Red spider lilies have finally come into bloom, reaching their peak across the region. From in front of Palaceside Building, head west along Daikanchō Street and, after descending the slope, look left from the sidewalk toward the bank of the Inner Moat — a blazing carpet of red spider lilies stretches as far as the eye can see.
I wrote "finally" because this year's lingering heat pushed flowering later than usual everywhere. Ordinarily they begin opening around mid-September and hit their peak around the autumn equinox and the Obon season that straddles it. This year, however, they did not start until the last week of September and only reached full bloom after October began.
At Kinchakuda Red Spider Lily Park in Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture — one of the Kanto region's premier viewing spots, where some two million flowers bloom — the Manjushage Festival was scheduled from September 15 through late September. When it opened, almost nothing was in flower; blooms only began toward the end, reaching full glory this month. The grounds now look as if a red carpet has been rolled out edge to edge, and the festival has been extended through Monday, October 8 (a public holiday).
The shuttle bus linking Hidaka City Hall, Korai Shrine, and Kinchakuda, however, ended at the end of last month. On the upside, riverside barbecue and camping — usually impossible during the flowering season because of crowding — will be allowed from the 6th, an unexpected bonus for visitors who want flowers and barbecue in the same outing.
Most readers probably know that red spider lilies are poisonous in their entirety, which is why they have been planted in many places to deter moles and insects. They also carry ominous folk names — hell flower, ghost flower, razor flower — and in some regions are cruelly called "gap-toothed crone," whether because the petals look sparse or to keep children away. On the other hand, the name manjushage can also suggest "flowers of heaven" and an auspicious omen. Either way, these beautiful blooms are best enjoyed with the eyes alone.