Ashikaga Flower Park (160-Year-Old Great Wisteria & Award-Winning Illumination)

Category: World-Class Floral Park & Winter Illuminations | Location: 607 Hasamacho, Ashikaga, Tochigi 329-4216 (JR Ashikaga Flower Park Station)

Selected by CNN in 2014 as one of the world’s "Top 10 Dream Destinations"—evoking the ethereal Tree of Souls from the film *Avatar*—Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi spans 9.4 hectares celebrated for harboring over 350 ancient wisteria (fuji) trees. The undisputed centerpiece is the colossal 160-year-old "Great Wisteria" (Ofuji), whose expansive branches are supported across a 1,000-square-meter trellis canopy, draping countless cascading tendrils of fragrant purple blossoms that hang nearly to the ground. The springtime "Tale of the Wisteria" festival unfolds from mid-April through mid-May across four distinct color stages: early pale pink wisteria (Usubeni), the majestic purple Great Wisteria, an 80-meter tunnel of pristine white wisteria (Shiro-fuji), and rare golden-yellow Kibana wisteria. At dusk, synchronized night illuminations mirror the shimmering floral curtains over surrounding reflective ponds. In winter from late October to mid-February, the park hosts the acclaimed "Garden of Illuminated Flowers," ranked as one of Japan’s "Top Three Winter Illuminations." Over 5 million eco-friendly LED lights illuminate the grounds with motorized blooming light flowers. The park boasts its own dedicated railway stop, JR Ashikaga Flower Park Station on the Ryomo Line, roughly 90 minutes from Tokyo.