Spider Lilies Mark the Start of Autumn in Japan

As summer gradually says its goodbye the weather becomes cooler and spider lilies start to bloom, marking the start of fall here in Japan. 

For those who aren’t familiar with these red beauties, spider lilies, also known as higanbana or manjushage, are flowers that blossom around mid to late September or the autumnal equinox. You’ll usually spot them on sidewalks, riversides, or around rice paddies.

However, some parks in Japan grow thousands of them making for a very popular site for photographers, cosplayers, and instagramers.

Eeriness and Sadness Behind its Beauty

Aside from being the marker of autumn’s beginning, spider lilies also symbolize death in Japan.

The bulb of the higanbana is poisonous, so during earlier years in Japan the lillies were planted around graveyards to stop wild animals from eating the corpses. Today, Japanese farmers plant them around their crops to repel mice, moles, and other pests.

There are also a lot of legends that surround spider lilies. It is said that these flowers are the gateway to the world of the dead and according to Buddhist writing, spider lilies serve as a guide to those souls heading for reincarnation.

How I Discovered Spider Lilies

I first knew about manjushage through anime. It’s usually shown in closing songs with a really dramatic or sad melody to it, which gave it a bit of a melancholic vibe. I had my emo phase when I was younger, hence I find higanbana very fascinating.

That is why when I first saw higanbana in Japan I was very happy and the experience brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. I never would have thought that I would be able to see them in person. I thought that I would only see spider lilies through anime or pictures, but I was wrong.

I even got to experience being surrounded by thousands of spider lilies and take tons of pictures with them! It was a dream come true!

Where to See Spider Lilies

You can practically see manjushage all over Japan. However, the most popular spots are Kinchakuda Majushage Park and Gongendo Park in Saitama Prefecture. Festivals are also held in these parks, so there are a lot of food stalls, events, and people during this season. On the other hand, since the pandemic started, the spider lilies here were cut down.

Thus, if you are planning to pay the higanbana in these spots a visit, better find a new place.

Hunting Spider Lilies in Fukuoka

When I moved to Saitama, I went to see the manjushage in Kinchakuda twice, because it was so beautiful to shoot at. I wanted to visit again in 2020 but that was the start of the pandemic. I was really bummed out that the flowers were cut down.

And now that I’m living in Fukuoka, I have started to hunt for spider lily fields. However, there aren’t that many in this part of Japan. In most cases the lilies are just in small spots or scattered around rice fields. There are some wide (but I think not as wide as the ones in Saitama) higanbana venues in other parts of Kyushu although they are quite far from where live.

Anyways, let see if I’ll be able to find a scenic spider lily field in Fukuoka.