BONSAI CAFES & BAKERIES TIPS 

Next to the Sakura season – The blooming Shibazakura

Life Takamatsu

Did you miss the Sakura season in Japan? Are you worried about what kinds of flowers can be seen at the end of April in Kagawa?

It is really romantic to sit under the Sakura trees enjoying the view of flowers’ petals gently raining around you. However, the colorful Shibazakura, moss phlox, blooming covering the ground like a flower carpet is also an amazing and gorgeous scene.

Café Jardin – a café with flower carpet

In Takamatsu when you mention Shibazakura, the Café Jardin located in Nishiueta-cho of Takamatsu city is the first place to come to my mind. Every April the Café Jardin holds its Shibazakura festival. Although the Shibazakura season lasts one month, the best time to enjoy the Shibazakura blooming is in the middle of April just after the Sakura period.

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2019-04-05 10.18.19When I visited the cafe early in April, the Sakura was struggling to bloom. By contrast, some sparse Shibazakura were already laying on the ground and enjoying the sunlight. Obviously, if you want to appreciate the full bloom of the Shibazakura carpet, you will have to wait until the Sakura season ends.

2019-04-05 10.37.15Entering into the cafe, there are lots of pictures of Shibazakura over the years hanging on the wall. The Café Jardin offers various meals including curry rice, spaghettis, hamburg steaks, sandwiches, and cakes. When you sit at the terrace sipping some coffee and enjoying the flower view, the gentle breeze will sweep all your problems. Only flowers came into my minds.

2019-04-05 10.09.38It is not easy to manage a place about 18000 square meters. However, the manager still insists to make different themes to present the several beauties of Shibazakura over the year. It is said that when planes land at Takamatsu airport, the characters written by the Shibazakura can be clearly seen from the sky. It is another good reason to take a plane to Kagawa next year.

Panoramic view of Shibazakura (moss phlox) Fuji

The Shibazakura Fuji located at the Higashikagawa city is the new spot for moss phlox.

2019-04-04 11.34.20There are about 100 thousand Shibazakura planted over the hillside which is about 12,000 square meters. The ingenious manager used the hillside as the Fuji mountain  planting white Shibazakura at the summit named 10 goume (the same as Fuji mountain) while the blue, purple and pink Shibazakura planted at other parts creates a totally different scene viewed from the Café Jardin.

2019-04-04 11.27.17While you start climbing from the 1 “goume”, you will be tempted to look back and  enjoy this panoramic view of the countryside and the blue sea. Finally reaching the summit you will be overjoyed by the view of this green-surrounded pink Fuji.

2019-04-04 11.25.07The Yamagoya, small house in the mountain, is a wooden coffee shop located at Shibazakura Fuji. At first, it was a small house built by only six wooden pillars covered with a  blue sheet used as a resting place for people who came to pick chestnuts. One day a person suggested building a real wooden house instead of the simple one. In addition, at this time the electric utility poles were replaced by concrete poles so it was a good chance to build a wooden house by reusing these wooden poles.

2019-04-04 11.56.14The Yamagoya offers some simple meals and customers can sit outdoor to enjoy the countryside scene with the Setouchi Inland Sea as background. The second floor is a small gallery exhibiting some artworks from different artists.

2019-04-04 11.44.08The Shibazakura Fuji is not to visit only during Spring. The manager has prepared other kind of plants on another side of the mountain so you can also enjoy different sceneries of Shibazakura Fuji in Summer and Fall.

INFORMATION

Cafe Jardin

Access: Take taxi from Kotoden Busshozan station about 17 minutes. Take Kotoden bus Nishiueda(西植田) line from Kotoden Kawaramachi station and get off at Nishiueda(西植田) stop about 25 minutes and a 10-minute walk.

        • Address: 〒761－0445 香川県高松市西植田4288
        • Business hours: October to March of next year 9:30 ~ 17:00, April to September 9:30 ~ 18:00
        • Closed on: Wednesday and Tuesday (open during public holidays and Shibazakura festival period)
        • Ticket price: JPY300 (during the Shibazakura festival period, from early April to May Golden Week）

Shibazakura Fuji

Access: 15-minute walk from JR Sanukishirotori station

        • Address: 〒769-2704 香川県東かがわ市帰来774
        • Business hours: 10:30~15:00（from early April to May Golden Week: 9:30 ~ 17:30）
        • Closed on：Friday to Sunday (open during the Shibazakura festival period)
        • Ticket price：Above junior high school JPY300 (Only need fee in Shibazakura festival period, from early April to May Golden Week）