{"id":63633,"date":"2020-04-04T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=63633"},"modified":"2024-05-13T08:09:05","modified_gmt":"2024-05-12T23:09:05","slug":"wisteria-tunnel-japan-senzai-oita","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wisteria-tunnel-japan-senzai-oita\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisteria Fuji Tunnels and Other Things to See at Oita’s Senzai Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s an indisputable fact that the Japanese people love their seasonal blossoms, and the yearly blooms of wisteria<\/strong> are no exception. Hot on the heels of the annual cherry blossoms<\/strong> in March, the woody vines of the wisteria (also known as fuji) <\/em>flowers come into bloom during the last stretch of April and into the beginning of May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An earlier visit I made to Yabakei’s cherry blossoms<\/span><\/a> in March 2019 sparked the beginning of my quest to explore as much of the floral sceneries in Oita prefecture as I could. So, a few weeks later, I traveled to Senzai Wisteria Park <\/strong>(\u5343\u8ca1\u85e4\u5712 Senzai Fuji-en<\/em>) for my first-ever walk under a canopy of drooping fuji<\/em> flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wisteria
Visitors strolling under the fuji canopy of Senzei Wisteria Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Senzai Wisteria Park in Oita’s Usa City<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A 5-minute drive from the Usa Beppu Road Yokkaichi<\/em> Expressway (\u5b87\u4f50\u5225\u5e9c\u9053\u8def\u56db\u65e5\u5e02IC) brought me to Senzai Wisteria Park in the rural landscape of Usa city<\/a> in Oita Prefecture<\/strong>. Along with the park, the area prominently features the Senzai Green Tea Plantation<\/strong> (\u5343\u8ca1\u8fb2\u5712 Senzai N\u00f4en<\/em>) and Senzai Rose Garden<\/strong> (\u5343\u8ca1\u8fb2\u5712\u306e\u30d0\u30e9\u5712 Senzai no Bara-en<\/em>). It was the weekend before the May 5th Children’s Day Festival<\/a> when I arrived, and colorful fish streamers created a bright contrast against the impossibly brilliant green tea hills adjacent to the fuji tunnel park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"koinobori<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After parking my car in the free parking lot, I ambled up a short hill towards the park entrance. From the low angle of the green-capped canopy, the entrance looked deceptively modest and small\u2013 though I was about to find out the full scale of the wisteria tunnel beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • \"Entrance
    Entrance to Senzai Wisteria Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
  • \"Looking<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    I was honestly not expecting such a vast wisteria tunnel. Not only were the colors varied\u2013 from purple, white, light pink, and dark blue\u2013 but so were the shapes and sizes. Approximately 250 wisteria vines grow over wooden arbours covering 8000 square meters of hillside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
    • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
    • \"\"
      Visitors can sit under and enjoy the springtime fuji flowers <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
      • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
      • \"A<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        • \"People<\/figure><\/li>
        • \"Dog<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Sampling Local Japanese Green Tea and Matcha Ice Cream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          New tea sales begin during April and May, during the same time as the wisteria bloom. The local green tea can be purchased at a booth just within the mouth of the wisteria tunnel entrance, where I also bought some of their local green tea ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"Tea
          Tea sales are located to the left of the wisteria park entrance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          • \"Green
            New tea sales coincide with the wisteria blooming season<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
          • \"Green
            Green tea ice cream from Senzai Plantation<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
          • \"View
            Senzai Green Tea Plantation<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Senzai Rose Garden, Japan’s Summertime Flower<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            If you happen to visit in mid-May, you will just be in time to see the first of two seasonal rose blooms at Senzai Rose Garden. I wasn’t there during its full bloom, but some of the 2,500 total roses had already started blossoming. Another full bloom can be seen from early October to late November. An entrance fee is required at the door, ranging from free for toddlers, to 400 yen for general admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            • \"Yellow
              Yellow roses at Senzai Rose Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
            • \"Roses<\/figure><\/li>
            • \"Pink
              Pink rose at Senzai Rose Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              Access to Senzai Wisteria Park<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              Getting to Senzai Wisteria Park by car is your best option. If you\u2019re leaving from Oita Station<\/strong>, the park is a 50-minute drive with tolls or 1 hour without. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              If you’re traveling by train, the Buzen-Zenkoji<\/strong> local stop is the closest to the park, and takes approximately 12 minutes by car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Entrance Fee & Parking<\/th>Free<\/td><\/tr>
              Hours<\/th>8:00 \u2013 18:00<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n