Sakura Mirai park is one of the three principal places to see higanbana, aka red spider lilies, in Saitama Prefecture and home to one of the bigger spider lily festivals; Satte Higanbana Festival. It is one of my personal favorite spots for higanbana in the Prefecture. In 2026, as part of the festival they will light up the spider lilies at Sakura Mirai Park nightly. You might be thinking – how have I never heard of Sakura Mirai Park before? Well, that is just because the park changed its name! You might know it best as Satte Gongendo Park. This year, dozens of parks in the Prefecture changed their name due to a sponsorship campaign. Satte Gongendo Park is now sponsored by Morita Iron Works who named it Morita Iron Works Gongendo Sakura Mirai Park, but Sakura Mirai Park for short.
Satte Higanbana (Red Spider Lily) Festival
There are over THREE MILLION red spider lilies in what was previously known as the #4 park of Gongendo Park. Generally, the Satte Higanbana (Red Spider Lily) Festival starts mid September at Sakura Mirai Park in Satte. In 2026, they are planning for the festival to be on between Saturday September 19th and Sunday October 4th. This year they will also light up the spider lilies every night, until 10 pm, during the period of the festival. They will also have food trucks daily. There is a “Manjushage Market” on September 26th and 27th from 9 am to 3 pm. And from September 27th to October 4th they will be selling a limited number of local honey from 10 am. Entertainment is also planned, although the dates and specifics have not yet been released for 2026.
The Higanbana in Gongendo Sakura Mirai Park 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. Satte City have said they will start publishing blooming updates from around September 10th (subject to change depending on the condition of the flowers).
Morita Iron Works Gongendo Sakura Mirai Park
Apart from red spider lilies, Gongendo Sakura Mirai 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.
Event Details
Event: Satte Higanbana Festival 2026 第19回 幸手曼珠沙華まつり
Date: from Saturday September 19th to Sunday October 4th, 2026.
Time: new extended hours in 2026 – from 8.30 am to 10 pm. The park is normally open from 8.30 am to 6 pm until the end of September and until 5 pm from October, but due to the light up will stay open later this year.
Cost: there is no admission fee
Venue: Morita Iron Works Gongendo Sakura Mirai Park (formerly known as #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 about 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 until 10 pm during the period of the festival only. Outside that period the parking closes at 6 pm in September and 5 pm in 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 200 yen one way and buses typically run once an hour during the day. Night information not available. You can walk too, but it takes at least 30 minutes on foot from the station. You can also rent a bike.
Other annual events in Gongendo Park
- Daffodil festival in January and February
- Cherry Blossom Festival in March and April
- Hydrangea festival in June
Editor’s note: A it is ten years since I first posted about the spider lilies and festival in this park, and with the name change and new light up, I re-published as a brand new post under its new name on 2026/09/02. First posted in 2016 (ID7368). NewID97850.