The short Hokkaido summer is over and by early September it feels more like autumn in the mornings and evenings. Daytime temperatures are around 20 degrees celsius. Although the autumn colours are yet to arrive, this is a beautiful time of year in Rusutsu, with brightly coloured flowers and mild sunny weather. You may wonder “What flowers are in bloom at this time of year? In this blog we aim to inform readers about the autumnal flowers at Rusutsu Resort.

Annabelle, a large, fluffy flower which is member of the Hydrangea family

The ‘Annabelle’ flower is a deciduous shrub in the Hydrangea family. It can withstand Hokkaidos low winter temperatures and heavy snowfall. It is a popular plant amongst Hokkaido gardening enthusiasts. It is often used as a dried flower as it has a lovely fragrance. The flowering season in Hokkaido is typically July to August. However, In Rusutsu, as the flowers are located at a higher altitude and slightly cooler location, the flowers bloom in September.

The resort grounds and amusement park feature a total of 35,000 Annabelle plants all in-bloom at the same time. yellow-green leaves and white flowers create a vivid floral display. The Annabelle flower symbolises “pure love” in Japan. This might be because of the pure white flowers convey and image of purity.

There is also a field of Annabelle flowers located adjacent to one of the rollercoasters. Please open your eyes and enjoy the flower garden and the surrounding scenery, while you are screaming with enjoyment from the ride.

The Annabelle flowers are mainly white with a few bright pink flowers. The flowers are brightly coloured and look great in photographs. However shortly with the onset of autumn, the surrounding trees will turn red and yellow and the natural colours will begin to change.

Enjoy the summer sunflowers for a few more weeks.

Sunflowers are one of the most popular flowers in Japan, but in Hokkaido they are usually not in full bloom until mid-August. In Hokkaido, the best time to see sunflowers in mid-August.

The beautiful flowers of the Rusutsu Resort can be enjoyed throughout the green season.

In our previous blog published in May we described the vivid spring flowers found in Rusutsu. However, Rusutsu has beautiful floral displays throughout the Green Season. We understand many guests are unable to at present, but we hope that this blog will give you some idea of the beautiful flora of Rusutsu.

The amusement park at Rusutsu Resort is still open, with infection control measures in place, and will be open until 17 October (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays).

[Blog] Rusutsu blossoms in the spring sunshine. The beginning of the colourful season!
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