Wisteria or Fuji 藤 in Japanese is blooming at the beginning of Spring, between April to early May. I interested to visit Wisteria Tunnel after I saw a picture at an Instagram post.
It was 10 consecutive days of 2019 Golden Weeks I visited Kawachi Wisteria Garden in Kitakyushu, the northern part of Fukuoka Prefecture. You must be imagined that it would be people crowd outside there, and it was. However, I reserved the entrance ticket from an online website to ensure that I can enter this garden rather than take the whole on a queue line just to buy the ticket.
From Kokura station, I took JR train to Yahata station. As arrived, I put my luggage to coin locker since it will be inconvenient to walk in the garden with a lot of stuff. Then I walked near Mt Sarakura Observatory shuttle bus, and I asked the staff with my limited Japanese whether they know shuttle bus that will go to Wisteria Garden. As they showed me the queue line, then I followed their instruction. It surprised me that more than half of the bus passenger are foreigners.
It took approximately 30 minutes from the station to the garden.
Wisteria Tunnel |
Arrived at the garden, so many people walking throughout the tunnel. It was a sunny day anyway, long days vacation. No wonder! But for people like me who like to photograph, it was not good news.
But, when the object can not be changed, photographer will change the angle to get the best picture they can. So I would try.
Walking near me two Japanese female (around 60 years old I guess) that greeted me. "写真とりましょうか (Shashin torimashouka)?" which means 'May I help to take your picture?'. Maybe she saw me walking by myself to just focusing on the flower, then she offered help to take the picture. Of course, it helped. Solo travel knows this situation well that taking picture of ourselves with the object is almost impossible if we don't dare to ask a stranger :)
Second tunnel with various wisteria |
Then followed by the second tunnel which has several kinds of Wisteria, the purple and the white. A few people crowd this place. However, I could smell different scent between the white and purple wisteria. The white one tends to be soft than the purple one.
Hanging Wisteria |
One of my macro photograph |
The best picture I captured from this garden ;) |