Information for the 2023 Azalea Festival at Monomiyama Park (aka Monomi Hill) in Higashimatsuyama.
Monomiyama Park is located near to Saitama Children’s Zoo and is home to the Peace Museum of Saitama. The tower you can see peaking out above the azalea in the featured photo is that of the Peace Museum. You can find detailed information about the park, including photos of it in spring and autumn when it is most resplendent, in the main post here. This post is specifically about the Azalea Festival, which is held on one day during the period of bloom of the ‘tsutusji’ (azalea).
Monomiyama Azalea Festival
There was no festival in either 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. There may have been a festival in 2022, but if there was, they did not advertise it on the Higashimatsuyama Tourist website. This year, they are advertising it and it is scheduled for the first day of Golden Week; Saturday April 29th 2023. However, if it is raining on the day it will not go ahead.
The azalea at Monomiyama Park have been around for a long time, but the festival is relatively new. This year will be the 9th annual occurrence. There are festival stalls and live performances, such as taiko and local children’s dance. It is not that large, but it is a popular festival. Moreover, the azalea are well renowned. Thousands of people visit the park to see the 40,000 azalea each year. They azalea are mainly red, pink and purple in color. They normally bloom from mid April until just after Golden Week. However, in recent years they are blooming from early April until around the end of April or early May.
Information
The park has toilets and a vending machine on the lower entrance beside a Udon shop and there are some bike stands there too.
Event: Monomiyama Azalea Festival 物見山つつじ祭り
Date: Saturday April 29th 2023
Time: 9.45 am to 2 pm.
Cost: free
Venue: Monomiyama Park, 241-17 Iwadono, Higashimatsuyama, Saitama 355-0065. View on Google Maps here.
Monomiyama Park Access
A bus goes relatively near, to Daito Bunka University, from Takasaka Station on the Tobu Tojo Line. The University is about a ten minute walk, uphill, double that if you have kids with you! If you are coming by car, the park is on the same road that the main entrance to the zoo is on, route 212. You pass the zoo and Daito Bunka University if you are coming from the direction of downtown Higashimatsuyama going toward Hatoyama. The main car park is actually on the far side of the road to the park. Please note that due to landslides in the area in 2022 they are doing some work by this parking lot.
More information about the park in English