The International Rose and Gardening Show that rose lovers have waited for (organized by a committee including The Mainichi Newspapers; official site http://www.bara21.jp) returns this year for six days, May 12 (Tue)–17 (Sun), at Seibu Prince Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture (note the name change from “Seibu Dome”). Hundreds of thousands of roses will fill the hall.
As you know, it is one of Japan’s largest festivals of roses and gardens from around the world, now in its 17th edition. It has settled as a seasonal fixture; attendance over the past 16 shows is said to total nearly four million.
This year’s theme is “Delicious Garden.” From gorgeous “looking” gardens heavy with flowers toward gardens you “join and experience,” close to daily life—visitors’ sense has been shifting that way in recent years. In that current, gardens imagined as outdoor living rooms where families eat and drink will take
the lead.
Special programs are popular every year. First is “Garden of the Wind.” Some will remember the drama of that name by screenwriter Kuramoto So (left in the photo at left, from the show’s official site), based in Furano, Hokkaido. The garden that was its setting was made by Hokkaido gardener Ueno Sayuki (right in the photo at left). A garden in that image appears this time. Roses Kuramoto named—“Dream of the Peak,” “Louis’s Tears”—are also said to debut.
Another topic is the garden of Benicia Stanley Smith, of British aristocracy (photos at right and below, from the official site). Known for growing herbs and seasonal plants at an old house in Ohara, Kyoto, Benicia’s garden is recreated together with the lifestyle that draws so many people.
The familiar Rose Avenue, in line with this year’s trend, is said to evoke a “red carpet.”
Slightly blackish red roses are especially popular. Walk an avenue colored with red roses recommended by rose stylist Ono Yasuo and you may feel released from the everyday. The rose “Ingrid Bergman,” named for Sweden’s great actress, also appears for her centenary.
Also: “Jens Jensen’s Kolonihaver: Nordic garden style,” “Yoshitani Keiko’s Andersen Story Garden,” “Kei Yamada: Making a garden overflowing with old roses, Happy Garden 25,” and more. Patissier Tsujiguchi Hirohisa’s sweet-house Dolce Rose Garden and other sights fill the show.
Hours are 9:30–17:30, until 17:00 on the last day (last entry 30 minutes before close). Advance tickets are 1,900 yen for adults (junior high and up; 2,200 on the day); elementary pupils and under free with a guardian. Inquiries: Hello Dial (03-5777-8600, 8:00–22:00).
A special preview on the 11th, the opening-ceremony day, precedes the public run. Admission is 3,000 yen for adults (including a 500-yen official guidebook)—a bit steep—but after the 12:30 ceremony you can tour from 13:30, a step ahead. Why not splurge a little?