A Mountain Garden of 10,000 Hydrangea: Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain

An impish elf welcomes visitors to the entrance of Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain. The wood carving is the work of local sculptor Tomonaga Akimitsu. (© Amano Hisaki)

Chūichi and his daughter, Kazue. Since turning in his driver’s license when he turned 90, Chūichi depends on Kazue to drive him up to the mountain every day in her little truck. (© Amano Hisaki)

Blue and white hydrangea blossoms line the mountain path. (Courtesy Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain)

Hydrangeas cover the ground in a cedar forest at roughly 360 meters of elevation. (Courtesy Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain)

The hydrangeas of Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain, clockwise from top left: Temari (Mophead), Anabelle, Dance Party, and Kurenai (a mountain hydrangea). (Courtesy Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain)

Located about a 15-minute walk from Ajisai Mountain, the whimsical museum opens onto a cobblestone approach. (© Amano Hisaki)

Tomonaga was born in 1944 the town of Shimanto, Kōchi Prefecture. On display in his museum are the puppets from the NHK series Purinpurin Monogatari, as well as other works of woodcraft, woodblock prints, and art. (© Amano Hisaki)

Chūitchan’s Ajisai Tea was first sold in 2019. Currently, about 500 ajisai tea (Amacha) shrubs are cultivated at the top of Ajisai Mountain in a field at 460-meter elevation. (Courtesy Minamizawa Ajisai Mountain)

In 2021, Chūichi’s daughter Kazue opened her own dried flower studio Cazue above the family garage. There she makes and sells wreaths and other products out of dried hydrangea cuttings from the summer. (© Amano Hisaki)