Wow Place #354: Kuju Flower Park, Taketa City, Japan
I’m embarrassed to admit that I have a little cellphone problem.
When I’m standing in line, I look at my phone. When I’m watching a movie or reading a book, my phone is never far away. If a text arrives (with its enticing ping), I feel obliged to check my messages immediately. After all, if someone is texting me, it must be important.
And don’t get me started about all those eminently-enticing podcasts, apps and newsfeeds!
Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate all the benefits I receive from my cellphone. What a modern miracle it is to have a portable computer in your pocket with access to the vast world of the internet! What I don’t appreciate, however, is how my phone has tampered with my attention span. Who, for example, has the patience these days to concentrate on one static, non-animated piece of media (ie. a book) for an extended period of time. Heck, there’s no place to click!
Sometimes the only remedy for a cellphone problem like mine is to lock your portable distraction device away and head to a serene, switched-off place like the Kuju Flower Park in Kyushu, Japan.
Opened in 1993 and set at an altitude of 850 meters (2,700 feet), Kuju Flower Park is about 15 kilometers east of Kurokawa Onsen inside Aso-Kuju National Park in Japan’s Oita Prefecture. Established to showcase the region’s natural beauty, the park spans 49 acres and features approximately 5 million blooms from 500 species, offering a rotating seasonal color display set against the lush backdrop of the nearby Kuju Mountains.
Created as a shifting “village of flowers” rather than a single-season garden, the park uses a continuous relay of plantings to maintain vibrant fields from spring through late autumn. In spring, you might see tulips, violas, and poppies brightening the landscape. In summer, lavender and sunflowers take center stage, while autumn features cosmos and salvias in full bloom.
Essentially, it’s a high-altitude botanical garden and entertainment complex all wrapped up into one, offering both a feast of flowers and a wide a variety shops, markets and restaurants to enjoy, many featuring the local taste treat: lavender ice cream.
Visiting Kuju is a delight. Around every turn you find another patchwork of colors to explore — a quilt made by giants. One moment you’re up high on Lavender, Breezing or Moss Phlox Hill, the next you’re down in the valley exploring the Rose Garden, the Hydrangea Grove or the Antilles Greenhouse. The colors are eye-popping, the atmosphere ever-so-serene!
This is a truly a place to unplug – which as I mentioned, is not easy for me. Because the only camera I carry these days is my smartphone, the best I can do is set my device to airplane mode and use it only for photos. No Instagram, no FB, no online posting allowed. The pictures are simply for memories, for reliving later. The experience of wandering amidst so much natural beauty in only place is definitely designed for the NOW.
(If there’s a full-proof method for weaning oneself off or your smartphone, I haven’t found it yet. But here are a few ideas (from the internet):
- Buy a physical alarm clock: Keep your phone out of the bedroom entirely to stop night scrolling.
- Establish phone-free zones: Designate areas like the dining table, bathroom, or car as completely screen-free.
- Charge across the room: Place your charger out of arm’s reach during work or study hours.
- Use a smart speaker: Ask voice assistants for the weather or time instead of looking at your screen.
- Impose a “checking interval”: Set a timer and only look at your phone once every 30 or 60 minutes.
- Delete mobile social apps: Force yourself to only check social platforms on a desktop computer.
- Do not save passwords: Manually typing login credentials creates a hurdle against quick scrolling.
- Carry a low-tech alternative: Keep a physical paperback book or a notebook on hand to fill sudden gaps of boredom.
- Utilize habit-breaking apps: Install tools like Forest or Flipd to gamify staying off your device.
You do NOT need to try each of these suggestions all at once. Start with one at first, do it for a week or two, and see if it works for you. Build up slowly. And keep in mind the bigger picture: more patience, better relationships, less stress!
And when in doubt, lock away your phone and go to a flower park.)