ひまわりの海
Hello! I’m Kota. Today, I’m in Tsunan Town, Niigata Prefecture. It’s mid-August, right during the Obon holiday. I’m going to introduce you to the Tsunan Sunflower Plaza. About 500,000 sunflowers bloom across this vast field. They say it looks just like a sea of sunflowers. If they call it a sunflower sea… …there must be a massive number blooming. I’m really looking forward to it. Like cherry blossoms or autumn leaves, sunflowers can’t be enjoyed for long. In Tsunan, you can only see them for about two to three weeks in August. That’s what I’ve heard. When something is limited by season or location, I just feel like I have to go see it. I’m really excited to see what kind of scenery awaits. Alright, let’s go! We’ve arrived at the parking lot. There’s no public transportation, so I recommend coming by car. The moment I got out of the car, I saw this sea of yellow right in front of me. This looks really promising. There’s a viewing platform, so I’m going to climb up. Let’s see what kind of view we get. This really is a sea of sunflowers. It’s far beyond what I expected. Each sunflower stands tall and straight. They’re about my height, maybe a little taller. The flowers are wide open, about the size of my palm. There’s a maze here. I was super curious, so I’m heading in right away. I’ve never been surrounded by this many sunflowers before. Seeing the whole field from above is one thing, but walking among the sunflowers… …gives a totally different perspective. Since it’s a maze, of course there are dead ends. Looks like this path wasn’t the right one. But even at a dead end, the view is beautiful. All the sunflowers are facing me. I recently bought a selfie stick for filming. From the center of the field, you can capture the entire Sunflower Plaza. Today’s sky is cloudy, not perfectly blue, but that kind of summer vibe is nice too. Just walking around for a while… Alright, I reached the goal. It was a simple maze, but walking through the sunflower field was a really fun experience. There are food stalls around the plaza, selling drinks, snacks, and various goods. I met someone from Thailand at the Tsunan Festival! Bought some sunflower-themed goods. Khop khun ka! (My humble Thai) I got hungry, so I bought Tsunan’s specialty corn. Struggling a bit to open the ramune bottle. Apparently, corn is a local specialty in Tsunan. Let’s dig in! Delicious! Here we have entries from the scarecrow contest. Looks like they were made by kids from local preschools, elementary and middle schools. They’re super creative and fun. Now, I’d like to share some tips for visiting the Sunflower Plaza. Just a few things to keep in mind. First, it’s summer, so it’s hot. Stay hydrated and wear a hat. Make sure to take precautions against heatstroke. Second, Parking costs 1,000 yen, and it’s cash only. The nearest convenience store is about 15 minutes away by car, so keep that in mind. Third, Sunflowers usually bloom from early to late August each year, but by the end of August, some of them may already be wilting. So I think early August is the best time to visit. That way, you’ll catch them at their peak. Definitely worth it. So, what did you think of the Tsunan Sunflower Plaza? Niigata Prefecture is often associated with snow, so most people come here in winter for skiing or snowy scenery. But even outside of winter, there are beautiful sights and fun places like this that I really want to share with you. Alright everyone, see you next time! Thanks for watching. Bye-bye!
津南ひまわり広場公式情報はこちら
▶ [津南町観光協会公式サイト](https://tsunan.info/tsunan-sunflower-square-2/)
新潟県津南町の高原に広がる、約50万本のひまわり畑——
その圧倒的な景色は、まるで「黄色い海」。
標高500mの沖ノ原台地に咲き誇る津南ひまわり広場は、
町の花として親しまれ、夏の風物詩として多くの人々を魅了しています。