Just imagine a whole field of purple lavender with Mt Fuji in the background.
And just imagine the air smells so amazing that you feel like you are in the heavens.
All these imaginations are enough to persuade me to go to the heavily-touristed area of Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖) to photograph this amazing place myself.
I usually avoid the tourist spots but this time, I cannot miss this wonderful and beautiful flower spot no matter how touristy the spot is. Just to make myself clear here - I avoided the well established tourist spots not because of the tourists, but rather, to avoid the pressure of taking the easy but more expensive way to travel.
Anyway, that amazing flower spot that I am talking about is the Oishi Park (大石公園) and from mid-June to mid-Jul, this park is full of blooming purple lavender.
And when you reach the Oishi Park, the place is filled with this an amazing lavender scent in the air. I have never smelled anything more wonderful than this. All this makes me want to visit the lavender fields in Provence.
To get to Lake Kawaguchi from Shinjuku, you can take the highway bus from the Shinjuku highway bus terminal to Kawaguchiko station for 1,750yen. The journey should take about 1hour 45mins if there is no delay.
If you have JR pass, you can board the train on Chuo-line at the JR Shinjuku station to the JR Otsuki station and change to Fujikyu line with the train heading to Kawaguchiko station. The train fare should be an additional of 1,140yen. The whole journey is about 2hours if you are taking the train.
It is relatively easy to get to the Oishi Park with the retro bus on the Red Line from the JR Kawaguchiko station. From the JR Kawaguchiko station, it is just about 20mins ride and the stop for Oishi Park is at Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center bus station (河口湖自然生活館).
Although I did not manage to find out how much it costs to go from JR Kawaguchiko station to Oishi Park but I believe it should be around 400-500yen per way (I was persuaded to get the two-days area pass for 1,300yen as I was making a few stops along the way). So if you are only visiting one place in the area, then, you probably won't need the two-days area pass, but if you are planning to make a few stops like I did, then, it is advisable to get the pass as the bus fare retro bus is not cheap.
I was told that there is also a local bus which is cheaper but the information for the local bus is also harder to get. As this trip wasn't planned (it is one of my random trips again), I didn't have enough time to search for the information and I am still trying to find the timetable for the local bus online. If I can find it, I will share it online ^^.
You can also rent a bicycle from the JR Kawaguchiko station and it should cost you about 600yen per hour or 2,600yen per day. But if you are staying in a hostel or some accommodation in Lake Kawaguchi, just ask if there is any discount. You can probably get a bicycle for 1,000yen for a whole day.
Although Lake Kawaguchi or Kawaguchiko area is a beautiful area with a really nice lake, but it is also a well-established tourist spot. It is a great place for anyone who can't speak or read Japanese because this area is easily navigable with lots of English maps, signboards and buses with drivers who can speak passable English.
All said, the Oishi Park is still worth a visit and you will probably never regret spending one good afternoon with the sweet-smelling lavender. I believe the lavender is still good till next week. Enjoy the photos!
And just imagine the air smells so amazing that you feel like you are in the heavens.
All these imaginations are enough to persuade me to go to the heavily-touristed area of Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖) to photograph this amazing place myself.
I usually avoid the tourist spots but this time, I cannot miss this wonderful and beautiful flower spot no matter how touristy the spot is. Just to make myself clear here - I avoided the well established tourist spots not because of the tourists, but rather, to avoid the pressure of taking the easy but more expensive way to travel.
Anyway, that amazing flower spot that I am talking about is the Oishi Park (大石公園) and from mid-June to mid-Jul, this park is full of blooming purple lavender.
And when you reach the Oishi Park, the place is filled with this an amazing lavender scent in the air. I have never smelled anything more wonderful than this. All this makes me want to visit the lavender fields in Provence.
To get to Lake Kawaguchi from Shinjuku, you can take the highway bus from the Shinjuku highway bus terminal to Kawaguchiko station for 1,750yen. The journey should take about 1hour 45mins if there is no delay.
If you have JR pass, you can board the train on Chuo-line at the JR Shinjuku station to the JR Otsuki station and change to Fujikyu line with the train heading to Kawaguchiko station. The train fare should be an additional of 1,140yen. The whole journey is about 2hours if you are taking the train.
It is relatively easy to get to the Oishi Park with the retro bus on the Red Line from the JR Kawaguchiko station. From the JR Kawaguchiko station, it is just about 20mins ride and the stop for Oishi Park is at Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center bus station (河口湖自然生活館).
Although I did not manage to find out how much it costs to go from JR Kawaguchiko station to Oishi Park but I believe it should be around 400-500yen per way (I was persuaded to get the two-days area pass for 1,300yen as I was making a few stops along the way). So if you are only visiting one place in the area, then, you probably won't need the two-days area pass, but if you are planning to make a few stops like I did, then, it is advisable to get the pass as the bus fare retro bus is not cheap.
I was told that there is also a local bus which is cheaper but the information for the local bus is also harder to get. As this trip wasn't planned (it is one of my random trips again), I didn't have enough time to search for the information and I am still trying to find the timetable for the local bus online. If I can find it, I will share it online ^^.
You can also rent a bicycle from the JR Kawaguchiko station and it should cost you about 600yen per hour or 2,600yen per day. But if you are staying in a hostel or some accommodation in Lake Kawaguchi, just ask if there is any discount. You can probably get a bicycle for 1,000yen for a whole day.
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| I think it is an amazing experience to cycle among the flowers |
All said, the Oishi Park is still worth a visit and you will probably never regret spending one good afternoon with the sweet-smelling lavender. I believe the lavender is still good till next week. Enjoy the photos!
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