76th Odawara Castle Chrysanthemum Show

Odawara Castle was the seat of five generations of the Hojo clan, whose power reached across the Kanto region in the Warring States era; the present keep was rebuilt in 1960. Each November its Honmaru Square hosts the Odawara Castle Chrysanthemum Show. The 2026 show is the 76th, running from Culture Day on 3 November to 15 November with around 500 entries displayed against the keep. The range is wide: classic large-flowered incurved and spider blooms, cascades trained to spill as if down a cliff, bonsai forms with sculpted trunks, seven-stem displays, compact fukusuke plants, spray and cut-flower classes, reference exhibits of Western and classical varieties, a beginners' section and a mixed bed of small-flowered chrysanthemums, so visitors can compare cultivation techniques in one place. Because the square sits at the foot of the keep, it is also a favourite spot for photographing the flowers together with the white castle tower. The park is about a 10-minute walk from the east exit of Odawara Station, and the autumn foliage in the castle grounds is beginning to turn, so a visit combines well with the keep and a stroll through the old castle town.