Tokyo’s Nezu Shrine Hosts Riot of Colorful Azaleas

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Visitors walk between azalea bushes at Nezu Shrine in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.

Red and pink azaleas have reached peak bloom at Nezu Shrine in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.

The annual Bunkyo azalea festival is being held in the shrine’s Tsutsuji-en garden, which has been crowded with families and foreign tourists.

There are about 3,000 azalea plants comprising some 100 varieties, with the early- and mid-blooming azaleas now at their peak, and the late-blooming varieties to flower soon. The blooms should be in top shape through the end of next week.

“The azaleas with large, white flowers are especially wonderful,” said a 71-year-old man, who visited the shrine with his wife from Tokyo’s Adachi Ward.