Fragrant Roses Bloom in Niigata Pref. Festival

The Yomiuri Shimbun
People enjoy roses at Echigo Hillside Park in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, on May 27.

NAGAOKA, Niigata — A festival of fragrant roses was held at Echigo Hillside Park in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture.

At the park’s Nagaoka Kaori no Bara-En, an area of about 2 hectares, there were approximately 800 varieties of 2,400 roses to please visitors’ eyes and noses. Some of the roses were planted in different sections based on their scent.

The rose garden opened in 2003 after receiving a donation of roses from a closing private rose garden.

On May 27, the first day of the rose festival, a ceremony was held to commemorate the garden’s 20th anniversary. A large photo frame board with rose decorations was also unveiled.

“It was my first time to come to this rose festival and I enjoyed their various scents. The pink roses were beautiful,” said Miwa Tasaki, 11, a sixth grader from Nagaoka who was visiting the park with her family.