Wisteria Tunnel

Back then, I used to see this image as one of the wallpapers available on a windows computer.  It was stunning and refreshing, but I didn’t think that this place exists in real life. All I thought was, it’s just a man-made graphical image. I stumbled upon this image because I searched for interesting places within Fukuoka Prefecture, where I scored a ticket sale via Cebu Pacific. This image is very eye-catching, and so I read more about it.

A few of the facts I learned about is that it is privately owned by founder Masao Higuchi and his family, who has deep roots for growing wisteria flowers over 50 years. Blooming is at its peak in late April to mid-May. The garden is said to be filled with one million wisteria flowers with rich fragrance and various hues of purple, red, and white. The wisteria flowers are showcased in different tunnels, domes, and trellis.  There are an 80-meter and 10-meter long wisteria tunnels that are available for viewing, and I guess this is also the one in the picture. Moreover, this place is also beautiful in Autumn due to the 700 maple tree foliage that turns red and yellow.  The garden becomes well-colored, and the best time to visit is at the beginning of December.

Due to its fame, a lot of people experienced traffic jams in 2015.  As a result, a pre-sale reservation ticket system has been set since 2016 during the blooming season.  This reservation system only allows a limited number of people entering the park on a specific date and time to avoid concentration. The non-refundable reservation ticket costs 500 yen for adults (with free entrance for a max of 2 highschool students per adult), which can be bought in a machine in 7/11, anywhere in Japan.  You can select your time and date, and a print-out will be released. Present and pay this at the counter; in return, they will give you the actual tickets.  However, an additional fee of 1000 yen might be required to pay (at the Fujien reception) on the day of visit but highly depends on the flowering situation, which is difficult to predict. In short, if you pay 1500 yen in total on the day of your visit, you are lucky enough to view the place at its finest. Private cars are allowed to park for free.

This place is officially known as the Kawachi Wisteria Garden, located in Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka. I’ve read a few times that it’s not easy to go here by public transportation due to numerous transfers. Nevertheless, it is worth visiting and worth trying to get in touch with this one of a kind beauty.

Featured image was downloaded free via this website.