Mifuneyama Rakuen: A Daimyo Garden Created in the Bakumatsu Period and teamLab's Feast of Light

Mifuneyama Rakuen: A Daimyo Strolling Garden Continuing Since the Bakumatsu Period

"Mifuneyama Rakuen" in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, is a strolling garden created in 1845 by Nabeshima Shigeyoshi (1800-1862), lord of Takeo in the Bakumatsu period. Taking the cliff face of Mount Mifune as a borrowed landscape, a garden that makes use of the natural terrain spreads across a vast site of approximately 150,000 tsubo (approximately 500,000 square metres).

Spring Cherry Blossoms and Azaleas

Spring flowers at Mifuneyama Rakuen are particularly spectacular. For 2026 the official "Flower Festival" is announced as running from Friday March 13 to Sunday April 5 for the cherry blossom period, and from Monday April 6 to Wednesday May 6 for the azaleas, wisteria and spring maples. Some 200,000 azaleas, including Kurume and Hirado varieties, colour the mountainside, and the great wisteria, estimated to be 170 years old, is another highlight.

How the Garden Came to Be

Mifuneyama Rakuen was built by Nabeshima Shigeyoshi (1800-1862), the 28th lord of Takeo in the late Edo period. The house of the Takeo lords was originally the Goto clan, who moved here from the Kanto region around the 12th century; when real power in Hizen passed from the Ryuzoji to the Nabeshima in the early Edo period they became retainers and took the Nabeshima surname. Under national seclusion, Shigeyoshi actively introduced Dutch learning, and in 1834 (Tenpo 5) he became the first feudal lord in Japan to enter the school of Takashima Shuhan to study Western-style gunnery, going on to succeed in manufacturing Western-style cannon and steamships. He was a major influence on Nabeshima Naomasa, the 10th lord of the Saga domain and one of the "Seven Wise Men of Saga." It was this Shigeyoshi who, over about three years, completed Mifuneyama Rakuen (formerly the Hagi-no-o Garden) in 1845 (Koka 2). For the garden's design he invited a painter of the Kano school, who served as an official painter to the shogunate, from Kyoto to draw the projected finished view. Shigeyoshi had himself studied under the Kano school and left works under the art name "Kaishunsai," which suggests he conveyed his vision for the garden in fine detail. Rising behind it, the 210-metre Mount Mifune is the symbol of Takeo, its name said to derive from Empress Jingu mooring her ship (mifune) there on her return from Silla.

Highlights Within the Garden

• Tsutsuji-dani (Azalea Valley): The greatest highlight, spreading below the cliffs of Mount Mifune and making use of a mortar-shaped landform. Around 200,000 azaleas, including Kurume and Hirado varieties, fill the slope like a carpet. Because the ground undulates, the view changes one after another as you walk.
• Hanamidai: An observation deck about 30 metres above the ground, at the far end of a tree-lined walking path on the left side of Mount Mifune. The view down over the mass of azaleas is spectacular, at its best from late April to early May.
• The Great Wisteria: A wisteria estimated to be 170 years old, beside the Hagi-no-o teahouse. It takes over the floral relay just as the azaleas finish.
• Hagi-no-o Teahouse: Opened only during the Flower Festival and the Autumn Foliage Festival, serving a set of "powdered tea and skewered dango" by day and "powdered tea and zenzai" by night.
• Cherry blossom: At the early-spring Flower Festival, about 2,000 trees — Somei-Yoshino, Oshima-zakura, Yamazakura, Yaezakura and others — bloom in succession. At night some 25,000 tsubo are lit up, making it one of Kyushu's largest night-time cherry blossom displays, with the cherry trees clustered around the pond reflected on the water together with floating lanterns.

The Autumn Foliage Festival and "Tamayura no Yube"

Mifuneyama Rakuen is also famous for autumn colours. The 2026 Autumn Foliage Festival runs from Friday November 6 to Sunday December 6, open 8:00-17:30 by day and 17:30-22:00 at night (held in rain, with no closing days). Highlights are dotted throughout, beginning with the great old maple, 170 years old, that colours the foot of Mount Mifune, along with the maple arch, Furimuki-zaka slope, Kagami-ike pond and Azalea Valley. The night session, "Tamayura no Yube," is one of Japan's largest autumn foliage illuminations, lighting up about 40,000 tsubo so that intensely coloured leaves emerge from the darkness. Admission is 600 yen for adults (junior high school age and above) and 300 yen for elementary school children for either the day or the night session, or 900 yen for adults and 400 yen for elementary school children for a combined day-and-night ticket. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays during the period, a free shuttle bus links the north exit of JR Takeo-Onsen Station with Mifuneyama Rakuen, running about three round trips per hour between 8:00 and 22:00, with no reservation required (details change from year to year, so check the official website).

The Face of Each Season

The garden shows a different face in seasons other than spring too. From early to late May comes "Upside-Down Maples and Satsuki Azaleas," when fresh green is reflected on the surface of the pond; from June until around the end of the rainy season, "Upside-Down Maples in the Rain," when hydrangeas bloom. Rain-wet leaves and the water mirror are quiet highlights unique to this garden. In early autumn there is a period titled "Moon on the Water and the Sound of Insects," and from early December, once the Autumn Foliage Festival has ended, it becomes "Winter Bareness, and Occasionally Snow." From late January to early February the camellias reach their peak. Even in the lull between flowering seasons, the bare-winter landscape composed only of Mount Mifune's rock face and the pond is a season in which you can appreciate the very framework of the garden.

teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live

"teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live," held from summer into autumn, is a light installation by the digital art collective teamLab. The 2025 run was from Friday July 18 to Monday November 3 (a public holiday), during which the garden's pond, trees, rocks and large tea house were adorned with light art. A ticket separate from garden admission is required, and the dates, hours and prices change from year to year, so always check the official website. It is a popular event that attracts many art fans from Japan and abroad.

Best Season

For 2026 the official Flower Festival runs March 13 to April 5 for cherry blossom, April 6 to May 6 for azaleas, wisteria and spring maples, and November 6 to December 6 for autumn colours. teamLab's light art exhibition is held from summer into autumn. Flowering shifts earlier or later depending on the year, so check the blooming status on the official website before visiting. If you are aiming for both flowers and art, spring lets you enjoy quite different faces by day and by night.

Combine Your Visit

Neighbouring Takeo Onsen is a celebrated hot spring with 1,300 years of history, symbolised by its vermilion-lacquered gate tower. Combining it with Takeo Shrine, home to a great camphor tree more than 3,000 years old, is also recommended.

Access

About 5 minutes by car or taxi from "Takeo-Onsen Station" on the JR Sasebo Line. Admission in the ordinary season is 500 yen for adults (junior high school age and above) and 300 yen for elementary school children, and opening hours are 8:00-17:00. During the azalea and wisteria Flower Festival this changes to 700 yen for adults and 450 yen for elementary school children. During the cherry blossom Flower Festival it is 600 yen for adults and 350 yen for elementary school children for a combined day-and-night ticket, and for the autumn foliage festival it is 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for elementary school children for either day or night, or 900 yen for adults and 400 yen for elementary school children for day and night combined — so prices differ by season (guests staying at Onyado Chikurintei or Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel enter free). The spring and autumn seasons are crowded, so buying tickets in advance is recommended. Note that aerial photography by drone is prohibited within the garden, and blue plastic sheets and alcohol may not be brought in. Come thinking of it as a place to walk quietly and savour the garden, rather than a venue for a blossom-viewing party.

Practical Information

• Best season: For 2026 the official "Flower Festival" periods are Friday March 13 to Sunday April 5 for cherry blossom, Monday April 6 to Wednesday May 6 for azaleas, wisteria and spring maples, and Friday November 6 to Sunday December 6 for autumn colours. There are about 200,000 azaleas including Kurume and Hirado varieties, and the great wisteria estimated at 170 years old is another highlight. Flowering shifts earlier or later depending on the year.
• Period / illumination: teamLab's "A Forest Where Gods Live" is held for a limited period from summer into autumn. The 2025 run was from Friday July 18 to Monday November 3 (a public holiday), with hours of 19:00-22:30 from July 18 to September 7, 18:00-22:30 from September 12 to October 5 and 17:00-22:30 from October 10 to November 3 (last entry 22:00); it was closed Monday to Thursday (with some public holidays, the Obon period and part of Silver Week open). Check the official website for the 2026 dates.
• Fees: Garden admission in the ordinary season is 500 yen for adults (junior high school age and above) and 300 yen for elementary school children. During the azalea and wisteria Flower Festival it is 700 yen for adults and 450 yen for elementary school children (free for overnight guests). The teamLab exhibition requires a ticket separate from garden admission.
• Opening hours: 8:00-17:00.
• Access: About 5 minutes by car or taxi from "Takeo-Onsen Station" on the JR Sasebo Line.
• Clothing and gear: This is a pond-and-stroll garden of about 150,000 tsubo (approximately 500,000 square metres), and you walk undulating paths that follow the slope of Mount Mifune. Wear comfortable shoes. At the night-time art exhibition the ground is dark, so take particular care underfoot.

The spring and autumn seasons are very crowded. Buying tickets in advance is recommended.

The name, dates, prices and hours of the teamLab exhibition change from year to year. Always check the latest dates on the official website before making plans.

📚 Sources

• Mifuneyama Rakuen official website, "Top," "History," "Spring"
• teamLab official website, "teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live"