Kobayashi City in Miyazaki Prefecture is home to the Ikoma Plateau, where fields of flowers stretch endlessly. Although beautiful in spring and summer too, the most popular time to visit is autumn when one million cosmos flowers bloom all across the gentle hillside.
When I visited in October, I was excited to learn that the fun did not end after sundown. I walked around at night, finding little pockets of the park lit up with candles and lanterns made of washi (traditional Japanese paper).
The air was not only filled with the sweet aroma of flowers but the warmth of love and happiness as friends, families and couples gathered together to enjoy the peaceful evening.