Wisteria Trees in Full Bloom at Ashikaga Flower Park, Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture; About 300,000 Visitors Expected April 26-May 5

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:48 JST, April 25, 2025

ASHIKAGA, Tochigi — Wisteria trees have begun blooming in Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, drawing many visitors.

Famous for its wisteria, the park is currently holding the Great Wisteria Festival 2025.

In mid-April, more than 350 wisteria trees in four colors — pale red, purple, white and yellow — began to reach full bloom, which is expected to last for about a month. The great wisteria, a well-known trellis located in the center of the park, has about 140,000 purple flower clusters blossoming from two trees.

About 560,000 visitors are expected during the festival, which runs through May 18. The park will likely have more visitors between Saturday and May 6, with an estimated 300,000 visitors expected.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to see such beautiful flowers,” said a woman from Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, who visited the park with her husband, expressing her admiration for the work done by the park’s staff.