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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
