Nature and Technology Team Up at Japan's First Digital Garden

Nature and Technology Team Up at Japan’s First Digital Garden

Monday, Feb 17, 2020 0

Yomiuriland, a Tokyo amusement park with over 55 years of history, is well known for the sheer variety of its entertainment offerings. It has white-knuckle rollercoasters, swimming pools, winter illuminations, and much, much more. On March 14, 2020, it is planning to add a new attraction to its lineup: Hana Biyori (also written as “HANA・BIYORI”). Billed as an “entertainment botanical garden,” Hana Biyori is housed within a 1,500-square-meter greenhouse, situated next-door to the amusement park. As with most greenhouses, it’s full of colorful flowers, trees, and other plant life—with an added touch: digital art. But that’s far from all Hana Biyori has to offer. This cutting-edge facility has plenty of surprises in store!

Flowers for the Digital Age

The beautiful flowerbeds surrounding the main building give you a taste of what’s to come. Inside, you’ll be greeted by “flower chandeliers”—over 300 baskets of hanging flowers suspended in mid-air, comprising one of the largest collections in the Kanto area (Tokyo and nearby prefectures). The flowers themselves are stunning, but Hana Biyori puts a new twist on the flower-viewing experience by turning off the lights, plunging the greenhouse into darkness. State-of-the-art projection mapping illuminates the flowers with vivid colors, and animated birds and petals dance across the walls and floor. This is the first permanent facility in Japan to combine living flowers and projection technology, so expect an experience unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Tickets to the amusement park do not cover entry to Hana Biyori. A separate fee will be charged.

Tradition, Refreshments, and…Otters

The flower chandeliers at one end of the greenhouse hang above a cafe. An abundance of windows and plant life create an airy, peaceful atmosphere, making this a great place to take a break. The cafe is bordered on one side by an eight-meter aquarium that is designed to resemble the deep ocean.

Elsewhere, you’ll find a display area housing a group of otters! You can take a close look at them, then learn more about their lives by attending a talk or taking part in a feeding session. An on-site shop sells otter-themed toys and goods that aren’t available anywhere else.

Outside, you’ll find a Japanese garden featuring gates that once stood outside Kyoto’s Imperial Palace, as well as Buddhist statue designated as Important Cultural Properties. The garden’s traditional layout offers an interesting contrast to the high-tech greenhouse. Altogether, Hana Biyori innovatively fuses the modern and the traditional, creating a new type of botanical garden.

HANA・BIYORI (Yomiuriland)

Address	4015-1 Yanokuchi, Inagi-shi, Tokyo
Hours	10:00-17:00 See the official website for more information.
Closing days	Irregular closing days
Access	Keio Yomiuri-Land Station Sagamihara Line 10 min on foot, or 3 min via the free shuttle bus
Other	For updated information on opening hours, days closed, prices, and more, please check the official website.
URL	HANA・BIYORI (Yomiuriland)

In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), various facilities around Tokyo may change their operating days or hours. In addition, some events may be canceled or postponed. Please check official facility or event websites for the latest updates and information.