Niigata's Prefectural Flower: the tulip

In 1963, the tulip was officially named Niigata's prefectural flower, and once you learn a little about the region's history, I think it's hard to imagine it being anything else.

Niigata's connection to tulips goes back to the late Meiji era, when it became the first place in Japan to commercially produce flower bulbs. The combo of fertile soil, heavy winter snow, and cool springs turned out to be ideal for tulip cultivation. Fast forward to today, and Niigata is Japan's top producer of cut tulips and the second-largest producer of tulip bulbs nationwide.

If there's one place that really drives the point home, it's Gosen City. It's one of Japan's leading tulip growing areas, and is well worth visiting in spring. A bit closer to where I live, I recommend Echigo Hillside Park in Nagaoka. There's a picture of the park below to get an idea of what to expect, tulip-wise! Golden Week is a good (but busy) time of year to see the tulips at their best.