This flower theme park is located in Ashikaga, Tochigi. The seeds of its creation were planted in the 1920s when a landowner planted a wisteria seed that would one day become the centerpiece of this park. In 1968, that garden was renovated and became Hayakawa Farm, the predecessor to Ashikaga Flower Park. The wetland nature of the soil proved conducive to growing many flowering plants and even provided lovely waterfront areas for visitors to enjoy.
Today, this urban area enjoys vibrant flowers year-round thanks to this fantasy-like theme park. From azaleas to pansies, and roses to wisteria, Ashikaga Flower Park has blooms to dazzle everyone. The main annual event is there Fuji no Hana Monogatari, or Wisteria Flower Story, when the Great Wisteria tree blossoms from mid-April to mid-May. The brilliant colors draw in huge crowds to play beneath the tunnels of wisteria flowers and marvel at the long tendrils of flowers. CNN even compared this event to the Tree of Souls from the hit movie Avatar.
There are yearly events during the off-seasons. Visitors can be sure to enjoy the park no matter when they visit. The park is always open. However, the park is closed on the 1st Wednesday and Thursday in February and on December 31st. Admission is permitted until 30 minutes before closing. Admission varies by season and can range from 300 yen to 1,900 yen during peak events. For accurate seasonal prices, it’s recommended to visit the Ashikaga Flower Park website.
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To get to the Ashikaga Flower Park take the JR Utsunomiya Line, JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line, and transfer to the JR Ryomo Line. Get off at Tomita Station, one station before Ashikaga Station, from there it is a 15-minute walk to the park.