Spring flowers are no longer just about cherry blossoms. In recent years, wisteria, leading the purple trend of the season, has become everyone’s new favorite. The dreamy wisteria tunnels offer a sea of purple above your head. Watching the wisteria sway in the wind feels like your stress is floating away too. Today, travel expert Kusui will introduce you to must-visit wisteria spots in and near Tokyo. This spring, don’t just admire cherry blossoms—seeing wisteria makes the season complete.
What to Know Before Viewing Wisteria
Wisteria Quick Facts
Wisteria is one of Japan’s ancient plants, beloved by the Japanese for its gentle purple hue and elegant charm. It often takes center stage in ukiyo-e art as well. Despite the “purple” in its name, wisteria actually comes in various colors including pink, yellow, and white.
Tokyo Wisteria Season
If you’re planning to see flowers, the first thing to know is the blooming period. Wisteria typically blooms from late April to mid-May—don’t miss it, or you’ll have to wait until next year. Here’s a little secret: based on past data, full bloom usually occurs between late April and early May, when the sight is even more stunning.
Must-Visit Wisteria Spots in Tokyo
Kameido Tenjin Shrine | Tokyo’s No. 1 Wisteria Viewing Spot
Every year around the end of April, Kameido Tenjin Shrine is enveloped in this soft, elegant purple. Compared to cherry blossoms, it feels gentler and more mature. The vine-like nature of wisteria adds even more charm. When the breeze blows, nearly a hundred wisteria plants dance gracefully in the wind. Coupled with the fact that they grow around the shrine’s heart-shaped pond, the reflection on the water creates an incredibly dreamy scene. You can also enjoy the wisteria at night, when the flowers are illuminated. The light reflecting off the blossoms is simply breathtaking—no wonder Kameido Tenjin Shrine is known as Tokyo’s No. 1 wisteria viewing spot.
Here’s another little secret: at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, you can take photos of wisteria with the Tokyo Skytree in the background. Doesn’t it feel like a postcard? Go capture your own postcard moment to share with family and friends.
*Reminder: The wisteria season runs from mid-April to early May.
Admission: Free
?Opening Hours: 06:00–17:00 (extended to 21:00 during wisteria season)
?Address: 3 Chome-6-1 Komagata, Koto City, Tokyo
?Transportation: JR/Toei Kameido Station North Exit | Tokyo Metro Kinshicho Station North Exit, about a 15-minute walk.
?Official Website:Kameido Tenjin Shrine
Shirogane Botanical Garden
Shirogane Botanical Garden is another must-visit spot in Tokyo for wisteria lovers. As a botanical garden, in addition to its 200-meter-long dreamy wisteria corridor, you can also see a variety of spring plants such as peonies and deutzia. If you feel like just seeing wisteria isn’t enough, Shirogane Botanical Garden lets you enjoy a wide range of spring flora all in one place.
?Opening Hours: 9:30–17:00
?Admission: Adults 500 yen | Junior high school students and above 200 yen | Elementary school students and below free
?Address: 5-31-10 Fukakusa Motomachi, Chofu City
?Transportation: Take the Keiō Line of Tokyo Tram to Tachikawa-Suzukakedai Station, transfer to a Keiō Bus bound for Jindaiji, and get off at the Kamiyacho Botanical Garden stop.
?Official Website:Kamiyacho Botanical Garden
Kiryu Shrine | Sen-nen no Fuji
Kiryu Shrine boasts a wisteria tree estimated to be around 500 years old. Long associated with the shrine, it is revered as the Sacred Wisteria Tree and also known as "Sen-nen no Fuji" (Thousand-Year Wisteria), making it one of the shrine’s iconic symbols as well as one of the eight scenic highlights of Chofu City, Tokyo. Aside from admiring the stunning fusion of the wisteria and the shrine, you can also pray for good fortune and receive an omamori (lucky charm). It’s said that Kiryu Shrine is especially efficacious for prayers related to having a large family.
?Opening Hours: 9:00~17:00
?Admission: Free
?Address: 1-7-1 Kokuryo, Chofu, Tokyo
?Transportation: 5-minute walk from the north exit of Bubaigawara Station on the Tokyo Tram Keiō Line
Former Shiba Detached Palace Garden
The Former Shiba Detached Palace Garden is one of the traditional Japanese gardens left behind by affluent families during the Edo period. Here, you can experience the unique features of Japanese landscaping, along with charming ponds for viewing. The greenery and water features are sure to lift your spirits. But don’t miss the highlight—its famous wisteria trellis. You can sit under the wisteria arbor with friends, chat, enjoy the scenery, and take in the blossoms, all while escaping the hustle and bustle of the city.
?Opening Hours: 9:00~17:00
?Admission: Adults 150 yen | Seniors (65+) 70 yen | Children (elementary school and below) free
?Address: 1-chome, Kaigan, Minato City, Tokyo
?Transportation:
1-minute walk from the north exit of Hamamatsucho Station on JR Yamanote Line / Keihin-Tōhoku Line
3-minute walk from Daimon Station on Toei Oedo Line / Asakusa Line
?Official Website:Former Shiba Detached Palace Garden
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Shinjuku Gyoen is a garden that dates back to the Edo period, featuring many traditional Japanese landscape designs. While it may not have the vast expanses of wisteria blooms seen elsewhere, the Japanese-style garden areas are uniquely charming when accented by wisteria. In addition to wisteria, Shinjuku Gyoen also offers azalea gardens, a French garden, and an English garden—making it a must-visit destination for garden enthusiasts.
?Opening Hours: 9:00~16:30
?Admission: Adults 500 yen | Elementary and junior high school students 50 yen
?Address: 11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo
? Transportation: About a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Shinjuku Gyoenmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
? Official Website:Shinjuku Gyoen Official Website
Must-visit Wisteria Spots in the Tokyo Suburbs
Ashikaga Flower Park | One of the World’s Top 10 Dreamlike Attractions
Ashikaga Flower Park has flowers to enjoy all year round, but among them all, the wisteria is the most famous. The wisteria trees at Ashikaga Flower Park are 150 years old, and every late April, over 300 wisteria trees bloom. When you walk into the wisteria area and look up, it feels like a purple sky. In 2014, the blooming scene of the wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park, reminiscent of the movie "Avatar," was certified by CNN and awarded the title of one of the world’s top 10 dreamlike attractions.
Although the star of the show is our wisteria, during the flower season at Ashikaga Flower Park, which lasts about a month, you can see a rainbow of wisteria colors — from pink and purple to white and yellow. The purple wisteria takes center stage, surrounded by tunnels of pink, white, and yellow flowers. Just imagining it feels like a dream — we’ve already made plans to go this spring.
? 2019 Great Wisteria Season Opening Hours:
Daytime: April 13 – May 19, 7:00 – 18:00
Illumination: April 20 – May 12, 17:30 – 21:00
? Admission Fees:
Daytime: Adults ¥900 – ¥1,800 | Children ¥500 – ¥900
Illumination: Adults ¥600 – ¥1,500 | Children ¥300 – ¥800
? Location: 607 Sakuma-cho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture
? Transport Info: 1-minute walk from Ashikaga Flower Park Station on the JR Tobu Isesaki Line (Taketoyo Line)
Official Website:Ashikaga Flower Park
Fuji no Oka Park | Gunma Prefecture
Fuji no Oka Park is another must-visit wisteria spot in the Tokyo suburbs. Its highlight is a 250-meter-long wisteria trellis walkway — walking along it is truly romantic. In addition to purple wisteria, you can also see 45 different varieties and colors including purple, white, and pink. Moreover, for those who love music and flowers, Fuji no Oka Park hosts outdoor concerts during the wisteria season, offering a delightful experience for both your eyes and ears with beautiful flowers and wonderful music.
? Opening Hours: 9:00 – 16:00 (*Note: Extended to 20:00 during the flower season with illumination)
? Admission: Free
? Address: 2690-7 Fujigaoka, Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture
? Transport: From JR Hachiko Line Gunma-Fujioka Station, transfer to the local loop bus and get off at Mikamoto Mirai-kan 3rd Parking Lot
? Official Website:Fuji no Oka Park
Ushijima Wisteria Garden | Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture’s Kasukabe — everyone knows it, right? It’s the hometown of Crayon Shin-chan. But today we’re not here to talk about Crayon Shin-chan. We’re here to tell you about a must-visit wisteria spot: Ushijima Wisteria Garden. As early as 1963, Ushijima Wisteria Garden was designated as a national cultural property by Japan. The wisteria trees here are astonishingly 1,200 years old. Aside from the wisteria, you can also enjoy the harmonious scenery of traditional Japanese garden plants such as century-old pines and azaleas blending with the wisteria blooms.
? Opening Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
? Admission: Adults 1,000 JPY | Children 500 JPY
? Address: 786 Ushijima, Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture
? Transportation: Take the Tobu Railway Tobu Noda Line to Fujino-Ushijima Station, then a 10-minute walk
? Official Website:Ushijima Wisteria Garden
And that wraps up our Tokyo Wisteria Special Feature. We’ve handpicked wisteria spots within Tokyo and its suburbs, along with their ticket prices, opening hours, and transportation info. After seeing all these beautiful wisteria locations, aren’t you tempted to go? This year, let’s all soak in the gentle beauty of these purple blooms!
Text by Katrina.C | Tripresso Travel Café Editorial Team