There is a breathtaking array of hanging wisterias and an exquisite flower garden for all four seasons.
This flower garden creates a complete sense of the season. And the magnificence of nature with a wide range of plants and trees. The park’s highlight is the massive Japanese wisteria trellises in bloom from late April to mid-May. You will be totally stunned by four large wisteria vines and the 80-meter tunnel. Of white wisterias, designated as the prefecture’s natural treasure. In the evening, the illuminated wisterias bring dream-like scenes. The park also draws large crowds during the fall and winter months, when the “Bejeweled Flower Garden.”
You can use your Japan Rail pass to easily reach the Ashikaga Flower Park from Tokyo. There are several ways to get to Ashikaga Flower Park Station. But you must first arrive at Oyama Station to take the JR Ryomo line.
The fastest way is taking the Shinkansen (41 minutes from Tokyo Station). Some Shinkansen om Tohoku Shinkansen line stops at Oyama Station. Alternatively, you can also use the JR Utsunomiya line (1 hour and 10 minutes from Tokyo Station).
Once in Oyama Station, transfer to the JR Ryomo Line to Ashikaga Flower Park Station (34 minutes). The park is a three-minute walk from the station, located at 607 Hasamacho, Ashikaga.
The Ashikaga Flower Park opens at 9 am and closes at 6 pm for most of the year. On Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays for “the Garden of Illuminated Flowers,” the park is open until 9 pm. From late November until February, hours are reduced during the winter, from 10 am to 5 pm.
From 7 am until 9 pm, extended hours can be enjoyed during the Wisteria Festival period (mid-April to mid-May).
The park is open year-round, closed only on December 31 and the third Wednesday and Thursday of February.
Depending on the time of year and the type of ticket purchased. Adult admission fees range from 300 to 1800 yen. Prices are highest during the peak flower season, during April and May. Lower prices can be enjoyed from July until February. For children, fees range from 100 to 900 yen. Children under the age of four are admitted free of charge.
In Japanese, wisteria is called fuji. This flower is popular among the Japanese as the mountain of the same name.
This decorative vine, a related to the pea, maybe coaxed to grow into fantastic designs. The park is graced by two 80-meter tunnels, one of white wisteria and the other with wisteria-like yellow Kibana.
From a botanical point of view, a year in Japan can be divided into eight floral seasons or chapters. These include:
Each of these stages has its own beauty and charm. Hundreds of trees and flowering plants are involved in each chapter – even in the cold of winter. While many visitors choose mid-April to mid-May to view the famed wisteria, the park has plenty to offer.
Depending on flowering, the Great Wisteria Festival will be held in 2022, from early April to mid-May.
During the Great Wisteria Festival, the park is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adult entry rates vary from 900 to 1800 yen, while children’s admission fees range from 500 to 900 yen.
The Light Up season also includes special evening entrance hours, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Adult night entry rates range from 600 to 500 yen, while children’s tickets range from 300 to 800 yen.
Sources: Ashikaga Flower Park ; Flower Park