A walk through Hokuryu Sunflower Village Vast flower fields and a taste of sunflower soft serve

The first thing I noticed as I stepped onto the paved path in Hokuryu in early August was how vast the flower fields looked from the entrance. Beyond the lawn, sunflowers stretched as far as I could see. I tried to fit them all into a photo, but the field wouldn’t fit in the frame. I lowered my camera and looked up; even the sky above the field seemed huge, and I drew in a deep breath.

Before walking closer to the flowers, I bought some sunflower soft serve. Since I’d come all this way, I wanted to enjoy it with the view. I straightened the hem of my floral dress and took a bite on the path by the entrance. The cold soft serve hit my tongue in the sunshine and made my shoulders relax. The flower fields were waiting, but I wanted to savour this bite too.

While I ate my soft serve, I watched the flowers in the distance. They seemed to be lined up at the same height, but each one faced a slightly different way. Would I see those differences better up close? I tucked away my cone wrapper and set off along the path that ran diagonally through the field. The stretch of flowers I’d been looking at from afar started to break into individual blooms as I got closer. I loved watching that happen.

There’s a lookout in the fields, and a sunflower maze too. Seeing the flowers from above must feel completely different from walking between them. I thought I’d take in the whole view first, then try the maze. Even after being overwhelmed at the entrance, I still wanted to get closer. Before I came, I’d never imagined that flowers alone could make me look forward to the whole day.

In Showa 55, Hokuryu Town began a campaign to encourage every household to plant sunflowers. The first Sunflower Festival was held in Showa 62, and the Sunflower Village was established in Heisei 1. I’d come thinking this was simply a place filled with beautiful flowers, but now I could see the years of effort by the town behind this view. I looked toward the far edge of the field and felt a warm rush of emotion.

Before leaving, I went back to the path at the entrance. When I arrived, the fields seemed far away; now I could see where I’d walked among them. I even remembered how cold the soft serve had been, and caught myself smiling. A photo can preserve the sweeping view, but it took being here to know what it felt like to walk right up to the flowers. I’d love another day with flowers and a treat.