Kanto’s Largest Light Festival – The Tunnel of Light and Flowers in Ashikaga

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department
 

As summer and spring fade away and we quietly step into autumn and winter, not only can you enjoy the beautiful maple leaves and ginkgo trees during the day, but at night, various romantic lights illuminate the scenery, transforming it into a dreamy kingdom of light. Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture not only boasts the world’s largest wisteria tunnel, but its “Garden of Light and Flowers” is also one of the three major light festivals in the Kanto region, making it an absolute must-visit light festival when traveling in Japan.

Ashikaga Flower Park features three wisteria trellises covering a total area of 300 tsubo, as well as an eight-layered large wisteria trellis of the same size, in addition to an 80-meter-long white wisteria tunnel and a yellow wisteria tunnel, making it a rare wisteria park in the world. Every winter, the park uses up to 2.1 million bulbs to create the “Glowing Garden of Flowers (光るの花の庭),” recreating the splendor of blooming flowers and decorating the space with colorful lights to present a fantastical world. It is not only the largest light exhibition venue in the Kanto region but was also ranked second in Japan in Yahoo! Japan’s light festival rankings. The Glowing Garden of Flowers is held annually from late October to early February of the following year—don’t miss it.