Take a Virtual Walk Through Japan's Otherworldly Wisteria Tunnels

Tourists from around the globe travel to Japan during springtime to see the country’s famous pink cherry blossom trees in full bloom. But in the city of Kitakyushu, Japan, purple wisteria flowers get all the glory. As Architectural Digest reports, Kitakyushu is home to the Kawachi Fuji Gardens, which contain two 330-foot tunnels made from wisteria.

Wisteria is a climbing plant native to Japan and China, with fragrant amethyst, purple, and white blossoms. It can grow both horizontally and laterally, so gardeners at the Kawachi Fuji Gardens transformed different varieties of the plant into an aromatic walkway, using an arched grid for support. That being said, wisteria tunnels aren’t the garden's only attraction. Altogether, it contains 150 plants and 20 different species of the flowering vine—which means that come late April or early May, when the plants are in full bloom, visitors feel like they’re swimming in a sea of purple.

Can't make it to Japan? Check out some pictures of the Kawachi Fuji Gardens’ wisteria garden below (or try visiting West Michigan’s giant lavender labyrinth for a similarly breathtaking springtime experience).

[h/t Architectural Digest]