Awaji Hanasajiki, Flower garden in Awaji Island, Japan.
Awaji Hanasajiki is a prefectural flower park on the hilltops of northern Awaji Island, in Kusumoto, Awaji City, at 235 to 298 m above sea level, covering about four times the area of Koshien Stadium. Its sloped beds and mown grass paths face Osaka Bay, and about 2.5 million plants are set out each year: rapeseed from mid-December, poppies, cleome and sunflowers in summer, cosmos in autumn. A low wooden sign painted with white characters reading "あわじ花さじき" stands at the edge of a field of yellow flowers.
Awaji Hanasajiki opened on 4 April 1998 on a plateau 235 to 298 m above sea level in Kusumoto, Awaji, on ground about four times the area of Koshien Stadium. In March 2015 it hosted the Awaji Hanahaku 2015 flower and greenery fair. A fire on 9 May 2014 damaged nearly 40 percent of the old observation deck; the park reopened on 20 March 2020 as Hyogo Prefectural Park Awaji Hanasajiki with a new terrace building and skywalk.
The garden hosts three seasonal festivals: the Nanohana Matsuri for rapeseed blossoms, the Poppy Matsuri and the Cosmos Matsuri. About 2.5 million plants go into the beds each year, and the rapeseed strains are chosen so that some open from mid-December and others later, keeping the yellow field in bloom over a long stretch.
The garden is set on elevated terrain, so visitors should be prepared for walking on slopes and stepped paths. The best time to visit is during the blooming seasons from spring through autumn when most flowers are at their peak.
A modern skyway connects different areas of the garden and leads to viewing platforms overlooking the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Kobe skyline, and Osaka Bay. These elevated walkways offer both convenience and entirely new vantage points for seeing the flower beds and surrounding landscape.
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