Wisteria Bloom Ashikaga Flower Park — Tochigi Japan
Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture houses Japan's most celebrated wisteria — an 1,800-square-metre great wisteria (Wisteria floribunda 'Multijuga') that is over 150 years old, its cascading flower clusters reaching 80 centimetres in length and forming a complete purple canopy over a 600-square-metre trellis structure. In late April and early May, the wisteria's simultaneous bloom produces a landscape that appears to be hanging purple cloud — the flower clusters so dense that the individual trellis structure is invisible beneath the floral mass, and the scent of the combined fragrance fills the park's entire extent. The park's additional 350 wisteria plants — in white, pink, purple, and violet — bloom in a cascading sequence from late April through May, and the combination of their reflections in the ornamental pond and the Japanese garden setting creates one of Asia's most photographed botanical spectacles.
About this spectacle
Standing beneath the great wisteria of Ashikaga Flower Park is an immersive sensory experience unlike almost anything else in the botanical world. The 150-year-old Wisteria floribunda 'Multijuga' spreads its canopy across 1,800 square metres, its flower clusters — up to 80 centimetres long — hanging so densely that the trellis beneath vanishes entirely. In late April and early May, visitors walk beneath what appears to be a ceiling of living purple cloud, the fragrance of thousands of blossoms permeating the entire park. The gentle movement of the hanging clusters in any breeze creates a rippling, almost liquid quality to the canopy overhead. Beyond the centrepiece, 350 additional wisteria in white, pink, and violet bloom in sequence across May, their reflections shimmering in the ornamental pond. Morning light filters through the flower clusters in diffuse violet-tinted shafts, and the surrounding Japanese garden setting frames each view with lanterns, water, and manicured greenery. The scale, age, and density of the bloom combine to produce one of Asia's most photographed botanical spectacles.
When to go
Jan — Dec, peak Apr — May
Getting there
Nearest airport: NRT. Nearest city: Ashikaga.
Booking options
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