Hello, this is _hiroyuki.ta. This time, I toured on a Harley from central Tokyo to the ancient lotus village in Saitama Prefecture. Ancient Lotus Village is known as a famous place where lotuses bloomed about 1,400 to 3,000 years ago. The best time to see lotus flowers is in the morning, and the park also has an aquatic plant garden and rice field art. This time, we will introduce how to get to the ancient lotus village, highlights, and information on motorcycle parking.
Ancient Lotus Village is a park located in Kobari, Gyoda City, Saitama Prefecture. The area is 14 hectares, which is the size of three Tokyo Domes. In the park, 120,000 flower lotuses of 42 types bloom all over the lotus pond. Gyoda lotus (ancient lotus), which has a primitive form with a small number of petals, is said to be about 1,400 to 3,000 years old. This ancient lotus was reconstructed from seeds excavated from an ancient tomb in Gyoda City in 1976, and is designated as a national natural monument.
At the Ancient Lotus Village, you can enjoy the blooming of lotuses from mid-June to early August. In particular, the Lotus Festival is held in early July and attracts many people. Additionally, from mid-July to mid-October, you can view the rice field art at its peak from the Ancient Lotus Hall observation deck. Rice field art involves planting different colored rice plants and drawing pictures and letters on them, and has been held every year in Gyoda City since 2008. In 2015, it was recognized by Guinness World Records as the “world’s largest rice field art”.
This time, I toured on a Harley from central Tokyo to the ancient lotus village in Saitama Prefecture. The distance is approximately 80km and the journey time is approximately 1.5 hours. You can move smoothly using the expressway.
The starting point is Hakozaki Minatobashi Street. From here, turn right towards Hakozaki IC and enter the Shuto Expressway No. 6 Mukojima Line. Proceed along the Shuto Expressway No. 6 Mukojima Line to Horikiri JCT, then use the two lanes on the left to branch off towards the Tohoku Expressway. Continue on the Shuto Expressway Central Loop Line until Kosuge JCT, then use the two lanes on the left to branch off towards the Tohoku Expressway. Continue along the Shuto Expressway Central Loop Line until Kohoku JCT, then use the two lanes on the right to branch off towards the Tohoku Expressway.
Take the Tohoku Expressway to Hanyu IC and take the exit towards Hanyu/Koga. After exiting, turn right and enter Prefectural Route 84. Proceed along Prefectural Route 84 to Komatsudai, then turn left onto Prefectural Route 32. Proceed along Prefectural Route 32 to Shimosudo, then turn left onto Prefectural Route 364. Proceed along Prefectural Route 364 to Ancient Lotus Village.
When you arrive at the Ancient Lotus Village, first enter the Ancient Lotus Hall. The Ancient Lotus Hall is a facility that exhibits the history, culture, and ecology of the ancient lotus. Admission fee is 400 yen for adults (high school students and above).
At the Ancient Lotus Hall, you can see the lotus pond and rice field art in the park from the observation deck. A telescope is also installed in the observation room, allowing you to observe even the smallest details. In addition, in the exhibition room, you can see ancient lotus seeds, flower pots, lotus-related books, and goods.
After leaving the Ancient Lotus Hall, let’s take a walk around the park. The park includes an aquatic botanical garden, a waterfowl pond, a peony garden, a plum grove, and a cherry blossom viewing plaza with cherry blossom trees. At the Aquatic Botanical Garden, you can see aquatic plants such as lotuses and water lilies. At the waterfowl pond, you can see waterfowl such as spot-billed ducks and mandarin ducks. At the peony garden, approximately 3,000 peonies of 100 types bloom from late April to early May. In the plum grove, approximately 500 plum trees of 50 varieties bloom from late February to early March. At the cherry blossom viewing plaza with cherry blossom trees, approximately 300 cherry blossoms of 30 different varieties bloom from late March to early April.
After strolling through the park, take a break at a shop or udon restaurant. At the shop, Gyoda City’s specialty products, fresh vegetables, flowers, sweets, etc. are sold. Especially recommended are amanatto and rice crackers made with lotus seeds. At the udon restaurant, you can enjoy handmade udon and soba noodles. Especially recommended is the tempura udon made with lotus seeds.
This time, I toured on a Harley from central Tokyo to the Ancient Lotus Village in Saitama Prefecture. Ancient Lotus Village is known as a famous place where lotuses bloomed about 1,400 to 3,000 years ago. The park also has an aquatic plant garden and rice field art. At the Ancient Lotus Village, you can enjoy the blooming of lotuses from mid-June to early August. In particular, the Lotus Festival is held in early July and attracts many people. Additionally, from mid-July to mid-October, you can view the rice field art at its peak from the Ancient Lotus Hall observation deck.
You can travel smoothly to the ancient lotus village using the expressway. The distance is approximately 80km and the journey time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Ancient Lotus Village is the perfect spot for touring on a Harley. It is a place where you can feel nature and history. Please come and visit us at least once.
The above was sent to you by _hiroyuki.ta. Next time we look forward to.
*The English name for Saitama Prefecture Ancient Lotus Village is Saitama Prefecture Ancient Lotus Village.
