winter Illumination usually takes place from mid-October to early May.)

 

We grabbed the Kintetsu Rail Pass allowing us to head easily to the best spots in Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Mie and Nagayo! Get unlimited rides on the Kintetsu Railway and Nara Kotsu Bus Lines within your selected time frame. You can chose from 1-day, 2-day or 5-day value tickets according to what’s best for your itinerary.

For our itinerary, basically all Kintetsu train rides and bus are free, except for “limited express”.

5-Day Kintetsu Rail Pass: Php 1,675 (Y3,600)
(Location: Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Mie, Nagoya)
(Unlimited rides on Kintetsu Line, Iga Tetsudo Line)
(Special benefits offered by facilities including Nabana No Sato)

5-Day Kintetsu Rail Pass Plus: Php 2,237 (Y4800)
(Location: Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Mie, Nagoya)
(Unlimited rides on Kintetsu Line, Iga Tetsudo Line, Nara Kotsu Bus, Mie Kotsu Bus and Toba City ‘Kamome’ (sea gull) Bus Lines)
(Special benefits offered by facilities including Nabana No Sato)

I heard it’s cheaper if you buy online outside of Japan. (Where to Buy: www.kintetsu.affiliates.veltra.com)

Cherry Blossom Kansai Series:

• Kansai, Japan Itinerary! Exploring Osaka, Nara & Mie using the Kintetsu Railway Pass!
• Visit The Best Cherry Blossom Spot in Japan! (Mt. Yoshino & Nara Park Itinerary)
• Nabano No Sato: Flower Park and Winter Illumination Guide!

Watch Cherry Blossoms in Japan: Sakura Season in Kansai (Vlog)

 

Live an Awesome Life,

ABI of Team Our Awesome Planet

Disclosure: We were media guests of Nabano no Sato and Kintetsu. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.