Ashikaga Flower Park

Some flowers you admire; the Great Wisteria of Ashikaga you stand beneath, mouth open. Ashikaga Flower Park is built around a single 160-year-old wisteria whose trained canopy spreads over more than a thousand square metres, raining violet blossom from a trellis held up like a sky.

Why It’s Interesting

For a few weeks each spring the park becomes one of the most photographed places in Japan — cascading purple, pink, and white wisteria, including an 80-metre tunnel of it, all reflected in ponds. Then it gets even more theatrical after dark, when the blooms are illuminated into a glowing canopy. And in the off-season the park reinvents itself entirely with “Flower Fantasy,” a winter LED light show ranked among Japan’s top three illuminations.

Best Time to Visit

Mid-April to mid-May for the great wisteria (the ticket price rises with the bloom), and mid-October to mid-February for the winter lights.

Getting There

Absurdly easy: the park has its own JR station a one-minute walk from the gate, plus large free parking.