Kairakuen Garden

Mito City

Central Ibaraki

Parks/Nature

Castles/Historical Sites

Kairakuen Garden is ranked among Japan’s top three most beautiful gardens, alongside Kenrokuen in Kanazawa and Korakuen in Okayama. The garden was established in 1842 by Nariaki Tokugawa, the ninth feudal lord of the Mito Domain. It has since served as a place of relaxation and recreation for the public.
Kairakuen is famous for its Plum Blossom Festival (Ume Matsuri) held from late February to early March. It is home to around 3,000 plum trees from 100 different varieties. Cherry blossoms and azalea in the spring and Japanese bush clovers in autumn keep Kairakuen looking beautiful year-round.

Information

Address: Ibaraki, Mito, Tokiwacho 1-3-3
Access: By public transport: 20 to 25-minute walk or 15-minute bus ride from Mito Station. During the Plum Blossom Festival (mid-February to early March), a limited number of express trains from Tokyo stop at a temporary station. For more information, please check the train timetables.
Business Hours: Kairakuen:
February 20 to September 30: 6:00-19:00
October 1 to February 19: 7:00-18:00
Kobuntei:
April 1st - September 30th: 9:00 -17:00
October 1st - March 31st: 9:00 - 16:30
Closed: December 29th - 31st
Website: https://ibaraki-kairakuen.jp/en/language/

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Oarai Town

Central Ibaraki

Kanefuku Mentai Park Oarai

The Kanefuku Mentai Park Oarai is a facility that includes a mentaiko factory, a factory direct sales store, a mentaiko gallery, and a cafe.
""Mentai"" refers to spicy cod roe, a popular food in Japan used as a topping for pasta, in mayonnaise, onigiri (rice balls), and more.
At Mentai Park, you can tour the factory to see the production process of mentaiko, taste freshly made mentaiko at the sampling corner, and enjoy mentaiko gourmet items such as mentaiko onigiri and mentaiko soft serve ice cream at the cafe. Additionally, at the direct sales store, you can purchase freshly made mentaiko, products made with mentaiko, and a large Tarapiyo stuffed toy, the mascot of mentaiko. …

Shopping Spots

Kasama City

Central Ibaraki

Kasama Inari Shrine

First established in 651, Kasama Inari Shrine is one of Japan's famous Inari shrines, attracting around 3.5 million pilgrims and visitors annually. The sacred site enshrines Ukanomitama-no-Mikoto, known to answer prayers for success in business and protection from fires. The shrine grounds are stunning in the late spring when the wisteria flower bloom. Another beautiful time to visit is during the chrysanthemum festival in autumn.
The streets leading up to the shrine are filled with various shops to explore, from traditional soba restaurants to fashionable cafes and renovated sake breweries. Specialties of the area include Kasama Inari Sushi, rice with walnuts, and other seasonal products wrapped in deep-fried tofu and roasted chestnuts. Kasama City is known for its pottery, and there are plenty of galleries in the area to pick up a souvenir before heading home.

Temples/Shrines

Kasama City

Central Ibaraki

Kasama Chrysanthemum Festival

Kasama Chrysanthemum Festival is Japan's oldest chrysanthemum festival. The festival began in 1908 when the head priest of Kasama Inari Shrine created gardens on the shrine grounds to comfort people following the Russo-Japanese War.
Chrysanthemum festivals are typically held across Japan in autumn. Likewise, this festival has come to symbolize the arrival of fall in Ibaraki. Around 8,000 chrysanthemum plants are displayed throughout Kasama Inari Shrine during the festival, filling the grounds with the color and fragrance of Japanese autumn.

Festivals/Events

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