Friends of Japan Series: Kawachi Fujien - Zaynab Nakhid

There’s no doubt that cherry blossoms are the most famous flowers to come out of Japan. They’re the symbol of spring and all things Japanese. We can’t get enough of them and neither can companies with their Sakura themed merchandise. Following in the footsteps of the cherry blossoms for popularity are the Ume blossoms (plum) and momiji (Japanese maple).
 

But there’s also the lesser known Fuji (Wisteria). They are beautiful woody stemmed vines that produce multiple clusters of small flowers. The blossoms range from purple and lilac to pink and even white. This particular species, Wisteria floribunda is native to Japan and carries a scent like most flowers in the pea family. They usually flower from early to mid-spring and can last for about 3 weeks.
 

Japan has the world’s largest Wisteria garden, with the one in California, USA being second. The garden boasts huge tunnels of these flowers each with varying colours along with trellises and man made canopies. The garden is known as the Kawachi Fujien (藤園) and is located in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. Many people are probably familiar with pictures of the garden however most do not know of its location.
 

(For those of you unfamiliar with Fukuoka, it is on Kyushu, the southernmost island on the Japanese mainland).
 

The Kawachi Fujien opens around the middle of April and carries into the Golden Week holiday. The blossoms are at their best during Golden Week, so I recommend that you go either right before or during the week itself.
 

All tickets must be bought beforehand due to the increasing popularity of the garden domestically. You can reserve them at 7-11 or Family Mart convenience stores or buy them online for a much higher price. There are several ways to get there and more information can be found at the link below.


Friends of Japan Series: Kawachi Fujien (Japanese Embassy Facebook)


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