Hitachi Seaside Park

This article is based on a visit made on Thursday, 10 May 2018.

Edit 9 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.

As part of my springtime holiday to Japan, I booked a day-trip to visit multiple flower parks across the Kanto region, each within a two hours' ride from Tokyo.  This excursion is offered seasonally in April and May from JAPANiCAN.com for about ¥10,000.  (The tour's page is only visible in the months leading up to that time.)  The first was the Hitachi Seaside Park (ひたち海浜公園, Hitachi Kaihin Kōen), located northwest of Tokyo in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Nemophila on the Miharashi Hill in peak bloom.  Taken on 4 May 2013.
くろふね [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The star attraction of Hitachi Seaside Park is the Miharashi Hill (みはらしの丘, Miharashi no Oka).  In late April and early May, it is covered in nemophila, or "baby-blue-eyes" flowers.  However...

...This was the sight that greeted me.  Whilst the time I visited was just within the end of the peak period, the season leading up to this was unusually warm in Japan.  This had affected the cherry blossoms in the preceding months, which had their peak bloom up to a week ahead of schedule throughout most of the country.  And so, sadly, were the nemophilas.  While there were patches of blues clearly visible, it was not uniformly so.  On top of that, it was raining that morning, making this outing doubly unpleasant.

A close-up of some of the flowers reveals just how much of their density had been lost.  The flowers were shrinking from age, letting the green grass overtake them.  Here, a lone poppy (?) flower had sprouted -- those, at least, were getting into season.

Some patches still appeared more dense than others.

Having to deal with the rain on top of all that was not what I'd call pleasant, but getting in close to see the raindrops resting on top of these flowers has its own austere beauty to it.

This field on the west side of the path is normally covered in yellow nanohana (菜の花), or rapeseed flowers (and ain't that an unfortunate name for a flower).  They provide a beautiful contrast with the blue flowers of the hill nearby, but again, they were just out of season this year.  The two houses on the other side are part of the "Miharashi-no-Sato" (みはらしの里) village.  Originally built 350 years ago, these houses are among the oldest buildings in eastern Japan.  They were retrieved from the city of Inashiki (稲敷), about 55km (35mi.) southwards, and rebuilt here in 2010, almost 30 years later.

Tulips in the Tamago Forest.  Taken on 8 May 2010.
くろふね [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

If you can't make it for the baby-blue-eyes, here are some other seasonal attractions that may draw you to Hitachi Seaside Park.  Earlier in April, tulips bloom in the Tamago no Mori (たまごの森, lit. 'egg forest'), a forested area named after the egg-like sculptures dotting the grounds.  We passed this on our way back to the bus, but both time and our spirits kept us from going through.

Kochia and Cosmos in bloom on the Miharashi Hill.  Taken on 18 October 2014.
くろふね [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

In mid-October, the Miharashi Hill is covered in red kochia bushes, complemented by pink cosmos flowers at its base.  Other flowers include plum blossoms in February and March, roses in May and November, and sunflowers in August.

Beyond flowers, there are also an amusement park, a BMX dirt track, and a network of regular biking paths.  In August, the park also hosts the annual Rock in Japan music festival.  More information: (Japanese)

And finally, our sign-off selfie.  Our original plan was to spend two hours here, but due to the condition of the flowers and the weather, our tour was cut short here, in favour of spending time at an extra flower park later on in the day.  Despite the double-whammy of disappointment delivered by the state of the flowers and the weather, I still managed to grin and bear it.  Seeing what I could manage to see was special in its own right.  And besides, I would love to give the Hitachi Seaside Park a second chance -- on my own terms, so as not to be locked into a date when conditions would be less than cooperative.  But for now, our tour would next make a brief stop at a strawberry farm, next time on Sekai Ichi!

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Hours: Open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, or to 6:00 PM from 21 July to 31 August, or to 4:30 PM from 1 November to 28/29 February.  Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time.  Closed on Mondays (except holidays), 31 December, 1 January, and the first Tuesday through Friday in February.

Costs: ¥450.  Parking costs ¥520 for standard cars.

Address: 605-4 Ōnuma-aza, Mawatari, Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki-ken 〒312-0012

Access: From Ueno Station, take the Hitachi or Tokiwa limited express to Katsuta (80-85 minutes, ¥3,890 reserved, JR Pass OK), or a local train on the Joban line (2 hours 15 minutes, ¥2,310, JR Pass OK), followed by a bus to Hitachi Seaside Park West Exit (17 minutes, ¥400) (schedule to park) (schedule from park).  From Katsuta Station, you could also take the Hitachinaka Kaihin Railway to Ajigaura (30 minutes, ¥570), then walk 25 minutes to the park's southern entrance.

Directions: To get to Miharashi Hill, the closest park entrance is the West Entrance.  From the entrance, walk around the large pond to the right side.  Near the other end, after you cross over the bike path, take the next right, then the next left.  You should be facing down a straight, tree-covered path.  The Miharashi Hill is straight ahead, in 250 metres (800 feet).  During the peak-bloom seasons, there should be signs on the ground, with the hill's name written in Japanese and English, pointing the way.  In total, it should take you 10-15 minutes to reach the base of the hill.

Website: (English) (Japanese)