Suigo Sawara Ayame Park is a botanical garden within Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park in Katori City, Chiba Prefecture. Visitors to the park will see people wearing triangular braided hats and paddling small boats on the waterways that wind through the garden. The scenery creates a particular mood, leading the area to be called "suigo," which literally means "beautiful riverside location."
In early May, a 70-meter-long tunnel of wisteria flowers colors the interior of the park, and in June, around 1.5 million plants of 400 different breeds of Japanese irises come into bloom; during this time, the Ayame Iris Festival is held, which is not an event to miss. In fact, among all of the iris gardens in Japan, this is the only one at which visitors can enjoy viewing the flowers from atop a boat. Then, from July through August, around 300 varieties of lotus flowers can be seen and appreciated, and the Hasu Lotus Festival is also held. Lotus flowers close their petals when evening rolls around, so anyone wanting to see the blossoms should make sure to visit during the morning.

Photograph provided by Katori City