Poppies in the sky for the first time in two years

One of Saitama’s most famous scenes, nationally, is the “Poppies in the Sky” 「天空のポピー」. The poppies at the Chichibu Poppy Festival at the prefectural farm known as both Chichibu Highland Ranch and Sai no Kuni Fureai Center. The farm / ranch is also known for its views and occasionally you can see a sea of clouds. Moreover, sometimes you can even be IN the clouds, as we had the great pleasure of experiencing here a few years ago! However, due to the poor condition of the poppies in recent years, they decided not to grow the poppies in 2025. Instead, they worked on the condition of the field, de-weeding etc., and grew them once again in 2026. They will have their poppy festival again in 2026 too, for the first time in two years.

Poppies in the Sky

The poppy festival in Chichibu is just one of many famous and acclaimed events held annually in Chichibu. As aforementioned, the poppy sky has become one of Saitama’s most famous scenes. The farm is located in Saitama’s last remaining village: Higashichichibu. But the plateau where the poppies grow, known as Tenku no Poppy (天空のポピー) or “Poppies in the Sky”, straddles both Higashichichibu and Minano Town. The altitude is about 600 meters above sea level.

Shirley Poppies

Each year thousands of people navigate the crowded mountain roads to witness the spectacular scene of (approximately!) twelve million red shirley poppies across about four hectares on the plateau. The shirley poppies typically bloom from mid May to early June annually in Chichibu. Shirley Poppies are predominantly red with some pink and whites in the mix.

>>Check this post for Shirley Poppies in full bloom now <<

Historically, the best time to see them was the end of May to early June. However, in recent years flowers have been early, but this year – so far – it seems flowers are blooming more in line with cumulative averages. The festival is set to start on Thursday May 21st and Is on until Sunday June 7th, all things equal. That may change depending on how well the flowers bloom. The poppy field is open to the public between 9 am and 5 pm, last entry at 4.30 pm. In 2024, they had one late opening night – the last Saturday of May, but currently it is not scheduled for 2026. If they do schedule it at a later stage, on that night only you can access the poppies until 7 pm.

Daytrip from Tokyo

Due to the relative proximity to Tokyo, the festival draws not only domestic tourists, but international tourists too. It is a manageable daytrip from Tokyo, but there is so much to do in the area it might be worth considering staying in one of the dozens of campsites in the Chichibu area. They have cabin options too if you are not up for roughing it! Some places also rent out tents and all the equipment you need. Therefore, if you are in Japan sans camping supplies it doesn’t have to stop you experiencing camping in Japan. I will say though, that this area is best travelled by car as the land area is expansive and mountainous. Thus it is harder to get around by public transport.

>>Don’t miss the post with general information about the Sai no Kuni Fureai Farm aka Chichibu Highland Ranch.

Information

Event: Poppies in the Sky 天空のポピー (Poppy field at Sai no Kuni Fureai Farm 彩の国ふれあい牧場 aka Chichibu Highland Ranch)

Dates: the festival is from Thursday May 21st to Sunday June 7th 2026. Some accounts on Instagram claim that the poppies are already blooming as of May 10th 2026.

Time: 9 am to 5 pm (last entry at 4.30 pm) except for one select date when they open until 7 pm.

Cost: 500 yen admission fee. However, there is no charge for children under 12 years old. (It is normally free to enter the farm, but during the period of the poppies there is a fee.)

Venue: Poppy in the Sky Field, Chichibu Highland Ranch, Misawa, Minano, Chichibu District 〒369-1411. View on Google Maps.

Access

The sky of poppies are about 21 kilometers from the Hanazono exit of the Kanetsu expressway. 「天空のポピー」(tenku no popi-)「秩父高原牧場」(chichibu kogen bokujyo)「彩の国ふれあい牧場」(sainokuni fureai bokujyo) or the phone number 0494-65-0311 in the car navi should bring up the location. There two parking lots for the farm and a separate car park for the poppies too. Please note that there is only one (windy mountainous) road in and out of the area and it gets very congested during the period of the poppies. (And also during Golden Week too.)

If you are driving to the poppies from Ogawa / Ranzan, taking route 254 to route 11, Washi no Sato is a nice place to stop. They have an outdoor food court. Moreover, you can make your own washi paper! Please see the comments for advice on how to get to the poppies if you take public transport, from a reader who did the trip by train and shared taxi ride.

More about Chichibu Kogen farm: official prefectural Chichibu Kogen Farm website and in English on this blog.

Official event website.

Editor’s note: WP12704.R1.20180417 R2.20230429. The Chichibu Poppy Festival wasn’t on between 2020 and 2022. In 2021 the day before the festival was due to start they had to cancel it! The flowers weren’t maintained in 2020 or 2022. The festival started late, at last minute notice, in 2024 due to the poor condition of the flowers and it finished early too, making it the shortest it had ever been in the years it went ahead. They didn’t grow the flowers in 2025 and worked on improving the condition of the fields. Last update May 11th 2026.