One great thing about travelling in Japan is that no matter when and where you go, you will be greeted by the sight of pretty flowers in full bloom. Seeing a few thousand flowers dotted across the lush landscape and providing a picturesque complement to the sky will definitely qualify as one of the highlights of your trip. Sakura (cherry blossoms) needs no introduction, of course, but there are many other flowers that will arrest your sight and uplift your spirits: tulips, wisterias, hydrangeas and azaleas. Why not check out the following prime spots for flower gazing and include them into your itinerary?

⸻ Sakura In a world of infinite possibilities, there are sakura trees, and there are SAKURA trees. Widely regarded as having some of the most mesmerizing cherry blossom trees in the whole of Japan, Takato Joshi Park in Nagano is worth checking out. This park features an impressive number of 1,500 Takano-kohigan-sakura trees – a rare breed in Japan. Envelop yourself in the delicate pink of spring by taking Instagram-friendly selfies with soul-stirring, deep pink flowers exclusive to the park. Another recommended photo-taking spot would be places where you can see these floral beauties framed against the panoramic snowscape of the Chuo Alps. Capturing two seasons in one photo?! Aren’t you excited about it?

Tulips Tulips may be the national flower of Turkey and Holland, but do you know that you can also view tulips in multiple vibrant colors in Japan: red, white, yellow, and pink? How about I tell you that there is a magical place in Shizuoka where you can not only admire two kinds of sakura in full bloom, but also savor the magnificent view of huge expanse of tulip fields adding a dose of cheerful exuberance to the sakura trees? Now this promised land of stunning beauty is Hamamatsu Flower Park, which is located on the edge of Lake Hamana. Here, 1,300 Somei Yoshino and Yaezakura (double-flowered cherry blossoms) sakura trees bloom at the same time in April with about 600,000 vivid and colorful tulips! The photos you take here will turn up to be refreshingly different from the usual ones that bombard your sight on Facebook and Instagram during spring!

Wisterias Other than sakura and tulips, another popular flower is the wisteria, also known as fuji in Japanese. The best place to see wisterias in Japan is none other than Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi; it is so reminiscent of the mystical land, Pandora depicted in James Cameron’s Avatar that CNN even nominated it as one of the world’s top ten dream destinations in 2014! Suspend your worries and let your spirits soar as you step into long tunnels of white wisterias. Also not to be missed is an ancient hundred-year-old fuji tree that is so huge that its thick branches have to be supported to create a breathtaking umbrella of blue fuji flowers. Coupled with the natural beauty of blue, white and pink fuji flowers, Ashikaga Flower Park will be filled with hundreds of thousands of LED lights to create fascinating illumination displays in winter. Why not visit there to get up close with this intriguing mash-up of nature and technology?

Azaleas Besides giving the world the daruma doll (a Japanese good-luck charm), Gunma also dazzles us with the Tsutsujigaoka Park, home to more than 10,000 azaleas hailing from more than 50 species. Be prepared to enrich your repertoire of travel stories with some truly unusual sights such as giant Yamatsutsuji azalea trees that are at least an astounding eight hundred years old and "space azaleas" that grew up from seeds that were sent to space for two weeks in 1994 with Chiaki Mukai, a famous female astronaut from Gunma!

Out of the above-mentioned five flowers, which one catches your fancy the most? Seeing is believing, so please head to some, if not all of these life-affirming, soul-captivating spots to witness the flowers' gorgeous prettiness for yourself!