1. Ashikaga Flower Park
    Photo: Ashikaga Flower Park
  2. Kameido Tenjin wisteria
    Photo: Sorara/Photo-ACKameido Tenjin Shrine
  3. Wisteria Ashikaga Flower Park
    Photo: Ashikaga Flower Park

5 best places to see wisteria in and around Tokyo

You’ll find these colourful hanging flowers at parks, shrines and gardens all over the city

Tabea Greuner
Written by
Tabea Greuner
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With cherry blossoms nearing full bloom in Tokyo, the city is now looking forward to welcome its next spring flowers. Colourful wisteria bloom around mid-April to mid-May and can be found in many shrines and parks across the city. 

The pastel-hued wisteria vines resemble dripping beads of colour, and they're often grown on trellises. Walking under these hanging violet, blue, pink or white blooms will make you feel like you’re in a fairy tale, so make sure to bring your camera for some Instagram-worthy shots.

Read on for the best spots in and around Tokyo to enjoy wisteria.

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  • Attractions
  • Religious buildings and sites
  • Kameido

Famous for its arched vermilion bridge, Kameido Tenjin Shrine is one of the best spots to see purple wisteria. The shrine’s wisteria festival begins in mid-April (exact dates yet to be announced) and features over 50 trees blooming simultaneously on a number of trellises centred around a little pond. Come evening, you can catch the beautiful blooms all lit up and enjoy their reflection on the water’s surface. Make sure to drop by the on-site food stalls to fuel up on typical festival fare like yakisoba noodles and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers).

  • Attractions
  • Parks and gardens
  • Tama area

This park near Tama River may be off the beaten track, but it’s worth heading out during wisteria season. Haijima Park is known for its 800-year-old wisteria tree that’s a designated Natural Monument of Tokyo. Growing on a large trellis, the wisteria usually starts blooming around the end of April until the beginning of May. Make sure to drop by the park’s Hiyoshi Shrine and pick up a goshuin seal stamp with a special wisteria motif (¥500).

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  • Attractions
  • Parks and gardens
  • Chofu

For a more relaxed wisteria excursion, head to Tokyo’s Chofu area, where the huge Jindai Botanical Garden is home to a large selection of flowers. The end of April through to May sees about 50 wisteria plants of 13 different kinds in bloom. Head to the large 85m-long trellis that’s home to white and violet blossoms for a gorgeous, colourful sight.

Ashikaga Flower Park
Photo: Ashikaga Flower Park

Ashikaga Flower Park

Only 90 minutes from Tokyo Station, the Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi prefecture is one of the top destinations in Japan for wisteria. About 350 wisteria of different colours bloom from April 15 to May 14, but keep an eye out for the 160-year-old tree, which features hundreds of purple wisteria blooms dangling from a massive grid of wooden trellises. Come nighttime, the huge, mature tree is lit up and its reflection on the water’s surface is stunning. You'll also find a variety of wisteria tunnels in the park, which make great photo spots. Don’t miss the park’s seasonal snacks and beverages, including a unique wisteria soft serve with a floral aroma. 

607 Hasamacho, Ashikaga city, Tochigi prefecture. 0284 91 4939. April 15-21 & May 8-14 8am-8.30pm, April 22-May 7 7am-9pm. Entry fee varies by day.

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  • Things to do
  • Suidobashi

This tranquil Japanese-style garden right next to Tokyo Dome boasts beautiful wisteria growing on a number of trellises. The purple blooms are surrounded by irises and together with the old-fashioned thatched-roof building in the background, it makes for perfect photo ops. The best views are expected during Golden Week at the beginning of May.

More spring blooms

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