Okunikko's Primula japonica Blooming Soon: Qkamura Nikko Yumoto Offers Free Shuttle to Senjugahama

Primula japonica Painting Early Summer in Okunikko

Okunikko, a resort hotel standing by Lake Yunoko, "Qkamura Nikko Yumoto" (Location: Yumoto Onsen, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture; Manager: Yasuhiro Watanabe) reports that the "Primula japonica" flowers that paint early summer in Okunikko will soon reach their peak. At Senjugahama, located by Lake Chuzenji, where one of Japan's most prominent Primula japonica colonies stretches out, visitors can enjoy a mystical landscape of fresh green trees mixed with delicate pink and white flowers. Qkamura Nikko Yumoto offers a complimentary shuttle bus for guests traveling to Akanuma, a stop for low-pollution buses.

◆ Primula Japonica Blooming Season

Every year, the delicate Primula japonica, which colors the early summer of Okunikko, peaks around early to mid-June. While "Senjugahama" is the most famous colony area around the resort, the colony by the "Ryuzu Falls lower parking lot" along National Route 120 gives the earliest sign of blooming. Last year, it peaked around June 4 at the parking lot and around June 13 at Senjugahama. The blooming season attracts many tourists and photographers every year.

◆ Low-Pollution Buses

Private car access is restricted in the Odashirogahara, Lake Nishinoko, and Senjugahama areas for environmental preservation, and low-pollution buses operate from in front of the Akanuma Nature Information Center. The approximately 10-kilometer route is surrounded by forests of Japanese oak and larch, allowing passengers to enjoy the forest of Okunikko just by riding the bus. Qkamura Nikko Yumoto provides a complimentary shuttle bus for guests heading to Akanuma, the boarding point for these low-pollution buses.

[Qkamura Nikko Yumoto Complimentary Shuttle Bus]

- Departure times: 8:15 AM, 10:10 AM
- Operation period: Until Monday, November 30, 2026

* Please note there is no return shuttle from Akanuma garage to Qkamura.
* No reservation is required for the departure shuttle. Please come to the front lobby before the departure time.

◆ Scenic Hiking: From Ryuzu Falls to "Senjugahama" Along the Lakeshore

For those who wish to hike to Senjugahama to see the Primula japonica, we recommend the 4.5km one-way hiking course that goes from Ryuzu Falls along the shore of Lake Chuzenji to Senjugahama. With few ups and downs, visitors can enjoy the scenery. Watching Lake Chuzenji, you can arrive at the "Senjugahama" destination, where the Primula japonica blooms amidst fresh green trees and pure air, in about an hour and a half of walking.

◆ Qkamura Nikko Yumoto

After driving up the famous "Irohazaka" winding road and passing Lake Chuzenji and Senjogahara, Qkamura Nikko Yumoto stands on the shore of Lake Yunoko at an altitude of approximately 1,500m. The hotel, colored by white birch and larch trees, is designed by architect "Kiyoshi Seike." Its appearance, which blends into the surrounding nature, allows guests to feel the change of seasons, and it serves as a convenient base for exploring World Heritage sites such as Nikko Toshogu Shrine. Guests can enjoy free-flowing hot spring water sourced from "Nikko Yumoto Onsen," said to be the fourth strongest sulfur spring in Japan.