Summer Frolicks! Floral Ice Cream in Yamagata

Summer is finally here! In Tohoku we're enjoying a small window of perfect weather, the glorious few weeks of sunshine and blue skies before the scorching humidity of the majority of the summer months. It's time to make the most of it and get outside!

With this in mind, we headed to the prefecture of Yamagata on a flower tour. The first stop was Sasho Rose Garden. This lovely little garden was stunning with its multitude of roses in every colour. The blue skies and walls of roses made the perfect backdrop for taking photographs. As a Crumbs to Crunch sister, it was also vitally important to find the perfect snack to match the surroundings. Sasho garden didn't disappoint and I was quick to snap up some rose gelato. Its mild and delicate flavour was the perfect accompaniment to this peaceful garden.

Next stop was Iide Dondendaira Lilly Garden. We were a little early to see all the lillies in bloom, but the ones that were out were beautiful. I loved the orange and yellow lillies for their vibrancy. This garden was made even more magical by the butterflies that fluttered everywhere, landing briefly on the flowers before flying off again. It was also time for ice cream number two: a delicious lilly flavoured soft serve decorated with a dainty white chocolate flower. Its subtle flavour matched the elegance of the garden.

Our final garden of the day was Ayame Park iris garden.The purple and white flowers stretch far into the distance. This garden also has a waterside stage that looked very interesting, but unfortunately we had to leave before the performance began. We loved the little ponds and wooden walkways.

We'd had a lovely day looking at flowers and it was time to head home. However, on the route back there was time for a quick stop off at the Takahata Winery. We indulged in a few samples of the sweet cherry wine that is very popular in Yamagata. Then just as we were leaving, we saw an ice cream stand. Well, there's always time for one more ice cream! Both the famous Yamagata cherry flavoured ice cream and the wine ice cream were delicious. The wine ice cream in particular was suprisingly good, as the gentle aftertaste of wine really complimented the sweetness of the soft serve.

What better way to kick off summer than with flowers and ice cream?

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