Ehime Prefecture – “Nanrakuen” Ume Festival

Nanrakuen is the largest Japanese garden in Shikoku, boasting a total area of 153,322 square meters.
Every year, 160 trees for 15 different types of plum bloom one after another for a month, making going to view the flowers an amazing experience.
Umemi Teahouse offers free plum tea and has amazake and red bean soup for sale.
Fun events such as umeboshi seed-spreading tournaments are also held during this period.

In addition, a special exhibition of “Nanrakuen’s Zashikibina” is held during the event period. Zashikibina is an event held during Hina Matsuri exclusive to parts of Ehime Prefecture, in which gardens of bonsai trees and other plants are made in rooms and yards and filled with decorated Hina dolls. Nanrakuen hosts its zashikibina in a 40-square-meter space in the garden, where the decorated dolls create a splendorous and beautiful sight.