MISHIMA, Shizuoka — An annual chrysanthemum festival is underway at Rakujuen Park in this central Japan city, with this year’s theme focused on Kyoto’s Heian Jingu Shrine, which is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its founding.
The theme follows last year’s Kamigamo Jinja shrine, another historic site in Kyoto. This year’s event features large replicas of Heian Jingu Shrine’s Daigokuden outer hall of worship and Soryuro tower, both adorned with chrysanthemums. The former’s roof is decorated with yellow, pink and white chrysanthemums, while that of the latter features red, pink and orange ones.
A one-third size replica of the Daigokuden hall of Kyoto’s Heian Jingu Shrine, with its roof decorated with yellow chrysanthemums, is seen at Rakujuen Park in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Nov. 10, 2025. (Mainichi/Hiroshi Ishikawa)
Rakujuen staff began handcrafting the installations in early October. Both the Daigokuden and Soryuro replicas are each roughly one-third of their original size and stand around 4 meters tall. A total of approximately 8,000 pots of chrysanthemums were used to create the works. While the flowers bloomed somewhat later than usual, possibly due to the extreme summer heat, they reached their best viewing period around Nov. 10, except for some cascade chrysanthemums.
The festival, which draws around 50,000 to 60,000 visitors each year, runs until Nov. 30 and is open every day during the period. Admission to the park is 300 yen (about $1.94) for adults, but entry is free after 5 p.m. from Nov. 14 to 16 during the light-up event, and on Nov. 23 during the Mishima Food Festival.
(Japanese original by Hiroshi Ishikawa, Numazu Local Bureau)
AloJapan.com