April in the Netherlands is the most exciting time of year, with tulips in full bloom! It's also my favorite season. In Japan, the Netherlands is known as the land of windmills and wooden shoes, the land of lowlands, the land of dairy farming, and the land of tulips. But only a small part of the beautiful scenery of the Netherlands is known. I planned this tour with the hope that flower lovers will come and see the Netherlands in spring!
A Conversation Led to the 12-Day Trip
It all started with a conversation with my friend, flower designer Katya Hutter. We decided to plan a group tour in the spring that included a workshop. Katya's designs are known for their abundant floral materials, gorgeous finishes, and natural aesthetic. She's also famous for working on many weddings.
The dates were decided based on Katya's busy schedule. Including my recommended spots meant it wouldn't fit into a week. The group tour became a 12-day trip, from departure to return. With the weak yen, strong euro, and rising prices, the tour cost was significantly different from before the pandemic, so I was very worried about whether we could attract enough participants.
I've done group tours many times before, but the cost is more than double what it was before the pandemic. Now, everything is expensive. The number of travelers from Japan must have plummeted.
Because we're using a minivan, the number of participants is limited to six, including a driver and me. A small-group, personalized tour is guaranteed to be a meaningful experience! Despite our worries, we were lucky enough to gather six people just in time.
The Wonderful Scenery Made the High Price Worthwhile
Two students from 30 years ago, a man who had studied bulb cultivation in the Netherlands 50 years ago, his wife, a student friend, and a woman I asked at an event – they were all seniors, and they all became good friends.
Now, regarding the schedule, it seems that the flowers in the Netherlands and Belgium bloomed earlier than usual this year. Therefore, the fact that we encountered wonderful scenery wherever we went made the high price worthwhile, and even those who participated with concerns about their physical condition repeatedly said, "I'm so glad I came!"
Already Day 2!
It’s already the second day of the tour, which began immediately after arriving at Schiphol Airport in the morning. Before heading to the first stop on the itinerary, Tulip Experience Amsterdam, we stopped the car at a field of tulips in full bloom for a photo opportunity.
Although everyone had seen it in videos, it was the first time for everyone to see tulips blooming across such a vast field. They still seemed a little disoriented, but they took pictures while exclaiming, "Wow, wow!" (photos 1, 2)
And then we arrived at Tulip Experience Amsterdam. Unlike the tulip fields we had seen a little while ago, everyone was impressed by the colorful tulips. The field, which was mainly yellow, had several photo spots, including wooden clogs, and we took lots of pictures right from the start.
Our next stop was the preparation site for the flower parade. We were able to see how the flower-decorated floats are made. I was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of flowers and the strong scent of hyacinths.
I was able to meet my friend Lily here. Lily came to Japan three years ago and held a workshop for us. One person on this tour had participated in that workshop, and we were both happy to see each other again. Lily was working on a float for a Chinese company and explained the design to us.
Red and yellow are the theme colors of China, and since this year is the Year of the Horse (the same as in Japan), she also designed a horse. I was surprised to see a huge horse completely covered in bulbs.
While walking around the venue, I also see Inge. It's always fun to see friends' event venues. Now, let's arrive at our first hotel. Everyone cheered at the sight of the imposing, castle-like building! Let's enjoy a leisurely dinner at the hotel's lovely restaurant and prepare for the next day.
Day 3
We started the day with a workshop by Katya Hutter. This time, we were excited about making a hand-tied bouquet using plenty of spring flowers. The main flower was Ranunculus from Monarch Flowers. The Lux (Butterfly) variety, bred in Japan, is incredibly popular in Europe!
Katya had all her favorite colors, and the bouquet was voluminous, so we were very curious to see what kind of bouquet we could create. First, Katya demonstrated how to create the shape, arrange the flowers, and make a spiral bouquet. A bouquet lesson using 50 flowers is extremely rare in Japan.
I was amazed that a woman who was making a hand-tied bouquet for the first time was able to create such a beautiful bouquet of 50 flowers. Since it was a lunch set workshop, everyone's eyes lit up at the beautifully set table. Katya, who loves Japan, often uses Japanese obi sashes as table runners. She also had a bag that was a gift from a Japanese friend on display.
A professional photographer was present from the beginning to the end of the workshop, so each participant got a lovely photo of their finished bouquet. It was a workshop that everyone, including Katya, enjoyed.
Everyone took the bouquets they had made themselves back to the hotel and carefully displayed them until check-out three days later. Some even pressed the flowers as a final memento of their stay. Thank you, Katya!
Visiting Interplant Roses
In the afternoon, we visited Interplant, a breeder of spray roses. Interplant is the world's leading company in spray rose varieties. I've been friends with the president, Robert Ilsink, for many years.
Incidentally, I'm a florist. When my daughter had her wedding photoshoot in the Netherlands in 2022, Robert provided a lot of roses. Also, Alexandra Farms in Colombia, where I work as a consultant, provided a lot of garden roses, and I was very happy to have been involved with roses in the past. I hope to be able to share this story with you on another occasion.
Interplant is busy with crossbreeding at this time of year. It's a daily grind of painstaking work. As a result, most of the prototype varieties hadn't been produced. Robert carefully explained the process from crossbreeding to prototyping, so the participants gained a good understanding of how new rose varieties are created.
Learning that it takes many years to create a beautiful rose seemed to pique their interest in roses even more. Normally, the general public cannot visit breeding companies like Interplant, but Robert kindly allowed us to. I'm grateful to my wonderful friend.
Day 4
The Flower Parade! The floats and vehicles we saw at the preparation were completed and proceeded along the public roads from Noordwijk to Haarlem. In Japan, Disneyland's Electrical Parade is famous, but imagine that parade made entirely of flowers.
Everyone smiled as the unique designs, wonderful scents, and cheerful music came one after another. It was a beautiful sunny day. After the parade, we took a short walk along the North Sea beach and then departed for our next destination.
YouTube reports indicated that Hallerbos was already in full bloom! Originally, I had planned to visit Hallerbos, Belgium, four days later. However, I didn't want to show everyone the bluebells starting to fade, so I changed my plans and went. It's a forest south of Brussels.
Unfortunately, the weather turned rainy, and since it was a Saturday, traffic was also bad. But when we arrived at the forest, the rain stopped, making it perfect conditions for walking! The sun wasn't out, but cloudy weather is actually good for photography because there are no shadows.
As we walked from the parking lot into the forest, we gradually saw the bluebells. And then, the whole area was blue! These wild hyacinths, called bluebells, bloom in a 4-hectare forest in the village of Halle for only two weeks. It's a place rarely visited by tourists from Japan. Cheers erupted, and the scene, reminiscent of dreams, made us want to walk forever.
Day 5
We started in Zaanse Schans, a village known as the ‘Green Village’ and famous for its windmills, a renowned Dutch landmark. There's a windmill you can go inside, offering beautiful views, so I recommended it, and both of them went up.
The village has a great selection of souvenir shops. You can also see where wooden clogs are made. Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, originated here, and they've preserved its old storefronts. We thoroughly enjoyed this peaceful green village.
In the afternoon, we went to the historic town of Haarlem. It was the final destination of the flower parade held the previous day. Floats were on display, and the town was in a festive mood. We enjoyed shopping.
Tulips were in full bloom everywhere! Tulip Barn was also greeted by a riot of colorful tulips. Everyone took pictures in their own unique poses. Most of the daffodils had finished blooming, but here we could see a field like a yellow carpet.
For dinner that evening, I had made a reservation specifically for white asparagus. In Japan, when we think of asparagus, we usually think of green. White asparagus is very rare, and not many people know how to prepare it.
Since white asparagus is in season at this time of year, I searched for a restaurant that had asparagus on the menu so that everyone could try it. Luckily, I found one close to the hotel. Most of the people were trying it for the first time, so I was glad they appreciated how delicious it was.
Day 6
It began at Keukenhof gardens. This park, which is only open for two months out of the year, is quite famous. In this season, when the new leaves on trees are just beginning to appear, the collaboration of tulips, hyacinths, Daffodils, Fritillaria, and trees is incredibly beautiful, and adults and children, men and women alike, are enjoying themselves with excitement.
In particular, many men were exclaiming how beautiful it was, which was heartwarming. Each area has its own unique planting style. Everyone was especially impressed by the muscari planted like a river. In areas with slight elevation changes, there are wild tulip varieties. Wild tulips are characterized by their small flowers and short stature, resulting in many cute varieties.
Now, we're heading to Bruges, Belgium. On the way, we stopped at De Haar Castle. Built in the 19th century, a replica was constructed on this site in the 20th century. It's a beautiful castle, like something out of a fairy tale.
Unfortunately, part of the building and the gardens were under renovation, but everyone felt like a princess. On arriving in Bruges, we immediately went for a stroll. We walked around, browsing lace and chocolate shops. We found a delicious restaurant, and I had rabbit.
In Europe, the days get longer from spring to autumn. In April, it doesn't get dark until around 9 pm. The blue twilight sky is incredibly beautiful, a time and scenery you can't experience in Japan.
Day 7
We began our stroll from the abbey, a famous landmark of Bruges. Along the way, we made a reservation at a mussel restaurant that everyone had wanted to try. The waiter kindly informed us that the mussels weren't top-of-the-line because it wasn't mussel season, but they were still quite large and delicious.
The day before had been one of the women's birthdays, so we surprised her with a "Happy Birthday!" Yay! The rest of the time was free time, and everyone went shopping. Those with energy even climbed the bell tower.
Day 8
We went to Floralia Brussels, a flower event held at a castle on the outskirts of Brussels. It was another event where tulips were in full bloom. The tulips planted in the castle garden, which had some slight elevation changes, had a different charm than those in Dutch show gardens. The wisteria was also beautiful.
We're heading to Amersfoort, a town in the Netherlands that I've recently come to love. Cars can't go all the way to the front of the hotel, so dragging large suitcases along the cobblestone streets for several hundred meters was a bit of a challenge for the elderly participants, who ranged in age from 65 to 77. Since the hotel is located in a square, we started with tea.
Amersfoort was selected as the ‘European City of the Year’ in 2023. The unique amphibious Koppelpoort is a must-see attraction. At the cafes on either side of the gate, locals were enjoying beer and coffee. With lilacs in full bloom and the city walls still standing, Amersfoort is a wonderful place to stroll around, and I hope more Japanese people will visit.
Day 9
We headed to Enkhuizen, a town in northern Holland. We traveled along what's called a "small dike," but it's actually a highway stretching over 30 km. Not many Japanese tourists come here. With water on both sides and such a long distance, it felt like being in a different world. After about 20 km, we could see the yacht harbor and the town's symbol, the Drommedaris.
Once we crossed, we went straight to my friend's bulb company. I've had a relationship with Jan de Wit en Zonen BV for over 35 years. They export bulbs to many countries, including Japan. My company imports Tulipa, Muscari, Hyacinthus, and Amaryllis bulbs from them.
My friend, the company president, Jan, explained the history of his company. Their first export to Japan was iris bulbs. He said that they overcame many difficulties and increased their exports to Japan, but he was disappointed by the sluggish demand in Japan. Jan's company has been recognized for its more than 100 years of experience and has been awarded the Royal title by a national institution.
Afterward, Jan took us to a tulip field. It was a field all to ourselves, with no one else around. The flowers, in full bloom, would be harvested in a few days for bulb production. We were told that approximately 100 million tulips were planted there.
Further northwest from there, there was another bulb production area. While the Muscari and hyacinths in the fields we had seen so far had already finished blooming, they were still in bloom in this area.
However, everyone was tired and fell asleep, so some people ended up just driving. What a shame! From there, we headed to Anna Paulowna's Polder Garden, our final tulip destination. This is a place I really wanted everyone to see.
While each of the show gardens we'd visited had its own unique charm, this one is called a miniature Keukenhof. And what's more, admission is free! Not only the tulips, but every flower had a variety name.
I was surprised when Jan said, "Actually, this is my first time here. I didn't know it was such a beautiful garden. I'm so glad you brought me." I told him about some of the varieties I liked. Perhaps I can import them. Jan treating everyone to dinner was also a wonderful memory.
We're heading to our last city, Amsterdam. A hustle and bustle awaits us, a stark contrast to the peaceful atmosphere we've experienced so far. Even at night, the hotel in Rembrandt Square was noisy.
Day 10
We visited museums in Amsterdam. In the morning, we thoroughly enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum. In the afternoon, at the Rijksmuseum, it was a valuable experience to see the restoration of ‘The Night Watch.’ In Japan, restoration work is never done while the paintings are on display. After that, we had free time and dispersed to our respective desired destinations.
This was our last dinner. We invited Chris, our friend of 23 years and our driver, to a restaurant in the suburbs. It was a lovely restaurant by the river, decorated in an antique style. And once again, we had white asparagus. A cheerful waiter took our picture, a perfect shot to conclude our wonderful memories.
Day 11
It’s free time in Amsterdam until departure. In the morning, we did some shopping in our limited time. Some bought heavy but delicious cheese, others bought Dutch sweets at the supermarket, and after enjoying our short time, we departed for Schiphol Airport.
I'm sure they'll be telling their family and friends about how much fun the tour was, with lots of beautiful photos as souvenirs. Hearing them say, "I've fallen in love with the Netherlands!" made me happy, too!
Photos by Kazuyo Asayama.
