New Year Peonies at the Shin-en Peony Garden (神苑ぼたん庭園 正月ぼたん)

What Are the New Year Peonies at the Shin-en Peony Garden?

The Shin-en Peony Garden (神苑ぼたん庭園) at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura (鎌倉) usually shows its shogatsu botan (正月ぼたん), or New Year peonies, from January 1 to around mid-February. These are tree peonies that normally bloom in spring, grown so that they flower at New Year instead, and they are also called fuyu botan (冬ぼたん), winter peonies. Each plant is covered with a straw shelter that protects it from cold and frost, and large crimson and pink flowers bloom inside.

Dates and Hours

The New Year peonies are usually on view from January 1 to around mid-February, until the flowers are past their best. The garden is open from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (last entry 4:00 PM), and admission is 500 yen. Whether the garden opens, and for how long, varies by year, and in some years it has stayed closed, so check the New Year notice the shrine posts in December before you go.

Highlights | Peonies in Straw Shelters by Genji Pond

The Shin-en Peony Garden is a strolling Japanese garden on the shore of Genji Pond (源氏池). Straw shelters dot the long, narrow garden along the pond, and you can walk past pine trees, bamboo fences and a garden built with Taihu stones (太湖石), ornamental limestone rocks from China. Each plant has a label with its variety name, so you can compare the flowers as you go. In winter, black-headed gulls gather on Genji Pond. The garden was opened in 1980 to mark the 800th anniversary of the shrine’s founding, and peonies are also shown here in spring.

Before You Go

There are two entrances: one on the shore of Genji Pond, just to the right after you pass through the Third Torii Gate (三の鳥居), and one on the east side of the grounds near the Saikan (斎館), a building where priests prepare for rituals. A slow walk around the garden takes about 15 minutes, or about 30 minutes if you stop to compare the flowers, and there are benches here and there. The shrine grounds are very crowded, especially during the first three days of January, but inside the garden, away from the main approach, you can enjoy the flowers in relative calm. Pets are not allowed in the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Access | Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is about a 10-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅) or from Enoden (江ノ電) Kamakura Station. If you are staying at Toshi’s Place, take the Enoden from Hase Station (長谷駅) or Wadazuka Station (和田塚駅) to Kamakura Station, then walk along Wakamiya-oji Avenue (若宮大路).

Staying overnight in Kamakura lets you avoid the busiest times and see the flowers at your own pace. At Toshi’s Place, fully unstaffed smart hotels with fully equipped kitchens and room-only stays, you can enjoy winter in Kamakura at a relaxed pace.

Summary

The New Year peonies at the Shin-en Peony Garden usually bloom inside straw shelters by Genji Pond from January 1 to around mid-February. For the shrine’s highlights throughout the year, see Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Basic Information

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