Fukuyama: Roses, Castle and Landscape

Fukuyama brings together two very different stories: its rose tradition, reflected in a city festival and Rose Park, and its castle and feudal history, explored in the exhibitions at the Fukuyama Castle Museum. The city also includes Tomonoura, a landscape within Setonaikai National Park. These highlights can help guide your choice of a vacation rental in Fukuyama: would you like to focus your trip on roses, castle culture, or also on the landscape and a historic burial site?

Roses: Festival and Local History

The Fukuyama Rose Festival is usually held in mid-May, with Rose Park among its main venues. Check the current festival dates before your trip. The annual event adds a seasonal element to your planning, while Fukuyama’s rose tradition has a longer history.

The name “Fukuyama, City of Roses” dates back to 1956, when residents planted around 1,000 rose seedlings near what is now Rose Park. The name therefore traces back to a specific community planting effort. When Rose Park reopened on April 13, 2024, it had 670 rose varieties and 7,000 rose plants; these figures may change. The number of varieties and the number of plants describe two different things: the diversity of rose varieties and the total quantity of plants. From the approximate initial planting of seedlings to the later park figures, a contrast over time emerges, making roses more than just a calendar event.

Castle and Feudal History

The story of Fukuyama Castle leads from its builder to the history of a fiefdom. Mizuno Katsunari built the castle when he was lord of a fief yielding 100,000 koku. Exhibitions at the Fukuyama Castle Museum cover the castle and the successive daimyō of Fukuyama Castle. This brings both the builder and the succession of rulers into focus. Within the castle, Fushimi Yagura is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The builder, the fiefdom, the succession of rulers and the designation of Fushimi Yagura offer different ways to explore cultural history: from a historical figure to the exhibitions and then to a designated structure.

Within the City

Tomonoura is within Fukuyama, and its picturesque landscape is part of Setonaikai National Park. The Futagotsuka Kofun is also within the city, in present-day Ekiya-cho. Visitors can walk around the kofun and look inside its rear burial chamber. These two places offer a different focus from Rose Park and Fukuyama Castle: Tomonoura represents the landscape within the national park, while the kofun offers a specific visitor activity at a burial site.

Choose Accommodation Based on Your Reason for Traveling

When searching for a vacation rental, it mainly comes down to the reason for your trip: if the festival is your focus, its usual timing in mid-May will shape your choice of travel dates; a stay focused on castle and feudal history offers a different mix of themes. Tomonoura and the Futagotsuka Kofun add a landscape and another historic site to your itinerary. If you’re traveling as a family, tailor your vacation rental search to the themes you’d like to include in your plans together, and compare the actual accommodation locations with your plans.

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