Wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park
Search out the top places to visit in Japan, and you’ll often find Ashikaga Flower Park on the list. For about one month each year, this park blooms with some of Japan’s most spectacular wisteria, a hanging flower that comes in various colors, most famously a violet pink. I had seen some wisteria in smaller parks before, but nothing that came close to this, each tree stunningly curated.
Somehow, all of the photos I had seen before the trek made it appear as though there were many trees clustered together to form the canopies of wisteria. This was not the case, as you can see above. That is all from one single tree. The branches have been grown out meticulously, held up by bamboo poles for support, allowing the lattice work to create the natural sculpture of flowers. It was pretty incredible, and there were probably 10 such trees around the gardens to enjoy.
The purple flowers were not the only sights though. The whole park was lush, and there were also white wisteria in a long corridor, puffy and buzzing with bees. Kind of makes you feel like a Disney Princess for an afternoon, and the purple wisteria-flavored ice cream was a unique treat too!
Photos taken with the Nikon Z9 and Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lenses