Kumamoto

<p>A dark pink bud closes up later in the afternoon</p>

A dark pink bud closes up later in the afternoon (Photo: Mandy Bartok)

Kumamoto

Ancient Lotus Garden

A garden for early risers

Mandy Bartok Jul 11, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>A dark pink bud closes up later in the afternoon</p>

<p>A large white lotus in the lower half of the garden</p>

<p>Lotus plants thrive in the waters under the garden's wisteria trellises</p>

<p>The best time to see the flowers is in the early morning</p>

<p>The path through the garden extends for about half a kilometer</p>

<p>Leafy lotus plants grow in the garden's meandering stream</p>

The garden outside the Kumamoto Prefectural Burial Mounds Museum may attract more crowds for its beautiful wisteria display, but the summer months bring a new look to the garden as lotus plants throng the meandering waterways. The best time to come is in the early morning, when the delicate buds open up to greet the sun; they close themselves off again by early afternoon. The garden, which is always free to enter, hosts an ongoing lotus festival from late June to the first weekend in August. A small onsite market sells fresh local produce and drinks to combat the humidity.

Mandy Bartok

Mandy Bartok @mandy.bartok

Japan resident for 10 years, with time spent in Okinawa, Kumamoto and Tokyo.