Travelers rush to Japan in spring to see the cherry blossoms, and for good reason. They are truly stunning. But the crowds at that time of year can be particularly oppressive. In fact, if you haven’t made plans already for late March to early April 2026 when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, it might already be too late to get hotel reservations.
When I visited Japan a couple of years before the pandemic, I opted to go right after cherry blossom season. Why? Because it’s wisteria season. And I highly recommend visiting the country at that time – mid-April to mid-May.
Wisteria is equally stunning, and while there aren’t as many trees as there are cherry blossoms throughout the country, you will find plenty of them to admire. You will definitely want to visit Ashikaga Flower Park, which I’ve written about previously. It will have wisteria in pink, white, and purple, as well as numerous other flowers.
I loved all of Japan, but my favorite day in the country was the one I spent at Ashikaga. It’s an easy day trip from Tokyo, which I explain in my article on the park. And I even got to see a few cherry blossoms that were still in bloom!
So if you want to see beautiful flowers in Japan and skip the very height of the crowds, go for wisteria, not cherry blossoms.
Meanwhile, check out my other articles on Japan:
Top 10 Reasons to Make Japan Your Next Travel Destination
Hotel Review: Tokyo’s Glorious Hotel Chinzanso
Hotel Review: The Capitol Hotel Tokyu
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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