Updated: 2018

Even if you’re not headed to Hokkaido around July-August, there are plenty of places around Tokyo where you can get your fill of purple fields and natural aromatherapy – and the season is just starting! Here’s a list of 3 spots in the Kanto area.

1) Tambara Lavender Park, Gunma Prefecture 
lavender-spot

Here you can escape the summer heat at 1,300m above sea level and enjoy 5 hectares of 50,000 lavender bushes of 4 varieties.  There’s a viewing deck from where you can get a view of rolling fields of lavender, and live demonstration of the lavender oil extraction process.

Information:
Period: Jun. 25 – Sep. 4, 2016
Time: 8:30am-5pm
Access: Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to JR Numata Station, and change to a bus headed for Tanbara

2) Lake Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture 

The Ooishi Park at Lake Kawaguchiko is where you can get a photo of lavender fields with Mt. Fuji in the background. The annual Kawaguchiko Lavender Festival is held both here and at Yagisaki Park from mid-June to mid-July, to celebrate the blossoming of 100,000 lavender bushes in all.lavander-spot-japan
Information: 
Kawaguchiko Lavender Festival
Period: Jun. 17 – Jul. 10, 2016 at Yagisaki Park
Jun. 17 – Jul. 18, 2016 at Ooishi Park
Access: From Lake Kawaguchiko take a Saiko shuttlebus to Yagisaki Park/Ooishi Park

3) Arakogawa Park, Aichi Prefecture 

This is the largest lavender field in Nagoya City, with 3,000 bushes and over 20 varieties – from deep purple to lighter hues – lining the river banks of Arako for 1 kilometer. The lavender festival here starts from early June.

Information: 
Date: Jun. 11 – 19, 2016
Access: From Nagoya City take the Aonami Line to Arakogawa Park and walk for 3 minutes
Hours: 9am – 4;30pm

Read also: A Lavender lover’s wonderland for fragrant fields in the heart of Hokkaido