Gongendo park is one of the three principal places to see higanbana, aka red spider lilies, in Saitama Prefecture and one of the bigger spider lily festival locations. It is one of my personal favorite spots for higanbana in Saitama Prefecture. Hopefully the picture below, which I took during the 2022 season, conveys why!
Satte Higanbana Festival
There are over THREE MILLION red spider lilies in the #4 park of Gongendo Park, Satte. Generally, the Satte Higanbana (Red Spider Lily) Festival starts mid September in Gongendo Park in Satte. In 2023, they are planning for the festival to be on between Saturday September 16th and Sunday October 1st. During that period there will be live music on select dates (weekends). Please note, that the red spider lilies are late to bloom this year and they may not be in bloom when the festival starts!
The Higanbana in Gongendo park are quite famous, probably the second best known spider lily spot in Saitama Prefecture. The best known is Kinchakuda in Hidaka. Terasaka Rice Field‘s higanbana make up the trifecta of higanbana in Saitama Prefecture, but in recent years the spider lilies in Yoshimi have become very popular.
In a regular year the Satte spider lilies bloom from about the week before the festival starts, with prime viewing usually falling bang smack as the festival begins. Of course, Mother Nature can effect the bloom of the flowers. In the last couple of years, the spider lilies have been early to start blooming.
Gongendo Park
Apart from red spider lilies, Gongendo Park is also famous for cherry blossoms and rapeseed flowers in Spring. Now that things are back to normal, you can picnic in the park. There are benches. And a little shop too. In addition, there is also a tourist information area. They have a playground in the park, but in a completely different section to the flowers (see park details here), and it is a good 30 minute walk. However, there are some goats that kids (pun not intended!) can interact with, near the flowers.
Information
Event: Satte Higanbana Festival 2023 第16回 幸手曼珠沙華まつり
Date: September 16th to October 1st 2023
Time: from 9 am to 5 pm. The park is open from 8.30 am to 7 pm until the end of September and until 5 pm from October.
Cost: there is no admission fee
Venue: Satte Gongendo #4 Park, 権現堂公園 ４号公園, 822 Uchigouma, Satte, Saitama 340-0103. View on Google Maps or see the map at the bottom of the post.
Satte Higanbana Festival Access
The park is a ten minute drive from the Satte Interchange on Ken-O expressway. It is also about 20 minutes from the Kuki Interchange of the Tohoku Expressway. There is free parking available from 8.30 am to 7 pm until the end of September and to 5 pm from October.
It only takes about 45 minutes from Kita-Senju Station or an hour from Asakusa Station in Tokyo to Satte Station. From there, you need to take a shuttle bus to the park from the station. It costs 180 yen one way. You can walk, but it takes at least 30 minutes on foot from the station. You can also rent a bike.
Official website – it has not been updated with the 2023 information yet, but I have confirmed the dates of the festival with an official source.
Other annual events in Gongendo Park
- Daffodil festival in January and February
- Cherry Blossom Festival in March and April
- Hydrangea festival in June
First posted in 2016, last republish August 17th 2023. 20160702?