Season Details
Spring's abundant flowers
Every year around the beginning of April, the someiyoshino cherries of Moore Square come into flower and you can enjoy the exquisite view of Sagami Bay above the cherry blossom in full bloom.
The ‘shidarezakura’ weeping cherry trees on the green lawn of the museum are at their best from the middle of April.
Towards the end of April, the azalea of Zuiunkyo start to blossom. Here on approximately 3,000m2 of rounded hillsides a beautiful mosaic of 3,600 flowers of about 40 different azalea varieties burst into flower in a riot of red, white and pink. In the tea garden the white blossom of the wild cherry variety Oshima-sakura come into bloom. At the end of April the bamboo of the bamboo grove are also sending out their young shoots.
On fine days there is nothing like taking a walk and enjoying the soothing sounds of the wind rustling through the bamboo. After your walk, how about relaxing in the gazebo “Azumaya”?
The quiet of summer—far from the bustling of city
Huge columns of white clouds gathering over the azure sea around Hatsushima and Izu-Oshima are a sure sign of the onset of summer. This is a time to enjoy the magnificent panoramas produced by Mother Nature.
The paths leading to the tea garden are covered in lush green of moss and the grounds are full of verdant pieris, sasa and maple trees. The traditional stone basin set by the tea house Ippaku-an brings a sense of refreshing coolness, and the lovely forms of plantain lilies, gold-banded lilies and platycodons are pleasant to the eyes. With the blue sky beautifully set off by the green leaves of the maple, the tea garden is an exquisite palette of summer colors.
The late colors of autumn
Mid November to end December is a breath-taking season to witness the maple leaves turn brilliant hues in our tea garden, which is increasingly discovered as a hidden spot to catch the autumn colors. The tea garden welcomes you with autumn plants such as pampas grass, gentians, toad lilies and clover. Why not have a bowl of matcha green tea in the Ippaku-an teahouse as you admire the vibrant red and yellow foliage? Feel the romance of the season as fallen leaves float on the water channels outside Korin’s Residence.
From January, Atami’s plums are starting to blossom, and you can already feel the gentle start of an early spring. By February the approximately 360 ancient plum trees of differing varieties in Zuiunkyo all bloom red and white in unison.
On fine winter days the air becomes crystal clear, affording long views over Hatsushima and Izu Oshima in the Sagami Bay, even as far as the Miura and Boso peninsulas on the horizon.
Even in Atami’s mild winter climate, the museum ground, being at an elevation of 250 m, occasionally come under snow. The sight of snow on the tea house and plum branches turns the whole scene into a winter wonderland.