Ajisai Kaidou

At Umesono, you can buy products made from Ogose's local specialties, ume (plum) and yuzu (Japanese citrus). The central location makes it a popular resting place for hikers and other travelers.

In the national survey taken in 1988 regarding greenery, it was ranked 16th regarding size in the ranking of the nation’s trees and was qualified 1st within the prefecture. The tree has a circumference of 15m, a height of 30m, and is older than 1,000 years. The tree spread is also worth viewing. It is designated as the prefecture’s natural monument.

The plums of Ogose are said to originate from the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka before they were moved and replanted at their current location in the Umezono shrine. Ogose Bairin is known as one of Kanto's three great plum groves. The park covers an area of about 2 hectares and is home to about 1,000 plum trees such as Shirakaga, Ko-ume, and Koseno-ume. Furthermore, the unusually old plum tree called Kaiyuki, estimated to be 650 years old, can be seen here. Including the surrounding area, about 20,000 plum trees are in full bloom during peak season.

Kuroyamataki is a general term for the three waterfalls: greater waterfall, smaller waterfall, and tengu (an imaginary red-faced human figure with a protruding long nose, who flies through the air with two angel-like wings) waterfall. It is a scenic spot that was selected as one of Japan’s 100 best sightseeing destinations. Here you can enjoy fresh green leaves in the spring, cool temperature in the summer, and the changing color of the leaves in spring is remarkable.

What used to be a forested mountain has been reborn through 10 years of hard work as a flower garden dedicated to Mitsuba tsutsuji, or Rhododendron dilatatum. At the beginning of April, about 2500 flowers bloom creating a stunning world of floral beauty!