Lake Yogo’s famous hydrangea

Colorful hydrangea line Lake Yogo in late June.
Colorful hydrangea line Lake Yogo in late June.

From mid to late June, serene Lake Yogo in northern Nagahama becomes a major attraction for numerous hydrangea. Finally went to see it for the first time. There was a lot more hydrangea than I had expected along a 600-meter stretch of lake shore. 余呉湖あじさい園

By train, you can easily get to JR Yogo Station on the JR Hokuriku Line from Maibara, Nagahama, or Kyoto. Or from the north, it’s a short ride from Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.

At Yogo Station, rent a bicycle for ¥500 and pedal along the western shore (when facing the lake, go right). Takes about 20 min. On foot, allow at least 40 min. (Map below.) Watch for the cars though, most people arrive by car to see the hydrangea and the road can be narrow at times.

Start of hydrangea grove at Lake Yogo.
Start of hydrangea grove at Lake Yogo.

The main grove of hydrangea starts here, parallel to the lakeside road. You can walk down to the grove and walk along the hydrangea bushes. Since hydrangea don’t like direct sunshine, much of it is shaded.

narrow road section
Beware of narrow road sections. Hydrangea and the lake seen on the left.
Shaded walking path along the lakeside hydrangea
Shaded walking path along the lakeside hydrangea.
Walking path along hydrangea.
Walking path along hydrangea.

Couldn’t find any info about the history of these hydrangea. Like when they were first planted. Lake Yogo has a lot more hydrangea than cherry blossoms.

The hydrangea comes in white, blue, purple, and pink.

You’ll soon come across this open space of hydrangea bushes and the small parking lot where the cars park.

Bicyclists enjoying the hydrangea while cycling around the lake.
Bicyclists enjoying the hydrangea while cycling around the lake.

It was surprisingly hard to shoot the hydrangea with the lake in the background.

At Yogo Station, I was told there wasn’t that much hydrangea in bloom this year. However, I thought there was more than enough to enjoy.

The hydrangea goes on for quite a distance. There’s even a fenced-off nursery of young hydrangea bushes.

hydrangea with lake yogo in the background
Lake Yogo and a long line of hydrangea shrubs.
hydrangea at lake yogo
Happy to see it in full bloom.
hydrangea with lake yogo in the background
hydrangea with lake yogo in the background
One rare hydrangea bush right on the water’s edge.

The end of the long path of hydrangea at Lake Yogo. To go back to the train station, you might as well bicycle all the way around the lake. Trains don’t run very often, so check the train schedule before heading back.

More photos of Lake Yogo here.

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