Kiyose Sunflower Festival 2018

Vibrant yellow sunflower in full bloom against a clear blue sky in a sunny field.

I’ve never been a big fan of sunflowers. So, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this festival as much as others like hanami, Nezu Shrine’s azaleas, and Kameido Tenjin’s plum blossoms. But, I had a change of heart after spending time with them in Kiyose City in 2018. It was fun photographing them, even though it was a scorching hot day. No, I’m not joking, it was a summer day of high temperature.

Sunflowers in focus against a blurred residential background and clear blue sky at the Kiyose Sunflower Festival.

After over an hour-long journey by train and bus I finally made it to the venue, a farm that was in Tokyo’s western outskirts. Sunflowers were everywhere. It was a sea of yellow. And I didn’t think they’d be so big. They were enormous. You could walk through 24,000 square meters of them. It was fun to walk through the fields of these beautiful flowers.

Most surprising was how many people were there, even though it was a weekday. Next time, I might include more of them in my pictures. Humans are a part of the festival, after all!

A sprawling field of yellow sunflowers in bloom under a bright blue sky with houses and trees in the background.

The problem of choosing the right lens

I took two lenses, the Fujifilm 10-24 and 55-200 for my X-T2. The shorter lens would be the best performer, I thought. How wrong I was! I shot at 10 mm and f8, thinking that would yield sharp results.

Smiling couple waving from a field of yellow sunflowers with houses behind at the Kiyose Sunflower Festival.

When the shots were on my computer screen, I realized I had shot too close to the flowers. The backgrounds were a little out of focus; the bokeh didn’t look right. That was a blow. Next time I’ll shoot with the lens stopped down a little more, or I won’t get so close to the flowers.

A sprawling field of yellow sunflowers under a brilliant blue sky with houses in the distant background.

The winner was the 55-200 mm. On the screen, its image quality looked great. The bokeh that the lens produced was superb. Stand back far enough from what you’re shooting, and it nearly doubles as a macro lens! Well, a ghetto macro, I should say. Shooting with that kind of lens for close-ups also requires more thought. And that means better photographs. In the end, it worked out well.

Back view of a person wearing a straw hat and blue towel, photographing bright sunflowers in a sunny field.

The Kiyose Sunflower Festival was hot

If you ever go, you need to prepare. It is a summer event, and the heat can be considerable. There is very little to cover from the sun. They do have a couple of tents, but they get crowded. So, take hats and sunscreen because you could burn very quickly without them. And make sure you keep hydrated. It was 34°C with almost no cloud cover when I went, so I got sunburned.

And last, the bus from Kiyose station will be the best way to go. At peak times, they leave about once every twenty minutes. You might think that is pretty good but as many people use them, wait times can be long. There is a shuttle bus on the weekends, but I haven’t used it yet.

Is the festival worth it?

For flower lovers, I say go, even though summers have been insanely hot here over the last few years. The event is free, a shuttle bus can take you from Kiyose Station. But most of all, you can see areas outside of the Tokyo concrete jungle! This city isn’t only Shinjuku and Shibuya. The sunflowers are the perfect backdrop to your Instagram and you’ll have so much fun in them taking your photos. For full information (location, dates and times), consult the official festival website.