Ashikaga Flower Park is located in the city of the same name, in Tochigi prefecture. Originally opened in 1968 as Hayakawa Farm, the floral park was moved in 1997 to give it space to expand. Renamed Ashikaga Floral Park, it now covers 94,000 square metres.
Welcome to Ashikaga Flower Park!
Ashikaga Park is best known for its wisteria (fuji in Japanese) of different varieties and colours: blue, pink, white. The flowers are highlighted from every possible angle: in groves, tunnels, trellises, on the ground and in the air. Wisteria in all its forms and colours is the gardeners’ apotheosis.
Multicoloured wisteria 💕
Flowering usually begins slightly before the Tokyo fuji, in early May. The park is then at its peak. But there’s plenty to enjoy throughout the year.
After the wisteria the waterlily season begins, then the tropical plants, etc. Ashikaga Floral Park considers that there are eight “flowering seasons”, each with unique colours.
Miraculous centennial wisteria
A miracle occurred when the park was relocated in the 1990s. A 100-year-old wisteria in a poor state was successfully replanted and revived in its new location. Known ever since as the “miraculous wisteria”, it’s now over 150 years old.
Designated a national monument by Tochigi prefecture, the plant became famous online for its resemblance to the “Tree of Souls” in the James Cameron movie Avatar.
The magnificent wisteria is one of the reasons why CNN TV chose the park as one of the “10 dream tourist destinations of the world” in 2014.
The park is also popular at night for its “Garden of Illuminated Flowers”, which offers a magical atmosphere. The park’s night lighting figured as one of the three most beautiful illuminations in Japan (in 2017). There are three different shows depending on the season and the garden is lit by over 5 million LEDs.
Snippets on Ashikaga Flower Park :
- The largest wisteria spreads over 1,000 square metres.
- You can sample “wisteria-colour” ice cream in the park.
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