Chichibu Shibazakura

Shibazakura is Phlox subulata, moss phlox - a low creeping ground cover, nothing to do with cherry despite the name, which means lawn cherry and refers to the flower shape. At Hitsujiyama Park on a slope above Chichibu about 400,000 plants of nine varieties are set out in bands and swirls of pink, white, magenta and pale blue across roughly 17,600 square metres, with the ridge of Mount Buko - a limestone mountain heavily quarried on its northern face - standing directly behind. The timing is the useful part: shibazakura flowers from mid-April into early May, after the cherry blossom has finished, so a late trip to Japan that missed sakura can still see this. Chichibu is about ninety minutes from Ikebukuro on the Seibu line, which makes it a straightforward day out from Tokyo.

What you actually see

• Patterned planting - about 400,000 plants of nine varieties in bands and swirls.
• Mount Buko - the quarried limestone ridge standing behind the slope.
• After the cherries - flowering from mid-April into early May, when sakura is over.
• An easy day trip - about ninety minutes from central Tokyo by direct train.

When to go

Mid-April to early May, checking the bloom report. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Peak weekends are extremely crowded and shuttle buses queue. The season is short and the peak shifts by year. The quarry face on Buko is prominent and divides opinion. Outside the season the park is an ordinary hillside with an entry gate closed.

Nearby

Chichibu town is below; Nagatoro and its rapids are north.