Visit

Oarai Science Museum

This museum aims to help children learn science through hands-on exhibits and experiments. There are four themed areas: water, wind, light, and sea.
The museum is just a 5-minute walk from Oarai Sun Beach and Seaside Station shopping mall, making it the perfect addition to a day out in Oarai.

Howaen Garden

Howaen Garden is a spacious garden adjacent to Keiganji Temple (established in 1682). It is a popular place to enjoy blooming hydrangeas in Mito.
The garden's history is said to have begun around the late 17th century when Mitsukuni Tokugawa (1628 - 1701), the second lord of the Mito Domain, granted it the name Howaen.
During the early Showa period (1926 - 1989), the garden was expanded with a pond and artificial hills added to its landscaping by local volunteers and became a pure Japanese-style garden.
Hydrangeas were planted in Howaen Garden after the authority of the garden was transferred from the temple to Mito City in 1950.
When June arrives, the garden's 6,000 hydrangeas in 100 varieties reach their peak, making it the best time to view the flowers. The Mito Hydrangea Festival takes place during this season.

Yakimono Dori (Pottery Street)/To no Komichi (Pottery Lane)

Long-established pottery studios and large-sized wholesale stores are lined up at Kasama Yakimono Dori, a street along National Route 355. The numerous facilities include Katsura Tougei, which specializes in handling Kasama-yaki, a Japan Heritage, and Hisa Toukoubou, where visitors can participate in a pottery workshop.

To no Komichi is also a pottery street. It starts from the eastern side of Kasama Yakimono-dori and runs parallel to another craft street, Gallery Road. There are about ten stores directly managed by pottery studios, where visitors can meet the potters directly.