Osaka's Most Famous Nemophila Spot ・ Baby Blue Eyes in Osaka Maishima Seaside Park

Kansai Tour Hanami

2021.04.13

Find your new go-to spot for fields of blue flowers in the Kansai region!

Where the Blue Sea and the Clear Sky Meet Waves of Blue Flowers

Image Source: Fashion Press

Directly on the shore of Osaka Bay, Osaka Maishima Seaside Park (大阪まいしまシーサイドパーク) is planted with a million nemophila flowers, sometimes called "baby blue eyes." For Tokyoites and travelers, the go-to spot for viewing these baby blue blooms every spring is Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture, but as of 2019, this new spot in the Kansai Region is stepping up to the plate. Osaka Maishima Seaside Park held its first Nemophila Festival (ネモフィラ祭り) in spring 2019, and visitors flocked to see the flowers from western Japan, but in 2020 the yearly festival was canceled due to COVID-19 safety precautions. This year, the outdoor event is back in business (complete with extra safety measures), and you can once again wade through the fields of blue petals in this Osaka park.

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Osaka Maishima Seaside Park covers an area of about 44,000 m² (about 474,000 ft²), all overlooking Osaka Bay, and its vast fields of baby blue eyes are the largest in the Kansai area―on par with the flowers in Ibaraki. On a clear day, the view is a magical mix of blue sky, blue mountain peaks in the distance, blue bay waters, and blue nemophila flowers!

Image Source: Fashion Press

For much of the year, the park closes fairly early, but for the Nemophila Festival hours are extended until 18:30 each night, so you can watch the sun set as it reflects onto the carpet of light blue petals.

Image Source: Fashion Press

Image Source: Fashion Press

As part of the festivities, Osaka Maishima Seaside Park will also be offering some limited-time-only merchandise featuring the park's cute cat mascot Nemo-nyan, and some special nemophila-themed snacks, like this extremely insta-bae blue ice cream.

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Nemophila flowers might hail from North America, but in Japan they have an old traditional name that compares them to the deep blue of prized lapis lazuli. If Ibaraki is off the table this year, don't miss the chance to see these fields of gemstone-blue flowers in Osaka!

Osaka Maishima Seaside Park ・ Nemophila Festival 2021
2-1 Hokkoryokuchi, Konohana Ward, Osaka
Festival Dates: April 9th to May 5th
Hours:
　Weekdays 9:00 - 17:00
　Weekends/Holidays 9:00 - 18:30
Admission: Adults 1,000 yen / Children 500 yen
Access: From Sakurajima Station or Cosmosquare Station, take a Hokkoh Kanko Bus to Hotel Lodge Maishima-mae bus stop. Or, from Nishikujo Station, take the Osaka City Bus 81 to Maishima Sports Island bus stop.
Official Website (jp)