During wintertime, the Southeast Botanical Gardens in Okinawa, Japan turns from your everyday park during daylight hours to a colourful wonderland by dusk.
Under the night sky, seas of dazzling holiday lights display festive colours in cute shapes and patterns wrapped around structures and trees, and installed onto lawns. Thrilling laser shows accompanied by music further enhance the experience.
Enter the botanical garden before sunset and you will first notice the palm trees, which tower over the lush landscape of more than 30,000 subtropical and tropical plants encompassing over 1,300 species.
The row of Alexander palms (“Archontophoenix alexandrae”) offers one of the most memorable viewing experiences in Japan. Walking under these tall palms and looking up, you will marvel at the sight of green fronds against blue sky.
The bottle, spindle, date and raffia palms are just as admirable.
The fukugi tree (“Garcinia subelliptica”), meanwhile, is an indigenous coastal species from the Ryukyu Islands, of which Okinawa island is part.
While only a handful are featured here, this tree has ecological, ethnocultural and pharmacological significance to the islanders and is cultivated widely along roadsides and as a windbreak, such as with the popular fukugi tree-lined pathways of Bise.
The sago palm (“Cycas revoluta”) is an important historical tree that grows plentifully on this island. During periods of famine – a time known as “sotetsu-jigoku” or “cycad hell” – Okinawans survived hardship by eating its seeds and trunks, in spite of them being highly toxic if not prepared correctly.
Elsewhere, the grove of common screwpines (“Pandanus utilis”), with their aerial roots at the base of their trunks looking like stilts, provides a striking effect to the landscape.
One also cannot miss the dramatic effect of the copper plant (“Acalypha wilkesiana”) planted en masse on a large sunny slope. The blanket of its stunning orange foliage adds a tropical feel to the place.
Different varieties of garden croton (“Codiaeum variegatum”), commonly grown along streets in home gardens and storefronts, are scattered throughout the landscape; while patches of arid plants, filled with large exotic cacti and succulents, offer eye-catching structural appeal.
Basking in the glory of sunlight are the majestic Norfolk island pines (“Araucaria heterophylla”): the impressive height of these coniferous evergreens proves they have certainly stood the test of time.
The tropical water lilies and lotuses are unfortunately dormant during the winter season. Nevertheless, near the pond area, nature lovers will fancy the opportunity to see and perhaps interact with animals, birds and insects up close.
The winter illumination takes centrestage at dusk, during which one will be enchanted by the beauty of nature interweaving with bright and colourful (and low-powered) LEDs.
Ranked second for the 2023 Illumination Excellent Story Award – given out for lighting design and related achievements – the Okinawa Tropical Island Illuminations starts in late October and runs until the end of May each year, and is one of the must-see winter attractions in the country.
All in all, this subtropical landscape is a lovely destination for families as well as nature lovers who wish to discover botanical species from around the world, with highlights after dark that will take your breath away.
Southeast Botanical Gardens
2146 Chibana, Okinawa,
904-2143, Japan
This article was written by Stephanie Choo, a garden writer and gardening enthusiast. Visit her page on Facebook.