2025 Edition! The lotus flowers at Shinobazuno Pond are at their best now! Ueno Onshi Park Summer Festival is underway!

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Summer is in full swing! The lotus flowers at Shinobazuno Pond are in full bloom!

Shinobazuno Pond is located in Ueno Onshi Park. The lotus pond in Ueno Onshi Park is known as a famous lotus viewing spot, and at this very moment, large pink flowers are blooming all at once on the pond that is covered with green leaves. Shinobazuno Pond consists of three ponds: the Lotus Pond, the Cormorant Pond, and the Boat Pond, but lotus flowers can be seen only in the Boat Pond. It is recommended to take pictures from the lotus-viewing decks that are set back from the pond.

Recommended viewing spot: "Lotus Viewing Deck

Lotus Viewing Deck (the wind chime corridor is only open during the "Ueno Summer Festival")
The Lotus Viewing Deck, a floating pier on the south side of Shinobazuno Pond. Lotus can be seen both to the right and to the left! Lotus! The whole area is surrounded by lotuses. The photo below was taken from the lotus-viewing deck. (July 14, 2025, around 8:00 a.m.)
View of Shinobazunoike Rantendo from the tip of the lotus viewing deck
You can see the lotus up close
A promenade is maintained around the lotus pond, so visitors can see lotus flowers up close, even outside of the lotus-viewing deck. Also, if you walk along the pond from the lotus-viewing deck toward Ueno Station, you will find that some of the steps are low and the lotus will be higher than your eye level, so you will feel as if you are under the flowers and leaves.

When and who planted the lotus in Shinobazuno Pond?

It is not known when the lotus was planted in Shinobazu Pond. However, there is a theory. The two priests, Tenkai Sojo and Mizunoya Ise-no-kami, built the middle island in Shinobazu Pond to resemble Chikubujima in Lake Biwa. It is believed that they knew that lotuses were blooming in Lake Biwa and had them planted in Shinobazunoike Pond. In fact, the "Omi Meisho Zu Byobu" painted in the Edo period (1603-1867) depicts the eight scenic spots of Lake Biwa, and also shows lotuses growing in clusters along the shores of Lake Biwa and lotus-viewing parties being held there. Until a few years ago, the Karasuma Peninsula in Kusatsu City, on the shore of Lake Biwa, was crowded with people in summer as a lotus-growing area. We still do not know the details of who planted them, but we are grateful to Ueno for giving us such a wonderful summer scene in the area.

The lotus blooms in the morning and closes after noon. The lotus blooms in the morning and closes after noon.

The lotus flowers begin blooming early in the morning and close in the afternoon. No wonder the word "rest" is in the language of lotus flowers. If you see a lotus flower open after noon, it is the last one to fall that day. It opens early in the morning and closes in the afternoon. This is repeated for three days, and on the fourth day, the flower continues to bloom until around dusk, when it falls off. It is precisely because they are fleeting that they are so beautiful.
These are buds, so the flowers will bloom tomorrow.

The first day of blooming

The flowers begin to open slowly in the early morning around 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. When they are 4 to 5 centimeters in diameter, they do not open any further and begin to close around 8:00 a.m., returning to their original state as buds. (The degree of opening depends on the type of flower.)

The second day of blooming

They start to open little by little during the night and open by 7 to 8 a.m. The flowers at this time are the most beautiful. This is when the flowers are at their most beautiful. The flowers begin to close around 8:00 a.m. and return to their original state of buds by noon.

The 3rd day

On the third day, the flowers begin to open at midnight and are fully open by around 8:00 a.m., with the flower diameter at its maximum. They begin to close around noon, but do not close completely, remaining half-open until the fourth day.

Day 3】 【Day 4】 【Day 5】 【Day 6】 【Day 7

On the fourth day, the flowers also begin to bloom at midnight and are fully open by 6 or 7 o'clock, with the early ones beginning to fall from the outer petals around 9 o'clock and all falling in the afternoon.

Lotus flowers make a sound when they open!

Have you ever heard the rumor that lotus flowers make a "ping" or "bang" sound at the moment they open? Whether it is true or not, there was a "blooming sound controversy" at Shinobazu Pond in the past. Lotus flowers are deeply related to Buddhism. It is said that people have long been enlightened by listening to the sound of lotus flowers blooming. Since the Edo period (1603-1867), it has also been used in haiku poems. There is something very Japanese about listening to the sound of flowers opening, isn't there? If you have ever heard such a sound, please let us know what kind of sound it was.
The lotus will open in the morning, and people will hear the sound.

Shinobazunoike Oratorium" seen on the edge of the lotus pond

Shinobazunoike Rantendo

Shinobazunoike Pond Rantendo was built by Tenkai, the priest who founded Kan-eiji Temple. It is one of the halls of Kan'eiji Temple designed based on the concept of "Mimeteki". The Shinobazunoike Pond is likened to "Lake Biwa" and the small island there is likened to "Chikubujima" in Lake Biwa, and the Shinobazunoike Oratory is likened to "Hogonji" on Chikubujima.


In the early days, visitors to the temple used boats, but as the number of visitors increased, a bridge was built during the Edo period (1603-1868).


The principal deity enshrined in the oratory is "Benzaiten. He is widely worshipped as the guardian deity of music and the performing arts.

Ema (votive tablet) at Shinobazunoike Benten Hall
Some of the ema (votive picture tablet) at Shinobazunoike Benten Hall have lotus flowers designed on them. The lotus of Shinobazunoike Pond is a summer tradition in Ueno. When you visit, why not take a leisurely stroll around Shinobazunoike Pond?

Ueno Summer Festival" is underway!

A lot of wind chimes are making a sound all at once
A view that can only be seen in Ueno Park in summer
Currently, "Ueno Summer Festival" is being held around Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park. During the festival, the Hasumi Deck Rin-Rin Corridor, filled with 3,000 wind chimes and Japanese umbrellas, appears on the Hasumi Deck! The lotus flowers and Shinobazunoike Ranten-do Hall spread out beyond the corridor of wind chimes. Visitors can enjoy the good old Japanese atmosphere while feeling the pleasant breeze. The collaboration of lotus and wind chimes for a limited time will surely be a hit on SNS!

There will also be many other fun events such as the "Shaved Ice Stamp Rally" (*digital stamp rally) where you can visit shaved ice shops in the Ueno area and collect stamps, outdoor stage events, fairs, antique markets, and more! Please come to Ueno during this beautiful season of lotus flowers.

zPeriod: July 11 (Fri.) to August 11 (Mon.), 2025
zPlace: Shinobazu Pond area and Water Music Hall in Ueno Park

Please visit the official website of "Ueno Summer Festival 2025" for the dates, times, and details of each event.
Ueno Summer Festival 2025 Official website is here

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