The World Azalea Center opened in April of 1989 amidst an increasing interest in flowers and greenery in particular by people seeking a rich and relaxing living environment due to the diversification of lifestyles in recent years. The center was built in order to preserve, cultivate, develop, produce, and sell precious azaleas collected from around the world for Kurume City’s 100th anniversary project entitled “World Azalea Festival ’89 Kurume”. On the roughly 1 hectare (2.5 acre) premises, there is a garden where about 20 thousand mother azalea trees of 1,600 different varieties are planted, a preservation room for rare varieties of mother trees, a mist room for breeding, and more. The center is also geared towards the steady supply of high-demand varieties to breeders of azaleas, the promotion of azalea production in Kurume City, and the vitalization of the greenery business. *Recommended Flower Viewing Season* Azaleas: Early - Late April