In the western part of Hyogo Prefecture, nestled among broadleaf deciduous forests at the foot of Mount Hyo-no-sen (1,510 meters), lies Oberland Garden (also known as Tajima Kogen Botanical Garden). First opened to the public in June 1997, Oberland has a total area of 17 hectares, and boasts over 1,300 species and cultivars of plants.
The garden is located at an altitude of 700 meters on the Japan Sea side of the Chugoku mountain range, and receives around 3 meters snowfall each winter; the Hakone wetland botanic gardens, which I have discussed in this column before, are 650 meters above sea level. The main difference between the two is that while Hakone is primarily a wetland garden, Oberland is a woodland garden, although it does contain a natural moor (shitsugen) at its center which contains many interesting plants.
May and June are the best time of the year to see the mass of spring flowers at Oberland; I visited the garden on a cool sunny morning in May.