Admire the beauty of rolling field of pampas grass in Sengoku area
If you are visiting Japan in autumn, beside maple and ginkgo trees, you should definitely watch pampas grass this time of the year when it turns a shimmering, silvery gold color. From Tokyo, a highly recommended place to visit is the Sengokuhara Pampas Grass Field in Hakone town, Kanagawa Prefecture. Covering the hillside for hundreds of meters on Mount Hakone, the rolling field of countless fluffy pampas grass displays stunning landscapes of nature. Follow the only promenade extending into the field from the west base, you will reach a small hill acting as a vantage point with expansive views of the surrounding mountains, the wetland, and the swaying grasses co-existing in breathtaking harmony. While the best time to visit the field is during autumn from late September to early November when it is dyed in a brilliant whitish gold, the grasses enjoy different charms on other seasons, from bright green in the summer to green and light yellow around September, stunning golden in autumn to brown and dying in winter. In spring, the field gets engulfed in a controlled burning, called the annual yama-yaki ritual (mountain-burning), that promote regrowth and preserve nature.
