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- Hitachi Seaside Park & Kairakuen Garden Customized Tour
Hitachi Seaside Park & Kairakuen Garden Customized Tour
This tour will take you to two of the biggest tourist attractions in Ibaraki Prefecture in one day. Hitachi Seaside Park is famous for its vast garden where you can enjoy seasonal flowers. On the other hand, Kairakuen Garden is a garden created in the center of Mito City more than 180 years ago, where you can enjoy the world of Japanese such as plum forests and bamboo forests. I will also guide you to other attractive spots in the center of Mito City.
Go E.
Meeting Point
At your hotel in Mito city, Hitachi-naka city, Hitachi city or Iwaki city
JR Katsuta Station
Katsuta is the nearest station to the seaside park.
From here, we’ll take a bus to the seaside park.
(From Tokyo)
If you take the limited express Hitachi that departs from Tokyo Station at 7:52 am, you will arrive at Katsuta Station at 9:25 am.
(From Mito)
It takes just 6 minutes by local train.
Hitachi Seaside Park
I will guide you through the seasonal flower garden of the park, which boasts an area of 300 hectares. Sunflowers and green broom grass (kochia) are popular in August. Let's go to the Miharashi Hill area. Admire the majestic views of the Pacific Ocean from the top of the hill.
JR Mito Station and surrounding area (Kodokan school, etc)
The old town of Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, is located on a plateau surrounded by large rivers and lakes.
In the Edo period, there was Mito Castle around Mito Station, where feudal lords lived. Many of the buildings were destroyed by fire, but some buildings and moats still remain. The Mito clan focused on education and founded a large clan school called Kodokan at the end of the Edo period. Let's take a short walk through the area where you can taste the world of 200 years ago.
Central Mito (Lunch)
Have a meal at a restaurant in a department store in the central commercial area of Mito. Since it is located on a hill, you can see the cityscape and unique terrain of Mito. I recommend pasta dishes from local chains, but there are also other dishes such as Japanese food and soba noodles. Taste your favorite dishes.
Basically, you don't visit this area on a bus tour, so you can see the daily life of the locals.
Kairakuen Garden
This park was created more than 180 years ago by Nariaki, the lord of the Mito Domain. It is said to be one of the three famous gardens in Japan. Nariaki created a place of relaxation that could be enjoyed not only by the high class such as samurai, but also by the common people. Kairaku means to have fun with the citizens. On this private tour, we will follow the wishes of the feudal lord who is the designer, and enter through the main gate and taste the world of yin(Darkness) first and then the world of yang(Brightness). Please enjoy the spectacular view from the old buildings in the park.
By the way, the Mito clan is a relative of the shogun family of Edo, and the first lord of the Mito domain is the grandson of the first shogun Ieyasu. Also, the son of Nariaki, who created this park, is the last shogun, Yoshinobu.
JR Mito Station
Send-off.
If you take the express Hitachi that departs at Mito at 4:27 pm, you will arrive at Tokyo at 5:43 pm.
Ending Point
JR MIto Station
What to Expect
You can choose a few places to visit from the following sights.
Of course I can arrange your itinerary on your request.
(Central Mito )
Mito city, located 100 km northeast of Tokyo, can be reached in 70 minutes by express train from Tokyo station.
1 Kairaku-en Garden(Highly recommended, Free)
Built in 1841 by the local lord, Tokugawa Nariaki, Kairaku-en is one of Japan's three finest landscape gardens where you can see various kinds of flowers throughout the year. The garden is most famous for its over 3,000 plum trees and popular during the blossom season(Late Feb to Mid - March).
Besides the plum trees Kairakuen also features a bamboo grove, cedar woods and the Kobuntei(200yen), a traditional Japanese style building.
From the Kobuntei,you can enjoy a great view of Kairakuen and nearby Lake Senba.
It takes 15 minutes by bus from Mito station.
2 Kodo-kan Hall (200yen)
Built in 1841 by Tokugawa Nariaki, it was one of the largest domain schools in Japan, where the sons of samurai were educated.
Kodokan is also famous for its over 800 plum trees as well as Kairaku-en Garden.
It is a 10-minute walk from Mito Station.
(Hitachi-naka Area) Katsuta is 5 minutes by train from Mito.
3 Hitachi Seaside Park(450yen, Highly Recommended. Closed on Mondays)
A wide variety of seasonal flower gardens and the most popular spot in Ibaraki prefecture.
Taking "Seaside train"(One day pass 600yen) is recommended if you are not good at walking for a long time.
(Blooming season Kochia (autumn red tint):Early to mid Oct.
It takes 15 minutes by bus from Katsuta Station.
4 Saza Coffee Main
You can taste delicious coffee in stylish space with foliage.
It is a 10 minute walk from Katsuta Station.
(Oarai & Nakaminato, Seaside area)
Oarai town is 30 minutes by bus or 15 minutes by train from Mito.
Nakaminato town is 15 minutes by train from Katsuta and just 10 minutes by bus from Oarai.
5 Nakaminato Fish Market
Enjoy fresh seafood and shopping
6 Aqua world Oarai(1850yen)
One of the largest aquarium in Japan. You can meet about 68,000 sea creatures of about 580 species.
7 Oarai Isosaki Shrine
A historic Shinto shrine located on a bluff above the ocean.
(Naka area) 20 minutes by train from Mito
7 Kiuchi sake brewery
The craft beer here is very popular almost as same as sake.
Let's taste it with delicious soba lunch.
(Kasama area) 30 minutes by train from Mito.
A Popular old city for ceramics .
Let's enjoy Sake tasting, visiting the Museum at which famous artists works such as Monet are exhebited, visiting the old shrine, Taste local Malon sweets or Try Ceramic Art experience.
8 Shunpu- Banri- So
An old house which has dry landscape garden. Autumn foliage there is superb.( Best time is Mid-November.)
Want to personalize this tour?
- Our tours can be customized according to your needs and preferences
- Click below to tell us what you are looking for:
Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee, round trip transportation fee to the meeting point(Mito area) for guide.
tansportation fee (you and guide),lunch and entrance fee (you and guide)
*Transportation costs about 1,800 yen ~ 2,000 yen per person.
*Entrance Fees：Seaside Park 450 yen, Kodokan (domain school) 300 yen, Kairakuen Park (including Kobuntei admission fee) 380 yen.
*Approximate lunch fee: 1,500 yen ~ 2,500 yen.
Important Information
* Flowers in bloom may not be seen by weather condition.
*During heavy rains or when the flowers are not in bloom, I would guide you to one of the following three areas instead of the seaside park.
(1) Naka-minato & Oarai town (Seaside Area)
・Fish Market, Aquarium, Isosaki Shrine (A divine torii gate standing on a rock on the coast.)
(2) Mito Station South Area
・Museum of Modern Art, Plum Wine Brewery
(3) Kasama City(Inland Area)
・Inari Shrine, Pottery Gallery, Popular Chestnut Sweets Shop, etc.
* This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
* Please let me know in advance if you have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
* During heavy rains or when the flowers are not in bloom, I would guide you to one of the following three areas instead of the seaside park.
(1) Naka-minato & Oarai town (Seaside Area)
・Fish Market, Aquarium, Isosaki Shrine (A divine torii gate standing on a rock on the coast.)
(2) Mito Station South Area
・Museum of Modern Art, Plum Wine Brewery
(3) Kasama City(Inland Area)
・Inari Shrine, Pottery Gallery, Popular Chestnut Sweets Shop, etc.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is transportation fee?
We use public transportation. The cost will be applox 2,000 yen.
If we take a taxi, the cost maybe over 4,000 yen ( I will show you the estimate quote) .
Is it possible to take one day trip from Tokyo?
Of course it is. I'll show you some time tables below. For your reference.
(From Tokyo)
8:30 a.m. Depart from Ueno Station-(Express Hitachi 3820 yen)- 9:55 Arrive at Katsuta station
10:00 a.m. Meet the guide
10:20 a.m. Depart from Katsuta-(local bus 400 yen)
10:40 a.m. Hitachi Seaside Park( Enjoy watching seasonal flowers, 450 yen)
※I might show you other sports such as Oarai aquarium on weather condition.
12:30 Get back to Katsuta and Have Lunch at local Japanese restaurant.
2:00 p.m. Depart from Katsuta (by JR local train)
(Plan A) Kiuchi Sake brewery (Enjoy tasting sake and craft beer ,60min) Get back to Mito station by 5 p.m.
(Plan B)Visiting Kairakuen Park(60 min) and shopping in Mito. Get back to Mito station by 5 p.m
(plan C) Visit Old town Kasama
Kasama is 30 min from Katsuta.
Visit shrine ,brewery, museum and so on.
Go back to JR Tomobe station by 5 p.m.
(For Tokyo)
4:53 p.m.Depart from Mito-(Express Tokiwa )
-5:03 p.m.Tomobe
- 6:15 p.m.Arrive at Tokyo.
5:27 p.m. Depart from Mito- (Express Hitachi)
-6:43 p.m. Arrive at Tokyo
Can you pick up us at our hotel in Tokyo or take us to the hotel ?
Yes, I can. However, In that case ,please make sure that an extra charge(round trip transportation fee to Tokyo for guide will be added.
Pick-up only ( About 5,000 to 6,500 yen)
Pick-up plus Take you to your hotel(About 10,000 to 13,000 yen)
※ I will tell you how to get to Mito from Tokyo very politely if you save the cost.
I highly recommend to purchase the JR Pass.
This pass surely will make your trip to rural areas much easier.
Reviews
Maxim C.
“ Flexible and thoughtful, no better available. ”
Go san is a kind-hearted person, he accommodated my change of schedule as far as he could. He asked why I opted for this tour and he could addressed with places to visit from extraordinary to wow. Go san was informative and talkative as well which allowed us to exchange observations and ideas of the local area spicing up the experience.
Go E.
Maxim san Thank you for your heartwarming review. I am very happy that you enjoyed the tour. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughtful stories. They were very profound and informative to me. I look forward to seeing you again. Kind Regards Go
Charles C.
“ Fukushima Coastal Tour ”
I spent an amazing day with Go. He picked me up at my hotel and was on time. He took me to some awesome spots that I really enjoyed. It was one of my favourite parts of my trip as I got to see a side of Japan that you don’t see in the major cities. Go had the itinerary all laid out and I never felt rushed exploring the whole day. I went solo with him and his English is excellent.
Go E.
Charles-san, I'm really glad you enjoyed the tour. I’ve learned a lot from you through the tour. I will continue to strive for a better tour. I look forward to seeing you again in the future. Thank you very much. Go
Fonia T.
“ Fukuroda falls ”
Had a great day with Go-san, he helped us to arrange for the taxis and tea ceremony session with Chanosanto park. Unfortunately, Namase falls was too many steps and challenging, so we did not manage to see. Fukuroda falls was amazing! We ended the tour at an old cafe since the lacquerware shop is closed.
Go E.
Fonia-san Thank you very much for your review. There were some things I didn't do well during the tour, but I were all helped by your kindness, compassion and smiles. I will do my best to provide more satisfying guiding in the future. I would also like to make a tour around the waterfalls and lakes of Fukushima. I look forward to seeing you again. Thank you. Go
Thi le chi V.
“ Excellent tour guide with very good knowledge ”
Go is an excellent, friendly and good knowledge tour guide. He helped me to contact the bus company regarding the itinerary. Many thanks Go. Your help is greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Chi
Go E.
Dear Chi-san, I am relieved to hear that.Thank you very much. I hope you will enjoy travelling in Japan. Regards, Go