Tokyo isn't just about cherry blossoms — don’t miss the Fujizakura Festival at Kameido Tenjin Shrine

By MOOK Travel Life Network Editorial Team
In spring, Japan offers more than just cherry blossoms — there are other stunning flowers in full bloom. Starting from late April, wisteria flowers gradually come into their prime, with graceful clusters of pale purple blooms hanging from trellises, swaying delicately in the breeze. Beautiful indeed, Kameido Tenjin Shrine is well deserving of its title as “Tokyo’s No. 1 Wisteria Viewing Spot.”

Kameido Tenjin is a shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. The wisteria trees here have been planted since the shrine’s founding, boasting a history of over 340 years. Already famous during the Edo period, the wisteria at Kameido Tenjin even appeared in the ukiyo-e masterpiece “Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces” by master artist Utagawa Hiroshige. During the Wisteria Festival held from late April to mid-May, around 94 wisteria trees bloom around Shinji Pond, with cascading flower clusters up to one meter long hanging like purple waterfalls, resembling fireworks descending from the sky — a truly romantic sight. The best angle to admire the wisteria is from the arched corridor in front of the Taikobashi (Drum Bridge) on Shinji Pond, where the crimson bridge complements the swaying purple blooms, creating an enchantingly beautiful scene.