Move over, sakura. Purple is the new pink.

The cherry blossom season is poised to start throughout the country, with some places already seeing the flowers start to bloom. However, while cherry blossoms often make the headlines, they’re not the only seasonal flowers that Japan has to offer. In fact, I much prefer it when the wisterias start to blossom, when you can stroll beneath a canopy of cascading purple flowers.

There are numerous wisteria festivals across the country, but the Owari Tsushima Wisteria Festival, held between April 15 to April 29 at Tennogawa Park in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture, can make you feel as if you’ve stepped into a dream.

Wisteria, known as “fuji” in Japanese, is a climbing plant that produces long, drooping clusters of purple blossoms, and Tsushima has long been renowned for them, having even been called the “Wisteria Wave Village”. The trellis at Tennogawa Park is an impressive 275 meters (902 feet), covering roughly 5,000 square meters (about 1.2 acres), making it appear as if almost the entire sky has turned purple.

A total of twelve varieties of wisteria bloom in the park, with the star of the show being the kyushaku fuji. Walking underneath the clusters of flowers while they sway gently in the breeze and fill the air with their sweet scent is a magnificent experience.

Below the trellis runs a canal, which on calm days reflects the blossoms in the water below, creating a mirror image known as the “inverted wisteria,” a breathtaking sight.

At night the entire trellis is illuminated from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., transforming the park into something akin to a Studio Ghibli film, a fantastical scene of glowing purple flowers, soft reflections on still water, and the slight evening breeze sending ripples through the weeping blossoms.

During the festival, you can also enjoy an outdoor matcha tea ceremony, as Tsushima has long adopted a culture of casually enjoying matcha, while also browsing local specialty products and grabbing some festival food from the stalls near the Maruike area.

Tsushima is easily accessible from Nagoya on the Meitetsu train line, making this a perfect day trip. If you fancy taking in Japan’s seasonal beauty, be sure to call into Tsushima, where the wisteria play second fiddle to none.

Location information
Tennogawa Koen / 天王川公園
Address: Aichi-ken, Tsushima-shi, Miyagawa-cho, 1-chome Jinaigai
愛知県津島市宮川町１丁目地内外
Open 24 hours
Website

Source and images: PR Times
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