Early summer brings forth some fabulous Japanese flowers, including some lovely lilies. King among these must be the huge red-speckled white stars of Lilium auratum, but these are matched by vast displays of Lilium rubellum, lovely orange Lilium maculatum as well as a supporting cast the includes the sought after and lovely Glaucidium palmatum, stunning ivory-white Paris japonica, near black Fritillaria kamtschatcensis primulas, masses of Iris ensata and much more. The tour incorporates botanically rich areas from coastal Tokyo to Hokkaido, the Japanese alps and a three day exploration of the fascinating gardens of Kyoto.
With Hiroaki Takenouchi & Basak Gardner
2019 Trip Report. 2025 Trip Report
We arrive into Tokyo on 23 June and overnight near HANEDA airport
In the morning, we will take the bullet train from Tokyo and transfer to Kyoto. We will spend three days looking at the many fascinating gardens of Kyoto as well as taking a half day trip out of the city (see Day 3). Overnight in Kyoto.
We will visit the World Heritage site, the famous Moss Temple in the morning. In the afternoon, we will drive out of Kyoto on our first lily-outing of the tour. After a 90 min drive, we will arrive at Oishi Hill in Wakayama Prefecture. The grassy hill has a population of the Japanese endemic Lilium japonicum and if we are lucky, we might also be able to see the endangered Lilium concolor. Overnight in Kyoto.
After our final day strolling the Kyoto gardens, we will return to Tokyo on the bullet train in early afternoon and continue north to Shin-Shirakawa.
Hidden in lushly forested hills, is a remarkable population of the endemic Lilium rubellum with thousands of lovely pink trumpets on show in a large clearing. Not far from the Lilium rubellum colony is an interesting area of bogland, where we will spend a leisurely afternoon walking among red Rhododendron molle subsp. japonicum, Iris setosa, sundews and abundant ferns. The surrounding woods have Paris tetraphylla, Monotropa, patches of big-leaved Rodgersia podophylla and trees clad with Hydrangea petiolaris. In the afternoon, we will drive back to Shin-Shirakawa.
Today is a transfer day. Leaving Shin-Shirakawa early on bullet train, we will return to Tokyo then fly to Wakkanai – the northernmost city of Japan on the island of Hokkaido – in the early afternoon. After landing, we will visit the Sarobetsu Plain, an area of protected wetland nearby, which holds good colonies of Iris ensata and Iris laevigata and perhaps a few of the endemic and diminutive orchid Pogonia japonica in flower. Overnight in Wakkanai.
Today, we will drive from the northernmost part of Hokkaido to the middle of the island. Along the sandy coast south of Wakkanai lies an interesting area of coastal vegetation with plentiful golden-trumpets of Hemerocallis dumortieri growing alongside the towering architectural forms of Angelica ursina and a bizarre littoral scrub of low bamboo and Rosa rugosa. In places they mingle with Lilium pensylvanicum, and then big drifts of Iris ensata. We will drive through different landscapes, from the barren coast via the plains and eventually into the lush mountains of the Daisetsuzan National Park. Overnight in So’unkyo.
At a walking distance from our hotel is a station for the cable cars that take us up Mount Kurodake. Depending on the condition (in some years, snowbanks persist on the paths even in July) we might hike to the top to see the alpine plants including the dainty Dicentra peregrina, Rhododendron aureum, and if we are lucky, Fritillaria kamtschatcensis. If this option is not available, we can drive to another area to find different plants including a colony of Lilium dauricum. At the end of the day, we will drive to the city of Asahikawa for an overnight stay.
Leaving the Asahikawa hotel early, we will fly back to Tokyo again. Then we will drive towards Nagano in the Central Japan Region. After a long but scenic drive, we will arrive in the town of Hakuba, surrounded by the Japanese Alps mountains. Overnight in Hakuba.
This highland area is a former Olympic host and is now well-served with cable cars that can take us into the hills quickly. We will visit two contrasting areas. The first is a rockier path to see Epimedium koreanum, Primula farinosa, Pedicularis chamissonis var. japonica and Pinguicula vulgaris, the chair lifts passing over dense herbaceous communities of Aruncus dioicus, Veronicastrum and Euphorbia. The second is an extensive boardwalk that passes through bogs with Lysichiton camtschatcense, Gentiana thunbergii, Veratrum stamineum and woodlands with the lovely fringed pink bells of Schizocodon soldanelloides, Glaucidium palmatum, Diphyleia grayi and the unique Paris japonica. There is the chance of Lilium medeoloides at both locations, but this is really a later flowering species, so expect to see them in bud only. Overnight in Hakuba.
Before driving back to Tokyo, there will be time to check some local bogs for Hosta sieboldii in flower, maybe an early Cardiocrinum cordatum too. There will be lots of Lilium lancifolium in this wet habitat, but they will be in bud as this species flowers much later here. Closer to Tokyo, we will make a few detours to find Lilium auratum and Lilium lancifolium. Overnight in Tokyo.
Izu-Oshima On our final day, we will take a ferry from Tokyo to the volcanic island of Izu-Oshima. The Izu Islands, of which Izu-Oshima is the closest to the mainland, is the home to the world’s largest lily, Lilium aureum var. platyphyllum with some immense specimens hanging out from roadside banks, weighed down with huge flowers. The coast fringe also has beautifully-marked Lilium maculatum alongside Hemerocallis fulva and Vitex ovalifolia. After a day on this pleasant island, we’ll return to Tokyo on an afternoon ferry. Overnight in Tokyo.
For more information on our tours
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