The garden is illuminated at night at Ashikaga Flower Park in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
The garden is illuminated at night at Ashikaga Flower Park in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
A wisteria tree is illuminated at Ashikaga Flower Park in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The flowers are forecasted to remain in bloom through May 17, 2016. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
Visitors view the lit wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
Visitors use selfie-sticks for photos with the wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
Wisteria line many of the walkways at Ashikaga Flower Park in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
In addition to wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park features azaleas, poppies and other springtime flowers. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
Wisteria of many sizes and colors can be admired at Ashikaga Flower Park in Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
As the sun begins to set, the blossoms are illuminated at Ashikaga Flower Park in Japan. (Denisse Rauda/Stars and Stripes)
With the cherry blossoms gone, there’s a new bud in Japan to steal your heart … and break it all over again.
To cure your cherry blossom hangover, wisteria are some of the prettiest blossoms that Tokyo’s springtime has to offer.
From Mid-April to early May, the wisteria are in full bloom around the Tokyo area. One place in particular, The Ashikaga Flower Park, has a picture-perfect garden to stroll.
Walk through fragrant makeshift corridors covered in flowers and feel like you’re in a “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. Though the park is host to many varieties of wisteria, other spring flowers, including poppies and azaleas, are also in full bloom.
Arrive before sunset and experience the night lighting of the blossoms, illuminating the dark in a pink and purple glow.
The park is located in Gunma Prefecture, about a two-hour drive from Tokyo, and the entrance fee is 1,700 yen (around 15 U.S. dollars); pretty steep, but the travel time and price are worth it.
While you’re there, enjoy some of the festival foods, beer and sake the many vendors at the park are selling. And if you dare, cool down with some wisteria-flavored purple ice cream. Small wisteria plants and other floral pots are also for sale at the park.
The display at Ashikaga Flower Park runs through May 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The admission prices are 1,700 yen for adults and 800 yen for children. If you arrive after 5:30 p.m., admission drops to 1,400 yen for adults and 700 yen for children.
Twitter: @DRauda_Stripes
