This Flower Park Is Home to the Oldest Wisteria Plant in Japan

Hiroaki Kaneko, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
Hiroaki Kaneko, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 | Hiroaki Kaneko, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

The Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi, Japan, is home to more than 350 wisterias and other flowering plants covering 23 acres. At the center of the park is its main attraction: a 140-year-old tree believed to be the oldest living wisteria in Japan. The plant, named the "Great Miracle Wisteria," was recently highlighted in a video from Great Big Story. This particular tree features curtains of purple wisteria, but the park is also a great place to see white wisteria and the rarer yellow wisteria.

Wisteria gardens can be found around the country. Some of the most impressive examples are on display at Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu—there visitors can walk through flower tunnels spanning 330 feet. You can view pictures here for a virtual tour of the site.