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Chrysanthemum Exhibitions - Enjoy Japanese Flowers in Autumn

Autumn Chrysanthemum Flower Tera (Temple) Senso-ji Temple Garden Meiji Shrine Shinjuku Park

huge individual flowers

many shapes, sizes & colors

Chrysanthemums are an important flower in Japan. They are at their best in the autumn and are celebrated with an exhibition in Tokyo's Shinjuku Park every year in the beginning of November.

You can see the flowers also displayed at some shrines and temples. I have seen them in Tokyo at Senso-ji temple and Meiji Jingu. Kameido Tenjin and Yushima Tenjin shrines also have chrysanthemum exhibitions scheduled in October and November.

These pictures are from Senso-ji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district where the flower exhibition has already started. Several huts have been put up on the temple grounds to protect and show off these beautiful flowers. It is amazing to see the great variety of colors, shapes, and sizes on display. Some chrysanthemum plants have a single huge flower, so big you would have to hold it with both hands. Other plants are shaped to show a specific number of flowers in a round pattern made of three, five, or seven blooms.

Chrysanthemum flowers are associated with the emperor of Japan. In the autumn you can also find Japanese wagashi sweets shaped like chrysanthemums. These flowers are also often depicted on Japanese textiles - you can see kimono, obi, and small crafts and bags decorated with them. Some of the bigger and blooms also look like fireworks bursting with color.

At flower shops and sometimes also at the exhibitions you can buy whole chrysanthemum plants starting from 1000-3000 Yen.