Information for early spring flowers at Cosmos Arena Fukiage. Which, as the name suggests, is best known for its cosmos. But they bloom in Autumn. This post focuses on a selection of the spring flowers you can see at the venue, including stunning kawazu (early blooming) cherry blossoms.
Fukiage Flowers
- Kawazuzakura – end of February to early March
- Weeping Willow trees – end of February to early April
- Canola flowers – end of February to around early April
- Dolls’ Display – mid February to early March
- Cherry Blossoms – around the end of March, to early April
- Poppies have a post of their own – May
- Mugi Nadeshiko aka Corn-cockles (included in the poppy information) – May
- Cosmos have a post of their own – autumn
Kawazuzakura
There are at least 20 trees, maybe 25 to 30, at Fukiage Cosmos Arena. They are behind the gymnasium and sports grounds, on the side of a hill. They line either side of one of the footpaths. Currently this venue is still off the beaten path for the fluffy pink blossoms – a secret spot where you can enjoy the view with few other (if any) people around. (As of March13th 2026, the trees are now past their prime). Moreover, this is a rare location where you can see the pink cherry blossoms contrasted by vibrant yellow canola flowers:
Weeping Willow Trees
The weeping willows are light green around the time that the kawazu are in bloom, about the end of February, photo 1. By the time the somei yoshino bloom, they are a darker green, photo 2.
Canola flowers
There are canola flowers on the same hill as the kawazuzakura. Moreover, there are millions of canola along the embankment that overlooks the Arakawa Riverbed. They’ve only started to get some height on them, so it might take a week or so for a more dramatic look. Both photos were taken today. The one on the left is overlooking the Arakawa Riverbed and the one on the right at the back of the gymnasium beside the early blooming cherry blossoms.
Hina Dolls Display
Around the time the kawazu and canola start to bloom the gymnasium has a dolls’ pyramid. It is one of six displays of the much larger Konosu Surprising Dolls Festival. Having visited most of the locations of the festival, to be honest, the display at Cosmos Fukiage Gymnasium is the least impressive. In 2026 the dolls’ pyramid at Cosmos Arena is up from Friday February 20th to Saturday March 7th. In addition, on Sunday February 22nd they will have taiko performances between 11 am and 11.30 am and on Monday February 23rd they have a mini festival from 10 am to 3.30 pm.
You can read more about the other facilities at Cosmos Arena and the Autumn Cosmos Festival here.
Cherry Blossoms
The Somei Yoshino Cherry blossoms, the most common kind of cherry blossoms in Japan, typically bloom around the end of March. They are located along the footpath at the top of the embankment that overlooks the Arakawa floodplains. And as such, they are contrasted against the bright yellow canola flowers. They are still quite young, relatively speaking, so they are not that popular – yet!
Poppy and Corncockle Fields, Fukiage Poppy Festival
Venue information
Venue: Cosmos Arena Fukiage and adjacent embankment, 636 Myoyo, Konosu, Saitama 369-0135. View on Google Maps.
Cost: free to visit, but 100 yen (adults only, children free, into the stork house).
Access
Cosmos Arena Fukiage is a five minute bus ride on the “Flower Bus” （フラワーバス）from JR Takasaki Line Fukiage station（ＪＲ高崎線吹上駅). The bus goes toward Kita Kounosu (北鴻巣行き). The stop for the flowers is called Cosmos Arena Fukiage（コスモスアリーナふきあげ）.
The poppy / cosmos fields are about 11 kilometers from the Higashimatsuyama Interchange of the Kanetsu Expressway. There is plenty of free parking available at the time the sakura and canola are in bloom.
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Looks amazing! And blooming already??? ahhhh the colours – great shots Lynda!
It’s been a very mild winter…God help us this summer – they’re predicting hotter than normal!