(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
Blooming tulips signal that spring has arrived! But in Toyama, these beautiful flowers bloom throughout the year!
The Tonami Tulip Gallery is the only facility in the world where you can appreciate tulips in all four seasons. The amazing facility is home to a museum and garden where you can experience the mysteries and secrets of their tulip bulbs.
It also annually hosts the Tonami Tulip Fair, a simple event that started in 1952 in an experimental agricultural field station and has now grown into Japan’s number one most anticipated flower festival. It is held in Toyama from late April to early May every year, featuring 2.5 million tulips blooming in over 600 varieties on the extensive grounds totaling to 16-hectares of land.
Here’s a photo essay of our experience…
Tonami Tulip Gallery
100-1 Nakamura, Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture 939-1381
Contact: 0763-33-7716
Website: www.tullipfair.or.jp
Central Japan Blog Series
• MY WAX TEMPURA: Food Sample Workshop in Gujo City!
• TONAMI TULIP GALLERY: The World’s Only Tulip Garden Where It Blooms All Year Round!
• SHIRAKAWA-GO: The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō!
Inside The Tonami Tulip Gallery
The tulip is the symbol of Tonami and ever since the 20th century, they have been the national leader in tulip bulb production in the country.
The Tulip Gallery’s main feature is it’s Palette Garden…
…where you can enjoy the different brilliantly colored tulips in different phases.
Here you can enjoy different tulip varieties. It’s best to look out for the rare ones.
(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
This is the tulip palace where you can enjoy 360 degrees of tulip beauty.
Next to it, is the Tulip Museum where you can find a short history of Tulips in Japan, starting from the importation from Europe down to the most current findings.
Before leaving, make sure to try Tonami’s exclusive tulip soft ice cream (350 yen). It’s packed with floral fragrance reminiscent of tulip petals.
Guide to Tonami Tulip Fair
(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
Known as Japan’s best flower festival, more than 300 thousand people flock to the grounds to enjoy beautiful colorful tulips filling the park. The fair’s most popular site is the flower beds, where rows of 200,000 tulips in full bloom are spread across 200,000 sqm of land.
Tip: You can walk along the flower beds and find that perfect spot!
(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
But there’s more to the large flower beds than meets the eye. If you climb up the Tulip Tower, you’ll see that the countless number of blooms are used to draw a picture.
(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
The theme changes every year and the flowers are re-arranged, so you’ll always see something new.
Tip: Ramps are available so children and the elderly can reach the top.
(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
There are floating flower beds where tulips are grown in the center of the pond using hydroponic methods that originated in Tonami.
(Copyright of Tonami Tulip Fair)
There’s even a flower wall!
If you like a particular flower, you can reserve it the bulb reservation area. I bet with over 600 varieties, you’ll have a hard time choosing.
We visited the Tonami Tulip Gallery last June and weren’t able to see the Tulip beds anymore. I recommend going during the Tonami Tulip Fair from late April to early May to see these flower beds in full bloom.
I hope I can visit again someday. From what I’ve heard ,the Tulip Fair continues to grow bigger each year!
How to Get There
By Car:
Approximately 5 mins. from Tonamai I.C.
Approximately 10 mins. from Takaoka Tonami Smart I.C.
By Train:
Approximately 20 mins. after transfering from Johana Line at Shin-Takaoka Station
Approximately 15 mins. on foot from Tonami Station
By Plane:
Approximately 45 minutes by car from Toyama Kitokito Airport
Admission
310 yen – Highschool student & older
250 yen – Seniors
150 yen – Elementary and Junior High student
Tonami Tulip Gallery
100-1 Nakamura, Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture 939-1381
Contact: 0763-33-7716
Website: www.tullipfair.or.jp
Central Japan Blog Series
• MY WAX TEMPURA: Food Sample Workshop in Gujo City!
• TONAMI TULIP GALLERY: The World’s Only Tulip Garden Where It Blooms All Year Round!
• SHIRAKAWA-GO: The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō!
Live an Awesome Life,
ABI of Team Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Our trip was courtesy of Central Japan International Airport. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. To avoid the crowds you can also visit the bulb production garden that’s open to the public as their satellite venue.