Yatsugatake Agricultural College (Location: Hara Village, Suwa District, Nagano Prefecture / Chino City / Director: Soichiro Minami / hereinafter referred to as "the College") will open "YATZ GARDEN" (https://yatsunou.jp/garden/), a vast flower field spanning approximately 10 hectares, on July 3, 2026 (Fri). It will be open to the public free of charge for the current season (scheduled until mid-October).

For its second year, the "Yatsugatake Garden Project," which had a soft opening last year, has been officially renamed "YATZ GARDEN." As with last year, Konami Tsukamoto, who has been involved in numerous flower parks, will serve as Garden Producer, and Keiko Yoshitani as Garden Designer. Based on last year's experience, the types of flowers and planting have been reviewed.

This region has unique high-altitude climate characteristics, including one of the longest sunshine hours in Japan (Note 1) and extreme temperature fluctuations with differences of over 15°C between day and night. It is cooler than Tokyo by approximately -8°C (Note 2), and under the majestic natural environment, these harsh temperature differences bring out the flowers' inherent vitality, creating landscapes of vivid colors.

This season, in addition to salvias in two colors, red and a new white, and marigolds in yellow and orange, areas like "COLORS," where different varieties of flowers bloom in stripes, are expected to reach their peak bloom sequentially.

Salvia last year

Furthermore, within the vast grounds of 267 hectares (equivalent to 57 Tokyo Domes), there are also fresh food using the college's ingredients, corn harvesting experiences, vegetable harvesting BBQs, farm tours, and more, making it a summer outing spot where you can spend the entire day and have an extraordinary experience.

Highlights and Peak Bloom of YATZ GARDEN

From late July to September, various areas within the garden are expected to reach their peak bloom sequentially.

・ Marigolds "Ladybug Flower Field" (Late July - Late August):

A charming area with yellow and orange marigolds, depicting a large ladybug on the vast grounds.

・ "COLORS" (Early August - Late September):

A colorful area where different varieties of flowers bloom in stripes. This season, perennial plants are also incorporated, developing a sustainable flower field nurtured over time.

・ Salvia "Yatsugatake Red Carpet" (August - September):

The temperature fluctuations unique to high altitudes have refined the color of the salvias. This season, a new white color is added to last year's solid red, creating a beautiful contrast in two colors. A swing is also provided as a photo spot.

・ Sunflowers (Early August - Late August):

Experience the arrival of summer in the highlands at the newly established photo zone.

* For the latest information on flower bloom status and closures due to bad weather, please check the college's official SNS (Instagram).

Map of this season's YATZ GARDEN

"COLORS" and Salvia last year

Flower fields last year

Marigolds last year

Marigolds and soft serve ice cream last year

New Walking Course and "Soil Analysis LABO" Born from Data Analysis

This season, the environment has been improved to allow visitors to experience the garden more deeply along the designated paths. A "walking course" and "photo spot areas" for strolling through the flower fields have been newly established.

Furthermore, as an educational institution, the garden engages in scientific endeavors beyond simply growing flowers. Triggered by the failure of nemophila planted in the same location last year to grow as expected, we moved beyond speculative discussions to conduct a thorough scientific investigation into changes in soil composition and causes of poor growth. Based on this learning, the "Soil Analysis LABO" (Overview: https://yatsunou.jp/pdf/20260603_soil.pdf) was newly established at the college in June of this year. By finely analyzing and managing the daily changing soil components, we are utilizing this information to create an optimal environment for the flowers to reach their peak beauty from July to August.

Enjoy 100% Fresh Raw Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream at the Center of the Flower Field and "FuraBora" for Casual Participation

・ 100% Fresh Raw Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream:

A new sales stand has been set up in the center of the flower field. You can enjoy our signature soft serve ice cream, made with 100% fresh raw milk from dairy cows raised at the college and milked by trainees, right on the spot with beautiful flowers in front of you.

・ "FuraBora" - Flower Field Volunteer Program for Casual Participation:

"Futtowa Flower Volunteer," where visitors can participate in deadheading and weeding without prior reservation, will be held again this season, following last year. All visitors can enjoy creating the flower fields.

"Flower Fields Nurtured by Everyone"

As part of the school's revitalization plan, this is an agricultural education site that utilizes fallow land on campus with the concept of "Flower Fields Nurtured by Everyone." Trainees, staff, local residents, and volunteers work together as one to cultivate the flower fields.

Scene of seedling planting last year (Participated not only by college trainees and staff, but also by local residents and volunteers)

YATZ GARDEN Operating and Access Information

・ Opening Period: July 3, 2026 (Fri) - Mid-October (May close due to bad weather)

・ Opening Hours: 8:30 - 17:30 (until 9/13), 9:00 - 17:00 (from 9/14) *Kitchen cars: 10:00 - 16:00

・ Admission Fee: Free

・ Parking: 600 spaces (Free)

・ Access:

[By Car] Approx. 15 minutes from Chuo Expressway "Suwa Minami IC" / Approx. 30 minutes from "Kobuchizawa IC" (Park at "Yatsugatake Farm Direct Sales Store" and then drive approx. 4-5 minutes to the flower field; look for the white sign).

[By Train] Approx. 20 minutes by taxi from JR Chuo Main Line "Chino Station," or approx. 30 minutes by bus to "Yatsugatake Chuo Agricultural College" stop (Note: It takes approx. 30 minutes to walk from the bus stop to the flower field within the campus).

・ Some areas allow pets and wheelchair access.

・ Details: https://yatsunou.jp/garden/

* For the latest information on flower bloom status and closures due to bad weather, please check the college's official SNS (Instagram). https://www.instagram.com/yatsunou.since1938/

Reference Information: Spend the Entire Day on the Vast Campus with Summer's Extraordinary Experiences and Fresh Gourmet Food

Within the vast 267-hectare campus (equivalent to 57 Tokyo Domes), in addition to the flower fields, there are programs for "food" and "experiences."

A summer outing spot where you can spend the entire day

1 Fresh Corn Harvesting Experience in a Field of Approx. 100,000 Stalks (Early August - Late August)

Sweet corn as sweet as melon

Corn carefully cultivated by trainees, with its quality determined using data and AI-driven growth management (the college promotes technology-driven agriculture). We offer a program where you can pick and eat it raw on the spot under the blue sky. It is characterized by its juiciness and sweetness comparable to melon. (Details/Corn Harvesting: https://yatsunou.jp/workshop/corn.html)

2 Summer Vegetable Harvesting Experience BBQ (July - *Advance reservation required*)

Fresh and juicy summer vegetables harvested on-site

Highland vegetables grown by trainees in vast fields. Harvest them with your own hands and savor the fresh summer vegetables in the great outdoors. In addition to BBQ, it's also exceptional to eat high-sugar lettuce and juicy zucchini raw as a salad (vegetables available vary by season).

3 "Direct Sales Store Gourmet & Souvenirs" and "Experience Workshops" Only Available Here

・ Our Specialty: Soft Serve Ice Cream Made with 100% Fresh Raw Milk from the College

Soft serve ice cream made with 100% fresh raw milk is sold at the direct sales store located in the center of the flower field area and near the pasture area where about 100 cows spend their days leisurely (cup milk is also available). You can enjoy it on the spot while admiring the beautiful flowers.

・ "Raw Milk Cookie" - A Carefully Crafted New Souvenir

A carefully crafted new product launched at the end of April this year, made with 100% fresh raw milk from trainees and the egg yolks of free-range chickens raised at the college.

(Details: https://yatsunou.jp/pdf/20260424_cookie.pdf)

・ Direct Sales Store Selling Freshly Harvested Ingredients from the College (Weekend "Sales Practice by Trainees" also available)

The direct sales store is open year-round (Weekdays 9:00-16:00, Weekends and Holidays 9:00-17:00) and sells college milk and dairy products made from it (soft serve, ice cream), eggs from free-range chickens, highland vegetables and seasonal flowers grown by trainees, bacon smoked for about 10 times the usual time, and food and souvenirs made with college ingredients. On weekends, there is a sales practice where trainees themselves guide customers on the products they have grown and harvested.

・ Authentic Food Unique to the College

We offer original foods that can only be enjoyed here, such as the "Premium Bacon Bowl" with condensed flavor from slow smoking for 10 times the usual time, and the "Parent Chicken Bowl" topped with a fried egg from fresh eggs laid by our free-range chickens, available at the direct sales store.

・ Experience Workshops to Directly Connect with Nature's Bounty

We hold the "Strawberry Doctor Tour" (advance reservation required) where you can learn about the ecology and cultivation of strawberries, harvest them, and eat them on the spot. We also offer "Farm Tours" where you can experience dairy farming in a barn where about 100 cows live and visit a free-range poultry farm, connecting you to the food production sites. These can also be used for school summer vacation free study projects.

(Experience Workshops: https://yatsunou.jp/workshop/)

Our Vision for YATZ GARDEN

YATZ GARDEN

Garden Producer Konami Tsukamoto (Left photo)

Garden Designer Keiko Yoshitani (Right photo)

We want to deliver a landscape full of flowers against the backdrop of the beautiful Yatsugatake mountains. With that vision, the garden project began on the vast grounds of Yatsugatake Agricultural College. We aim to create a flower garden where voices like "Wow, beautiful" and "Wow, lovely" will echo, with cherry blossoms announcing spring in Yatsugatake and colorful flowers unique to the highlands. Please look forward to the evolution of this flower field, which has just begun its journey.

Left: Konami Tsukamoto, Right: Keiko Yoshitani

Soichiro Minami, Director of Yatsugatake Agricultural College

Yusuke Maruyama, Principal and Senior Managing Director of Yatsugatake Agricultural College

We aim to cultivate not only flowers but also many aspirations within this flower field. We want to create a new travel destination in the western foothills of Yatsugatake. We want to create a landscape that local residents can be proud of. And we want to achieve this challenge with young people learning agriculture. With these aspirations, the creation of this flower field began.

However, we are not experts in flower facilities. That is precisely why we thoroughly researched flower fields and tourist destinations nationwide. What kind of scenery moves people's hearts? What flowers do people want to see? What makes a place that people want to "visit again"? And what can be done precisely because it is Yatsugatake, at an altitude of 1,300 meters, with its cool climate?

The answer we arrived at was "to create a flower landscape that can only be seen here in midsummer." As flowering seasons become earlier nationwide due to the effects of global warming, and the number of flower landscapes visible in summer decreases, Yatsugatake has a cool climate. That is why we aimed for the most beautiful flower fields in summer. The scenery that unfolds here is the crystallization of the challenges undertaken by students, staff, and local residents working together. We hope that the inspiration felt here will lead to the future of the region and the hope of young people aspiring to agriculture.

[About Yatsugatake Agricultural College] https://yatsunou.jp/

Vast Campus

Established in 1938. Located at the foot of Yatsugatake at an altitude of 1,300m, the campus spans a vast 267 hectares (57 times the area of the Tokyo Dome grounds), where trainees learn practical agriculture (crop production, floriculture, dairy farming, poultry farming, etc., covering both crop and livestock). We also provide agricultural experience learning to nearly 10,000 elementary, junior high, and high school students annually. Popular programs are also offered to the general public. In 2025, a 10-hectare flower field was established. The campus also has a direct sales store selling 100% raw milk from the college and dairy products made from it (soft serve, ice cream), raw milk cookies, eggs from free-range chickens, highland vegetables and flowers grown by trainees, etc. In April 2024, the management system was revamped, and under Director Soichiro Minami, an active IT listed company executive, and Principal Yusuke Maruyama, the college is engaged in agriculture based on technology, science, and marketing, utilizing AI and sensing data for production management and decision-making. (For the latest information on the college, please check our official Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/yatsunou.since1938/)

(Note 1) The annual sunshine hours in Hara Village, Nagano Prefecture, where the college is located, are 2188.4 hours. This is significantly higher than the national average (approx. 1,900 hours) and ranks in the top approximately 3% among about 800 observation points nationwide. [Source] JMA AMeDAS "Haramura" Normal Value (1991-2020) (Note 2) The average temperature in July and August in the Yatsugatake area (Nobeyama) at the same altitude is 19.1°C. This is a difference of about 8°C compared to Tokyo (27.1°C). This is consistent with the calculation of the atmospheric temperature lapse rate ("temperature decreases by 0.6°C for every 100m increase in altitude"), which is (1,300m x 0.6 = 7.8°C). [Source] JMA AMeDAS "Nobeyama" and "Tokyo" Normal Values (1991-2020) https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php

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  • Category: Event