The Terasaka Terrace Rice Fields is a beautiful area in Yokoze in the Chichibu District. They are known for both their fireflies in summer and the cluster amaryllis in September. Each year, for one day only, during the bloom period of the flowers, they have a cluster amaryllis festival. However, between 2020 and 2022 it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Moreover, in 2020 and 2021 they cut the flowers to deter people from visiting. In 2022, they initially said they were going to cut the flowers, but then in early August they changed their minds and let people visit. But there was no festival. This year, for the first time in four years, they will have a one day festival.
What is another name for cluster amaryllis?
The cluster amaryllis is a flower of many names. In Japan, they are most frequently called Higanbana or Manjushage. In English the most common name is red spider lilies. They are also known as red magic lily, equinox flower, hurricane flower (to name but a few) and the scientific genus of Lycoris radiata.
Where are the three red spider lily festivals in Saitama?
The most famous and largest red spider lily festival is Kinchakuda in Hidaka. Gongendo Park in Satte is also widely known. The Terasaka terraced rice fields is the third and least known of the red spider lily festivals in Saitama. There are also dozens of places to view red spider lilies in Saitama, they just don’t have a festival. For example, Yoshimi Sakura Tsutsumi Park, Tenjinbashi in Kawajima and Kawagoe park. Kawagoe also has a red spider lily colony that is an official top 100 scenic spot of Saitama Prefecture.
What are the Terasaka terraced rice fields?
The Terasaka terraced rice fields are several tiered rice fields in the Yokoze area of Chichibu in Saitama. They are one of only a few remaining tiered rice fields in Japan. Each individual rice field is flat with its neighboring fields a level below and above. Together they create a stairway of paddy fields. There is 55,000 meters squared of the fields and they are back dropped by Chichibu’s tallest peak, Mount Buko.
Cluster Amaryllis at Terasaka Terraced Rice Fields
There are close to two million red spider lilies at Terasaka terraced paddy fields. Initially they planted 1.5 million and over the years the number increased. Spider lilies are often referred to as equinox flower because they bloom, as the name suggests, close to the autumnal equinox (23rd of September). For many, they indicate a change in the seasons; from summer to autumn. At Terasaka Terraced Rice fields, generally, the white cluster amaryllis bloom the end of August to early September. The red bloom from around the middle of September to about the end of September. And as of August 18th 2023 there are a couple of pink cluster amaryllis in bloom.
Information
Event: Terasaka Terrace Rice Fields Cluster Amaryllis (Red Spider Lilies) Festival 寺坂棚田彼岸花まつり
Date: Sunday September 17th 2023. The spider lilies bloom from now until around the end of September, but prime viewing is generally the last two weeks of September.
Time: 10 am to 3 pm
Cost: there is no admission fee
Venue: Terasaka Rice Terraces, 1846 Yokoze, Chichibu District, Saitama 368-0072. View on Google Maps.
Access
You can walk or take a bus from Seibu Chichibu line’s Yokoze Station. It takes about 15 minutes on foot. There is no official parking available anymore and the town strongly request that you do not park on the side of the road. Furthermore, they ask that you come by public transport.
First posted in 2016. Updated annually. Last re-publish on August 18th 2023.
wow! Another scene from Oz!
You’ll have to come back someday and explore all these places!