Ashikaga Travelog 2017

The cherry blossoms have already uttered their last goodbyes but fret not, cos spring in Japan is still on! If you're a flower person, this is the season to be in the country for lots of pretty blooms line up the streets and parks! And oh, did I say lots of flower festivals, too?

Two weeks ago, my friends and I decided to travel the faraway land of Tochigi haha (well, it took us more than two hours by car from Nippori Station) to visit the famed Ashikaga Flower Park, which is very well-known for its stunning wisteria tresses and tunnels~

Here's a one-day Ashikaga guide that you might find useful information at if ever you decide to pay those sweet-scented wisterias a visit (and other places, too)!

ASHIKAGA FLOWER PARK

Reached the town of Ashikaga around noon and felt a little hungry. Good thing there were stores along the road leading to the flower park. You can buy corn cobs on sticks, fresh fruits, cheesy potatoes, grilled squid and whatnot! Helped myself with a slice of pineapple and off I went to the park's entrance.

The park's entrance ticket is 1,700 JPY, a bit pricey for me but yeah, since I'm already there, might as well make the most out of the bucks I shelled out for it haha~

TIP: You can ask the park staff for a park map and brochure in English.

Wisteria para para paradise~

Japanese Wisteria or Fuji (in Japanese) are pea-like flowers that are mostly purple in colour and is a climber, if you know what I mean. I researched on it a little more and found out that these "royal purple" Japanese Wisteria was granted the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.*

Walking in Wisteria wonderland~

 This wisteria tunnel is a nice photo op area but as expected, lotsa people are lining up for their turns, too. Practicing your pose before your turn might be beneficial for you and for everyone else. *wink*

Besides the wisteria blooms, a variety of azaleas can also be seen at the park. In fact, there's an area called Azalea Hills. Watch out for it~

Thanks to my beau for always being shot-ready whenever there's an open chance a.k.a. whenever no other people are in the frame~

More flowersssss!!! Ah my flower-lover heart is happy!♥

Also, near one of the restaurants at the park is a photo service booth wherein an in-house photographer takes a photo of you or whoever you're with and you can have it printed and nicely tucked in an Ashikaga photo frame/folder for 1000 JPY~ 

The photographer that day was also kind enough to take a photo of us using our own camera yay! Thank you! ♥

With my childhood friends Aira and the two lovebirds at the back, Cris and his beau ♥

More photos with them flowerssssssssssssssss~

Tochiome and vanilla ice cream yummmmm~

Wisteria ice cream (which tasted like milk tea, in my opinion)

After spending a few hours at the park, we decided to explore the streets of Ashikaga, and thanks to Google, we found...

BANNA-JI TEMPLE

Free entrance to this sightseeing site so yeah~

Whenever I go to shrines and temples, I look at the roofs (or if you want, rooves, both are correct haha), kinda fascinating~

Omikuji/御御籤, random fortunes on a strip of paper.
For some reason, I am afraid of trying this cos I'm afraid what I'll get is just a strip of paper with bad fortune in it. However, if you tried and got a bad one, they say you can "reverse" it if you tie it up just like the ones on the photo above.  

Can you spot me?

Loved the lush greens! Such a breather!

This colourful pagoda on the side of the main temple caught my eye cos of its unusually-coloured flags (idk what they are called, though).

Our temple exploration was a bit brief; our friends got o-mikuji/, my beau and I got work omamori/Japanese lucky charms. After that we walked for a few minutes and reached the oldest Confucian university in the whole of Japan...

ASHIKAGA GAKKO

Entrance fee is 420 JPY for adults and you'll get this really cool ticket above hihi

 I'm such a sucker for unique manhole covers haha

Hey, Confucius~

An old library which houses lots of Confucian books from long long ago, all are in Japanese language, though.

And oh, notice the red momiji tree; autumn in spring~

Ashikaga Gakko has lots of "gardens"

Ahhhh komorebi/木漏れ日,which means sunlight filtering through the trees' leaves~

Probably it's one of my favorite Japanese words along with kintsukuroi/きんつくろい, shiawase/幸せ, and hanafubuki/花吹雪. Go search for these words and you'll be delighted with their meanings, like me. ♥

Another garden in the confines of Ashikaga Gakko. How lovely would it be to study here during those days? I might love school more, ha~

A little indoor zen garden

Left after an hour or so cos Ashikaga is a bit far from Tokyo even by car.

Took photos on our way to the parking lot cos the streets are just interesting-- felt like I was in a different era~

So that's it! A one-day Ashikaga trip guide for ya~

When you get tired of  the hustle and bustle in Tokyo during spring, don't forget, Ashikaga is just a few rolls away! *wink*

More details:

Ashikaga Flower Park 

607 Hasama-cho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi 329-4216

Tel.0284-91-4939

Nearest Station/s: JR Tomita Station, Tobu Ashikaga-shi Station

Hours: From 9:00am - 4:30pm(April-September)
         From 9:00am - 4:00pm(October-March)

Banna-ji Temple

2220 Iteomi-cho, Ashikaga City

Tel. 0284-41-2627

Nearest Station: JR Ashikaga Station, Tobu Ashikaga-shi Station

Hours: From 10:00am - 6:00pm (enter by 5:30pm)

Ashikaga Gakko

2338 Shohei-cho Ashikaga City

Tel.0284-41-2655

Hours: From 9:00am -18:00pm, closing time changes by season

* SOURCE*
"Wisteria floribunda `Royal Purple` Japanese Wisteria". (2017). Retrieved at https://www.gardenia.net/plant/Wisteria-Floribunda-Royal-Purple-Japanese-Wisteria.