From early May to early June, the whole park is covered with a bright pink carpet of moss phlox flowers. The park began in 1956 with a “mandarin orange box full” of moss phlox seeds. More and more flowers were planted each year until they filled a 100,000m2 area. The beautiful carpet of flowers covers the hillsides for around a month. As well as being a beautiful bright pink, they fill the park with a sweet scent, drawing you into a dreamlike world. At the height of moss phlox season, the local people hold a Moss Phlox Festival, with stalls selling snacks and souvenirs. There are also all kinds of stage events.

• Shiba-sakura Matsuri (Moss phlox festival)

  Early May- Middle of Jun

• Admission Prices

  Adults 500Yen / Children 250Yen
  * Admission fees only during Moss phlox festival

• Address

  Motomachi, Takinoue-Cho, Mombetsu-gun, Hokkaido

• Map Code

  570 701 689

• Information

  Takinoue Tourism Association
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2730 / FAX +81(0)158-29-2306
  E-mail info@takinoue.net
  Takinoue Town Hall, Department of Forestry, Commerce and Tourism
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2111 / FAX +81(0)158-29-3588
  E-mail kankou@town.takinoue.hokkaido.jp

• URL

  http://www.town.takinoue.hokkaido.jp/02hana/phlox/kouen.html (JP)

• express bus set ticket

  http://takinoue.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/shibazakurabusenglish.pdf

From June to September, this 40,000㎡ garden is filled with the fragrant scent and beautiful colours of over 300 kinds of herbs. After you’ve enjoyed a stroll through the garden, stop for a rest in the Fragrance House on the small hill. Here you can enjoy not only herbal tea but snacks like Salisbury steak or spaghetti, exquisitely seasoned with herbs from the garden. You can also pop into the Kew Palace herb craft centre and make unique herbal goods such as pot-pourris, wreaths and sachets, to add a little pizzazz to your daily life. Kaori-no- Sato is also Japan’s biggest producer of peppermint, and people love the refreshing taste and scent of the mint icecream made here. Come and try some at Cue Palace! Kaori no Sato is a calming place where you can truly see, touch and learn about herbs.

• Closed

  Nov01-Apr30

• Entrance Fee

  Free

• Address

  Motomachi,Takinoue-cho,Mombetsu-gun,Hokkaido

• Information

  Fragrance House TEL +81(0)158-29-3400
  
  Kew Palace TEL +81(0)158-29-2898

• URL

  http://www.town.takinoue.hokkaido.jp/02hana/herb/herbgarden.html (JP)

• Map Code

  Map Code

hosen as one of Japan’s top 500 most beautiful walking spots, this gorge is famous for its agnificent scenery that changes with the seasons. Very few places in Japan have a gorge in their town centre! The gorge surrounding the Shokotsu River that runs east to west through Takinoue’s city centre is called Kinsenkyo, and was selected as one of Hokkaido’s top 100 tourist spots for its breathtaking scenery. Unusual rock formations make the river narrow in places, causing the water to flow swiftly, and you can see various waterfalls, big and small, such as Rakuyo Falls and Hakua Falls. The slower- moving areas of the river are also a paradise of fish and birds. There are over 5km of walking tracks by the edges of the gorge. See the new, young greenery reflected in the clear water in spring, the trees shading the cool waterfalls in summer, the colourful leaves that adorn the trees in autumn and the beautiful icefalls in winter ? each season has its own amazing scenery. It’s also the best place for bird watching and alpine plants ? you’ll find all kinds of rare birds and plants here! Kinsenkyo and the rest of the Takinoue stretch of the Shokotsu River is also a Mecca for fly fishing, especially for rainbow trout. Takinoue was also the first place in Japan to institute catch-and-release regulations to protect the local fish population.

• Information

  Takinoue Tourism Association
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2730 / FAX +81(0)158-29-2306
  E-mail info@takinoue.net
  Takinoue Town Hall, Department of Forestry, Commerce and Tourism
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2111 / FAX +81(0)158-29-3589
  E-mail kankou@town.ta

The park keeper, Buichi Takahashi, has been working alone for over half a century to design and build this park, planting trees and flowers, digging a pond and putting in tracks. Buichi designed this landscaping work of art to restore nature. The 80,000m2 area is home to around 800 kinds of seasonal flowers. Whether you come in spring, summer or autumn there’ll be new, beautiful flowers to delight you. There’s a 5km walking track where you can stroll through the flowers and woods and listen to the bird song. There are also two small mountains covered with beautifully coloured seasonal flowers, and a pond with a circumference of 40m that is home to precious species of insects and other creatures. Anybody can see that the natural seasonal workings of the flowers, trees and creatures have transformed the landscape, and “Buichi’s world” is changing and growing every day.

• Opening Hours

  10:00-17:00 Ticket 10:00-14:30

• Closed

  Late Sep- Late Apr

• Admission Prices

  1000Yen

• Address

  Akebonocho, Takinoue-cho, Mombetsu-gun, Hokkaido

• Information

  Takinoue Tourism Association
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2730 / FAX +81(0)158-29-2307
  E-mail info@takinoue.net

Keikoku Park is right opposite Kaori no Sato Herb Garden. Now, cottages have been built here using authentic local wood. The cottages face onto the Shokotsu River, right next to the Takinoue Gorge walking track. You can also find park golfing and athletics facilities in the park. There are even barbecue areas! Choose between a four- or eight-person cottage, all filled with the natural scent of wood. The cottages are available all year round, and are equipped with pellet stoves in winter. Enjoy the warm atmosphere of a cozy wooden cottage! To book a cottage, contact Hotel Keikoku.

• Prices

  For 4 person:12,000yen(per night),
  Sep11-May30 13,000yen.
  For 8 person:20,000yen(per night),
  Sep11-May30 23,000yen.

• Reservation

  Hotel keikoku
  TEL +81(0)158-29-3399

• URL

  http://www.town.takinoue.hokkaido.jp/13wadai/2010-0806-1454-6.html(JP)

Kaori no Sato Takinoue Michi-no-Eki is chock full of specialties you’ll only find in Takinoue! You’ll find herb products like herbal tea and pot-pourri, wood crafts such as willow chopping boards, furniture and lacquerware, and local produce such as fresh cheese, tomatoes and Japanese basil. As well as souvenirs, the station has information on tourist events and roads, a rest spot, 24-hour toilets and public phones. There are also plenty of attractions surrounding the hotel, including Hotel Keikoku, Keikoku Park, Takinoue Furusato Museum and the famous Kinsenkyo. Mark this station on your GPS ? it’s your first port of call for tourist information on Takinoue!

• Opening Hours

  9:30-17:30

• 9:30-17:30

  Around New year holiday, Mar 31, Sep 30

• Admission Prices

  Free

• Address

  Asahimachi, Takinoue-cho, Mombetsu-gun, Hokkaido

• Information

  TEL +81(0)158-29-3300

• URL

  http://www.hokkaido-michinoeki.jp/data/45/each.htm(JP)

• Map Code

  570 701 316

Located around 35km from the Takinoue town centre, Ukishima Wetland is a 22km2 highland moor 850m above sea level. The wetland has around 300 marshes of all sizes, with islands made by the roots of alpine grasses. That’s how it got its name ? “Ukishima” is Japanese for “floating island”. There are only a handful of places in Japan where you can see these. The wetland is a 1.6km walk from the carpark at the foot of the mountains. You’ll forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life on the tranquil wooden track through the wetlands, where the marshes and trees spread out around you and alpine plants and flowers such as Ezo rhododendrons and dogwood, keyflowers, hare’s-tail cottongrass, avens and sundews jostle for a position. The wetland is also home to a great many rare birds and creatures such as salamanders. You can enjoy this wetland from around June to October.

• Information

  Takinoue Tourism Association
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2730 / FAX +81(0)158-29-2306
  E-mail info@takinoue.net
  Takinoue Town Hall, Department of Forestry, Commerce and Tourism
  TEL +81(0)158-29-2111 / FAX +81(0)158-29-3589
  E-mail kankou@town.takinoue.hokkaido.jp