Awarded with the golden prize of being the number one illumination display in all of Japan, Ashikaga Flower Park offers a truly spectacular and enjoyable evening walking under all the magical lights. With gardens of thousands of blinking lights, their original wisteria light tunnels, and other lit-up themed sets, Ashikaga Flower Park is a definite must-visit for their illuminations at nighttime.
The park can be most easily accessed from Tokyo. All you have to do is take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Oyama Station (a 42 minute journey that costs ¥3860), and then take the JR Ryomo Line from Oyama Station to Tomita Station (a 13 minute journey that costs ¥580). Ashikaga Flower Park is then a short 13 minute walk away from the station. If you have the JR pass, the whole journey is covered by it, so it is definitely a place very worth visiting if you are staying in Tokyo and have the JR pass.
Entrance to the park costs ¥800, and there are also several food stalls selling hot soup, fried chicken, ice cream, beef stew, and crepes. These stalls all range from about ¥200 to ¥500. Eating hot street food after walking about in cold evening temperatures while watching the illumination was one of the best feelings! The park is not very big, and can be easily seen in an hour or so if you are tight on time. It is best to go on a weeknight as the number of people there will be a lot less compared to the weekend crowds.
The illumination displays are certainly something you have to go see with your own eyes, as the camera does not capture the magic of it all, and does the fantastical atmosphere no justice on screen. The difference between Ashikaga Flower Park and other illuminations (that I've seen in Japan) are the amount of different lights they have, and of course the wisteria light tunnels. Many of their lights were actually in the shape of different flowers (roses that change color, lotuses reflecting their light on the water) making the illuminations very detailed and impressive. The arrangement of lights with actual real flowers was also gorgeous, and you will find yourself spending a lot of time taking photos at each display. They also had interactive displays where you can press buttons to make lights change, with one adorable set sending a light flowing towards our planet earth, and sprouting a leaf on top!
With the credentials in awards to back it up, and visual evidence in photographs, Ashikaga Flower Park is a must visit. The memories of walking under thousands of blinking lights will leave precious memories, and impressive photographs and videos to share with others.
