43rd All-Japan Chrysanthemum Show at Kokkaen

Kokkaen is a long-established horticultural business dating from the Meiji era and is known to growers nationwide for breeding chrysanthemums and distributing young plants. Its large Nishikinohama store hosts the All-Japan Chrysanthemum Show, organised by the Japan Chrysanthemum Society, every autumn; the 2026 show is the 43rd and runs for about a month from 20 October to 23 November. Entries from enthusiasts across the country fill the grounds: three-stem large-flowered specimens, cascades trained to spill as if down a cliff, and bonsai forms with sculpted trunks. Judging takes place on the morning of 5 November, and comparing the entries before and after the awards makes the skill behind the winning plants all the clearer. Because the venue is a garden centre, visitors can buy young chrysanthemums and supplies after seeing the show, so anyone hoping to grow their own can pick up both knowledge and materials in one visit. Opening hours are long, 8:30 to 17:30, and admission is free. There is free parking for 1,000 cars, with space for coaches. By public transport, take a bus from Kaizuka Station on the Nankai Main Line to Kaihin-ryokuchi-koen Kokkaen-mae; by car it is about five minutes from the Kaizuka exit of the Hanshin Expressway Bayshore Route.