33,000 kochia bushes are now growing at Hitachi Seaside Park

From fields of colourful tulips to a sea of blue nemophila, the sprawling Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki has something to see every season. In summer, the park starts growing kochia, or summer cypress. These fluffy little bushes look like something out of a Dr Seuss book. 

Currently, there are approximately 33,000 kochia bushes growing at the park’s Miharashi no Oka Hill area, covering roughly 1.9 hectares. The bushes range from 50cm to 60cm in size but will reach about 70cm in late August. 

During summer, the bushes are in a fresh, vibrant green colour, but come autumn, they’ll turn brilliant red. If you want to catch these 'fur balls' while they’re still green, visit the park anytime now until end-September.

From early October, the kochia will start turning scarlet red. The best time to see them in their full red glory is in mid-October. Later into the month, they'll start to take on a dusty golden hue.

You can keep tabs on this year’s kochia colours via Hitachi Seaside Park’s Facebook page. The park is roughly two hours from Tokyo Station. See the park’s website for information on how to get there.

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