Spring in Japan is the season of flowers!
Many people may think of cherry blossoms when they think of spring flowers in Japan, but wisteria flowers is a spring flower that is familiar to Japanese people and has even been written about in waka poems.
The best time to see isteria flowers is after the cherry blossoms have fallen. Even after the cherry blossoms are over, there are still some Japanese landscapes that we would like visitors to see!

*Admission and worship fees are required to view some spots. For details, please check the official website of each spot.

Wisteria flowers can be seen even in urban centers.

The Fukushima-ku and Noda area, near the Umeda area of Osaka, has been known as a famous place for Fuji trees for about 600 years. This is also where the standard Japanese name for the wisteria flowers(Fuji) is “nodafuji”.

Noda’s wisteria flowers were almost completely wiped out in an air raid during World War II, but have now been restored thanks to the efforts of local residents. The flowers bloom every year at 29 locations in the ward, including parks and public facilities.

In particular, Shimofukushima Park has the largest number of wisteria trellises in the ward and is worth seeing. The plaza in front of Hanshin Noda Station is also picturesque, with its fantastic contrast between the purple hues of the wisteria flowers and the urban landscape.

Usual viewing time: mid-April

The collaboration of blue and light purple flowers at “Nagai Botanical Garden” looks great in photographs. Nemophila, a popular spring flower in Japan in recent years, blooms all over the Life Garden, which covers an area of about 2,000 square meters. Next to it, in mid-April, nodafuji (wisteria flower) blooms with light purple flowers, making this a spot where visitors can see all the popular flowers at once.

The Nagai Botanical Garden is only one subway train ride away from Umeda, Shinsaibashi, and Namba. It is easily accessible from the center of the city, and visitors can encounter a wide variety of plants, trees, and flowers throughout the year. The permanent nighttime outdoor museum “Team Lab Botanical Garden Osaka” is also popular!

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Highlights and things to do at teamLab Botanical Garden Osaka

Usual viewing time: mid-April

(Nemophila: mid-April to early May)

There is no one who is not moved by the sight of the wisteria at Byakugou-ji Temple! It takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Osaka Station to Byakugou-ji Temple by train and cab, but the scenery is so spectacular that it will leave you speechless.

The previous chief priest planted this variety of wisteria flowers about 30 years ago, and the flower clusters are over 1 meter long. The volume of the wisteria trellises is overwhelming, as they are set up in an L-shape over a vast area of 120 meters. The wisteria flowers pour down from overhead like a shower.

At night, the area is illuminated. The illuminated wisteria flowers is like an aurora borealis trailing in the sky.

Usual viewing time: early to mid May

Nakayama-dera Temple is famous for its fertility and safe delivery. It is located in Takarazuka, where hot springs spring water gushes out.

There is an 80-meter-long wisteria trellis in “Hoshi no Hiroba” in the precincts of the temple, and from mid to late April, the wisteria flowers are in full bloom. Purple wisteria are most commonly seen in Japan, but Nakayama-dera Temple is characterized by its white wisteria. If you visit on a sunny day, they look like clouds floating in a blue sky! The sweet fragrance of the wisteria flowers also wafts through the air.

Usual viewing time: mid to late April

Byodoin Phoenix Hall, built in 1053, is a famous landmark depicted on the 10-yen coin, and is a must-see spot if you are visiting Kyoto as a tourist.
Byodoin Garden, with its seasonal flowers, together with the Phoenix Hall built on the middle of the pond and the view of the mountains on the other side of the pond, is an image of the Paradise that people envisioned when the temple was built.

In spring, the pond is filled with blooming wisteria flowers, which harmonize beautifully with the gorgeous Phoenix Hall. This is truly a paradise-like setting with an elegant Japanese flavor that should not be missed.

Usual viewing time: mid-April to early May

Jonangu is a place where visitors can enjoy seasonal flowers. There are five gardens within the precincts of the temple, and every year the hues of wisteria flowers in the “Muromachi no Niwa” garden, a garden with a circular garden with a pond. In spring, there is much to see, as not only the wisteria flowers but also the Yamabuki and azalea trees on the grounds bloom around the same time.

In addition, there is a “wisteria miko kagura” performance (free admission) in which a shrine maiden holding a wisteria branch in her hand and crowned with a cluster of wisteria flowers performs a kagura dance, and if you receive a “wisteria flower charm,” the shrine maiden will purify you with a kagura bell (1,000 yen per charm). This is a spot where visitors can not only admire the flowers, but also enjoy the “experience.

Usual viewing time: Late April

Wisteria Miko Kagura: twice a day at 10:00 and 15:00 on May 1-6, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26, 2024

Kasuga-taisha Shrine is one of Nara’s major tourist attractions with its beautiful shrine pavilions painted in bright vermilion, and is designated as a World Heritage Site.
The wisteria flowers is an important flower for Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and is even used in the shrine’s crest.
The wisteria flowers grow wild throughout the shrine grounds, and the “Wisteria of Sunazuri” at the Main Sanctuary is known as a famous tree.
In addition, about 300 varieties of flowers and plants related to Japan’s oldest anthology of poetry, Manyoshu, are planted in the Manyoshu Botanical Garden, where about 200 wisteria flowers of 20 varieties are grown, allowing visitors to learn about the differences in shape, size, and color of the flowers depending on the variety.

Usual viewing time: mid-April to early May

Since ancient times, Japanese people have been sensitive to the changing of the seasons.
Don’t you think that the graceful and dignified impression of the wisteria flowers is linked to the Japanese image of harmony?
Please visit a spot where you can see the Japanese-style scenery of the wisteria flowers.