By: Alex
As April draws to a close, the cherry blossom season in Honshu, Japan, comes to an end, but it is soon followed by the equally dreamy wisteria season. Wisteria typically blooms from late April to mid-May. In the Kanto region, the most famous spot to admire wisteria is undoubtedly Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.
▲photo by ubutsq/Instagram
Ashikaga Flower Park
From Ueno in Tokyo, take the JR train to Oyama first, then transfer to Ashikaga Flower Park Station. The journey takes about 2 hours. The park features a wide variety of plants, including multiple types of wisteria such as large-flowered, long-flowered, and double-flowered varieties, in colors like purple, white, and pink—around 350 plants in total. The park’s two most famous giant wisteria trees, both over 150 years old, have branches that intertwine and are supported by beams, forming a massive floral umbrella. When countless cascading wisteria flowers sway in the wind, accompanied by their delicate fragrance, the experience feels truly magical.
▲photo by ashikaga_flower_park/Instagram
On a side note, Ashikaga Flower Park is illuminated after sunset, and the wisteria flowers take on an even more romantic glow under the lights. Photography enthusiasts are advised to stay until evening if time permits.
▲photo by kazu.klku/Instagram
▲photo by tomitaka/Instagram
▲photo by kouki0044/Instagram
▲photo by ashikaga_flower_park/Instagram
▲photo by ashikaga_flower_park/Instagram
Kawachi Fujien
In Kawachi Fujien, located in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the highlight is a long wisteria tunnel. This is a private garden that houses 22 varieties and over 150 wisteria trees, some of which are over a century old. It gained widespread fame after being featured in the “World’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Corridors.” The garden is only open to the public during the spring flowering season and the autumn foliage season. In addition to the two wisteria tunnels, there is also a wisteria dome and a wisteria arbor. Due to the limited space and large number of visitors, it’s almost impossible to take a photo without other people in the frame, so photographers should be prepared for that.
▲photo by shumijikan/Instagram
From Fukuoka City, take the JR train to Yahata Station and then transfer to a bus, which takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Although the transportation is somewhat inconvenient, the wisteria blooming period often overlaps with Japan’s Golden Week, leading to heavy traffic around the park. To manage crowd control, visitors must purchase tickets in advance at designated convenience stores—no tickets are sold on-site. The tickets specify the entry date and time (with a maximum stay of two hours).
▲photo by yuzu_mikan221/Instagram
▲photo by kkazu4848/Instagram
▲photo by puraten10/Instagram
▲photo by sugupon/Instagram
▲photo by puraten10/Instagram
Source: My Modern Met