Kokuen Alps Azumi Park Horikane/Hotaka Area

The National Alps Azumino Park, located in the Azumino region at the foot of the Northern Alps, is an urban park with the theme of realizing rich leisure activities surrounded by nature and culture. The park covers approximately 353 hectares and is divided into two areas: the Horikane/Hotaka area and the Omachi/Matsukawa area, each with its own unique attractions. Within each area, you can enjoy various experiences such as rural culture zones, satoyama culture zones, conservation zones, forest recreation zones, stream recreation zones, and nature experience zones! Anyone can spend a fulfilling day in the park, enjoying nature and culture while playing, learning, and relaxing in each area.

The Horikane and Hotaka districts were planned as a base for preserving and restoring the vanishing rural landscape of Azumino, where you can experience the nature and culture of the region in a short time. First of all, it's recommended to take your time and feel the wonderful charm of nature. "Dandan Flower Garden" is a flower garden where colorful flowers bloom from spring to autumn, with tulips and poppies in spring, sunflowers and cosmos in summer, and dahlias and salvias in autumn. From the flower garden, you can enjoy a beautiful contrast with the mountains such as the Northern Alps and Furushiroyama. Events are held in the flower garden according to the season, such as flower picking and photography. "Karasugawa Valley" is a valley that spreads along the Karasugawa River flowing through the park, with the Karasugawa Suspension Bridge and the Stream Plaza, where you can play in the water and take a forest bath. You can also enjoy the natural and rich scenery of mountains such as Furushiroyama and the Northern Alps, making it a perfect spot for photography.

Various events are held throughout the year in the park. In spring, a variety of flowers bloom, and tulips in particular have increased in number to several hundred species and tens of thousands of bulbs, leading to the recent "Tulip Festival". There are plenty of fun activities such as digging up tulip bulbs and a tulip election. Yellow flowers such as nanohana and renge also spread throughout the park, giving a sense of spring's arrival. You can also enjoy a collaboration of music and flowers, such as the Nanohana Concert and Kusata's Mystery Solving Music Concert. In summer, there are plenty of events where you can enjoy water play! At the "Summer Alps Adventure Cool and Refreshing Water Party", you can experience water athletics and canoeing in a clear stream pond. In autumn, the park is beautifully colored with autumn leaves and flowers. In particular, at the "Autumn Leaves Forest Festa", you can enjoy viewing about 10,000 kokia and cosmos flowers. In winter, events where you can enjoy snow and light are held. At the "Winter Illumination Forest Pageant", about 100,000 LED lights illuminate the park fantastically. Let's enjoy events that warm our hearts even in winter!

There are plenty of outdoor activities that allow children and adults to move their bodies and make things. "Outdoor Park" is an outdoor event held in early October. At Dandan Field, sports activities such as bungee trampolines and air slides, as well as workshop events such as leather craft and nature craft, are available for children and adults to enjoy. In addition, there are also park yoga classes and BBQ courses, allowing you to refresh both your mind and body. "Mud Olympics" is a festival of playing in the mud held in the summer. In the large grassy field, there are mud wrestling and mud slides available, allowing you to enjoy getting muddy. Let's return to our childhood and fully enjoy playing in the mud!

There are plenty of zones where you can experience the culture of Azumino. "Azumi School" is a facility where you can learn about the nature and culture of Azumino. Here, you can enjoy various experiential learning programs, such as crafting with natural materials like nuts, observing fish living in the clear streams of Azumino, such as Iwana and Yamame, in aquarium exhibits, and listening to folktales and legends. You can also visit traditional Japanese houses and water mills, and observe nature in forests and ponds. In the "Nostalgic Scenery Area," you can experience the culture of the mountain village by recreating the scenery of Azumino in the 1950s. Here, you can see terraced rice fields, traditional Japanese houses, and water mills. You can also experience traditional farming methods that don't rely on machines, such as planting and harvesting rice, and making soba noodles.