Mifuneyama Rakuen

Mifuneyama is the symbol of Takeo Town. With its cliff in the background, Nabeshima Domain’s 28th Takeo lord, Nabeshima Shigeyoshi spent three years building a garden. This garden with a path encircling a big pond was completed in 1845. It can contain 10 Tokyo domes, boasting a vast 123-acre ground.

The garden has hundreds of thousands of plants, visited by crowds who love flowers in four seasons. In late March, 2000 cherry trees such as Someiyoshino bloom, which are lit up at night. The fantastic illuminated cherry blossoms are the biggest event in Kyushu. In April, about 200,000 azaleas put lovely colors on the mountain side.

There is a giant wisteria, thought to be 170 years old, blooming in white and purple. The flower clusters can be up to 150cm-long, filling the area with sweet aroma at their peak.

In recent years, Mifuneyama Rakuen has been collaborating with the art group teamLab, sharing the garden’s nature, history, and the latest digital art by projection mapping to touch visitors with new experiences.