Beppunuma Park is a large park with a great playground in the North of Saitama. There is a relatively large iris garden in the park with about 7000 iris flowers. It also has some really lovely cherry blossom trees. It is ideal for hanami with kids. The park hosts several events during the year, including a firefly festival that is popular with locals. General information as well as information for the cherry blossoms, iris and the Beppu firefly festival are included in this post.
Beppunuma Park
Beppunuma park is a elongated park on the Fuku River in Kumagaya. Moreover, the park is actually divided by route 276 which runs right through it. It separates the play area from the cherry blossom area. The park is popular with locals all year round. Moreover, it gets a boost in visitors from outside the district during cherry blossom season. Although not ranked particularly high, it is frequently listed as one of the top places to see cherry blossoms in Saitama.
We had the pleasure of witnessing the spectacular cherry blossoms there a few years ago. Unfortunately, for that particular visit I didn’t get an opportunity to take a photo of the main cherry blossom area. We spent most of our time on the far-side of the park where the playground is. The plan was to picnic in the area with several cherry blossoms, but there are a couple in the playground and that’s where we ended up having our lunch. I would like to go back to get some photos of the main cherry blossom as it is really beautiful.
Iris flowers
The iris garden in Beppunuma Park is one of the bigger ones (relatively speaking for a park) with approximately 7,000 irises. They typically bloom around the first two weeks of June. They have white, purple, and yellow iris flowers. There are some hydrangea in the park too, which bloom around the same time, maybe a little later, than the iris.
They are in the same area as the cherry blossom trees. There is a running track around the exterior of the iris garden. I have personally yet to see them in full bloom. The above photo was taken out of season in April 2025 when I was in the park for a rare variety of cherry blossoms called Kumagai cherry blossoms. You can see a photo on Saitama Newspaper here of what they look like in full bloom.
In the past, they had a iris ‘festival’, but there is no mention of that in recent years. Moreover, I think the term ‘festival’ was just used to indicate the bloom period of the iris and wasn’t a festival in the typical sense.
Beppunuma Park Playground
The playground is very popular with children of all ages. As you can see from the above photo gallery they have a very good range and diversity of equipment. Equipment includes various slides, swings, a sandpit, spring rides, and a three people see saw. In addition they have stepping stones, a net bridge and several climbing frames.
There is a wide area below the playground where kids can run around. Furthermore, there is some sheltered benches you can use freely for lunch or a sit down. In addition, the park has toilets in several locations and many different car parks too. There are some water fountains.
Other attractions
The park is also popular with walkers and joggers. Apart from the cherry blossoms there are other flora in the park including a Japanese garden. Furthermore, features such as wooden boardwalks that make it a nice place to take a walk. There are a different water features around the park including the pond opposite the playground. In addition, the jogging course, which winds through the cherry blossoms, is convenient for runners.
On the downside, regrettably this park is beside an incinerator. It is well concealed from most of the park, but in the places you can see it is quite an eyesore. Not to mention an environmental and health concern for frequent users.
Events at Beppunuma Park
Beppu Firefly festival
Each year in June there is a firefly festival in the Japanese garden in the park. There is a firefly swamp in the garden, where you can see fireflies in June annually. For the festival they even have a few stalls set up in the park. But obviously, as you are there to see fireflies in nature, you need to be quiet in the vicinity of the firefly marsh. The 24th annual Beppu Firefly Festival will be on Saturday June 20th 2026, If there is bad weather on the 20th it will be postponed until the 21st. From 7 pm to 9 pm. Official event page.
Beppunuma Park Details
Address: Beppunuma Park, 別府沼公園, 1456 Nishibeppu, Kumagaya-shi, Saitama-ken 360-0857
Official Website: Kumagaya City Official Park Details
Access: The park is about a 30 minute walk from Takasaki Line Kagohara Station. Approximately a 25 minute drive from the Hanazono Interchange of the Kanetsu Expressway. Free parking.
…. it looks a little drab. but then I guess that’s the season! As long as the kids are amused for as long as possible! 🙂
Got to get back this year to get some of the vibrant cherries 🙂