It’s sure that cherry blossoms are famous for foreigners.
However, wisteria doesn’t lose to cherry blossoms.
Since wisteria isn’t so famous, it looks more attractive.
Why don’t you enjoy wisteria rather than enjoy cherry blossoms which is familiar to see for you.
Let me show best places for wisteria.
Contents
Season for Wisteria of Japan
The best time to see for wisteria is generally, between middle of April to end of July.
In the main tourist area of Japan, season for cherry blossoms is early April to middle of April.
So you can enjoy wisteria after cherry blossoms.
“Welcome” is one of the flower language for wisteria.
Wisteria look like bowing as if they welcome visitors.
It is said that wisteria’s flower language is origin from how it blooms.
Kawachi Wisteria Garden/Fukuoka Prefecture
Kawachi Wisteria Garden is the most popular place.
A tunnel made of wisteria is famous even to overseas.
Access
Kawachi Wisteria Garden is in Kitakyushu(Fukuoka prefecture).
Access to the Kawachi Wisteria Garden a little bit hard.
By public transportation, it is best accessed from JR Yahata Station.
It takes about 15 minutes by shuttle bus.
During the peak season, shuttle bus runs twice in a hour from Yahata Station to Kawachi Wisteria Garden.
However, note that in busy peak season, especially holidays, it’s so crowded that buses might be delay.
Although Nishitetsu bus number 56 goes toward Kawachi Wisteria Garden,
you have to walk about 40 minutes from nearest station(Kamishigeda).
So taking shuttle bus is desirable.
Entrance Fee
Kawachi Wisteria Garden is open from 8:00 to 18:00 during the wisteria season.
During the autumn color season(November), it’s open from 9:00 to 17:00.
The admission during the wisteria season is different depending on the season.
It usually costs 500 yen, 1000 yen or 1500 yen.
You can buy ticket via japanican.com and admission time is separated to following.
Ashikaga Flower Park/Tochigi Prefecture
Ashikaga Flower Park is also famous not only in Japan but also in overseas.
The park is popular for its illumination of wisteria.
So Ashikaga Flower Park was elected as one of Dream destinations for 2014 selected by CNN praised that
“the park offers an otherworldly experience”.
Access
Ashikaga Flower Park is in Tochigi prefecture.
It’s easier for us to access to the park unlike Kawachi Wisteria Garden.
It takes only 3 minutes on foot from the nearest station because in 2018 April, Ashikaga Flower Park station was created.
From Tokyo Station for example, it takes 1 and a half hours if you take Bullet Train.
You can search at Japan Transit Planner for detail.
Entrance Fee
One of the feature of Ashikaga park is that it has many colors of wisteria.
Anyways, here is the table of admission fee.
| Event Period | Adult(yen) | Child(yen) |
| Beginning of Mar to middle Apr | 300～1,200 | 200～600 |
| Middle Apr to end of May | 900～1,800 | 500～900 |
| End of May to end of June | 500～1,200 | 300～600 |
| Beginning of July to end of Feb | 300～900 | 100～500 |
Since it depends on how much the flower blossoms, fee might be slightly different.
During entire year, the park is open 9:00 to 18:00.
During winter season(from end of November to February), the park is open 10:00 to 17:00.
Byakugo-ji Temple/Hyogo Prefecture
Byakugo-ji Temple is located in Tamba city in Hyogo and was established in 705, so it has long history.
L-shaped curtain of wisteria is in the temple which is 120 meters in total length.
Wisteria in Byakugo-ji Temple has long clusters.
In long one, sometimes they grow 180 cm.
Access
Byakugo-ji Temple is located in north center of Hyogo.
You can get Byakugo-ji Temple by JR train and taxi.
From JR Ichijima Station, it takes about 10 minutes by taxi.
If you walk from Ichijima Station, it should take more than 1 hour.
To go to Ichijima Station, for example, it takes about 1 and half a hours from Kyoto Station.
In Hyogo, Takeda Castle Ruins is also famous for tourists.
Entrance Fee
Byakugo-ji Temple is open from 8:00 to 17:00.
During light up season, it’s open 18:00 to 21:00.
Usually, light up season is from beginning of May to middle of May, however it depends on every year.
For admission fee, it costs 350 yen.
Summary
Season for wisteria is generally April to May, so you can enjoy after cherry blossoms.
Kawachi Wisteria Garden and Ashikaga Flower Park is world-widely famous that many of tourist are coming.
What is more, season for wisteria overlaps Golden Week Holidays in Japan.
In Golden Week, national holidays continues, usually more than 5 days which might bring the buses get caught in a traffic jam.
Please be careful when you travel to Japan in wisteria season.
