White and pink are the new autumn hues

When you think of nature in autumn, perhaps red and yellow maple leaves come to mind. However, in Ochi Town (and across Japan), the arrival of sweater weather is also associated with the popping hues of white and pink cosmos flowers

In fact, cosmos flowers are called ‘akizakura’ in Japanese, which literally translates to ‘autumn cherry blossoms’. This certainly reflects the importance of these adorable flowers for a quintessential Japanese autumn. Well, the people of Ochi certainly thinks so

Located right beside the crystal-clear Niyodo River, Miyanomae Park blooms with over 1.5 million cosmos flowers during an annual festival, which attracts as many as 60,000 visitors over two weeks. This year, the festival is taking place between October 7 and October 16

Besides the breathtaking views of cosmos flowers collaborating with the surrounding mountains and river, you can also enjoy live music and even Yosakoi dance performances on certain days! Not to mention, a wide range of pop-up food stalls serve everything from ramen noodles and sushi, to Kochi specialties like imoten (fluffy, sweet potato tempura) and seasonal tsugani jiru (miso soup with Japanese mitten crab)

Miyanomae Park is located around 1.5 hours from Kochi Station by train and bus

If you can, we highly recommend driving about 20 minutes to Nagoya Chinkabashi (submersible bridge), which offers another photogenic view of the Niyodo River. Learn more about chinkabashi here: https://visitkochijapan.com/en/topics/1082