Yes, This Is One Wisteria Plant!

WisteriaHuge

In case you need proof that “the harder a garden is to get to, the more spectacular it is,” look no further than Ashikaga Flower Park. Two solid hours from Tokyo by car (or two and a half hours hopping on and off four different trains), I didn’t believe any flowers could be worth the trip.

But as you can see, I was oh so wrong!

Not only are they huge, they’re lit up at night
Here's the entire plant at night, reflected in a nearby pond!
And the whole place is designed with reflecting ponds, so you can get pix like THIS
Size matters: these wisteria flowers are over a meter long!
These wisteria flowers are over a meter long!
White ones, over a bridge at twilight
White ones, over a bridge at twilight
White ones, as far as the eye can see
A glowing tunnel of yellow wisteria
Up close, they're beautiful too.
Up close, they’re beautiful too.
Wisteria, wisteria, everywhere you look!

Getting to Ashikaga Flower Park without a car takes about 2.5 hours by train. To get there, plug your nearest station into the Train Finder or download a free Japan Travel mobile app to your phone (I use Navitime Japan Travel) with Ashikaga Flower Park Station as the destination.

Open: Every day, 9:00-21:00 from mid-April to the end of May

Admission: ¥1700 for adults

It’s the year 1784 and the shōgun rules with an iron fist . . . except within the walled pleasure quarter of Yoshiwara. Inside the Great Gate, samurai law does not apply, and it’s women who pull the strings

The Samurai’s Octopus…is a truly remarkable book, one that surprised and charmed me at every turn of the page. You’re in for a treat.”
James Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author of the Ellie Stone mysteries

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Published by Jonelle Patrick

Author of The Last Tea Bowl Thief

3 thoughts on “Yes, This Is One Wisteria Plant!

    1. It was pretty boggling. It actually peaked during Golden Week, I think, (the week before we went), but of course that coincided with the most massive crowds of the year, so we waited until after everybody had gone back to work. If you really want to go, here’s the Ashikaga Flower Park website’s English section! http://www.ashikaga.co.jp/en/index.html

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