Located in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki (a prefecture in the northeastern part of the Kanto region) is Hitachi Seaside Park (Kokuei Hitachi Kaihinkoen).
For those who are wondering, if this park is owned by the electronics company, Hitachi?
Well, the town of Hitachinaka is no doubt a company town for Hitachi factories and the area’s primary employer is Hitachi. The other industries in the area is commercial fishing, agriculture and tourism.
But Hitachinaka is actually a new town that consists of two cities: Nakaminato and Katsuta which merged in 1994 to become the city that it’s known now.
And one of the biggest attractions is Hitachi Seaside Park for its park and also because it is home to the popular Rock in Japan music festival.
Hitachi Seaside Park’s origin goes back to 1938 when the area was the Mito Army Flight School and the airfield for the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The US military occupied the area as a battlefield in 1946 and it was returned back to the Japanese government in March 1973 as part of the “Capital Region Improvement Plan”.
Construction work back in 1984 (while planning started back in 1979) to create a park and the park opened in 1991. Since then, the park has expanded and was once a candidate for being the location of Tokyo Disney Land.
The location is now known for one of the most beautiful sites to visit in spring and fall due to the numerous flowers planted in the park, especially the Suisen Tulip and the Nemophila flowering plant and Kokia plants. In fact, a million daffodils, 170 varieties of tulips and many flowers can be found at Hitachi Seaside Park.
And because there are so many things inside the park to attract a people, not only is it a wonderful location for people to visit but for locals, it is a wonderful trail for cycling and jogging but also for families.
For me to get to Hitachi Seaside Park, I had to go from Ueno Station and take the JR Hitachi-Tokiwa 51 Limited Express Takahagi shinkansen for an hour and a half to Katsuta Station.
The part that I found difficult for this experience was the incorrect information given by Google Maps telling me to be at a certain stop. It turned out that I had to be at another stop (several feet away). And the difficult thing is to find out which bus to take. For travelers, I recommend asking the driver, “Hitachi Seaside Park ga ikimasu ka?” (Are you going to Hitachi Seaside Park?) and he/she will say yes or no.
The travel to Hitachi Seaside Park takes about 17 minutes but the cost by bus is not much, probably about Y350 yen.
To my surprise, on the way there, it was like being in a California city. The small shopping areas look very western and right across the street is a Costco.
Once arriving to Hitachi Seaside Park, I was asking myself, “Am I in the right area?”. Granted, I know I was traveling on the weekday but it seemed empty outside. I then realized that many people get there by bus and there are quite a bit of people at the location, exercising, bird watching or just visitors who want a peaceful stroll. But the parking for cars are in the South Parking area leading to the Central Gate. So, that explains the lack of seeing cars near the bus stop area.
I knew that by going there in December, I wouldn’t see the beautiful flowers that you would see in vidoes and photos by people who visited in the spring or early fall. But I wanted to see what else was out there for me to enjoy in this park as there are many areas to visit because the park is huge.
But fortunately, they have flowers blooming even in December and when you get inside, you will see a sign with pictures of what flowers and plants are blooming at the park.
Looking at the map, I realized that I arrived in the West Gate area where the buses and taxi drops people off. The West Entrance Area is where the forest, water stage, tamago no mori forest and the traditional houses of Miharashi Village is located. You can find the Narcissus Garden but it’s an area where the Hitachinaka Natural Forest is located.
Others, who come from the South Parking Entrance will enter through the Central Gate which gives access to the Grassland Area where the music festival is held and where the BMX course, the family park golf area and Ferris Wheel is located. Also, this area gives people access to the Hitachi Rose Garden, Flower Kids Garden, Aroma Garden and Dune area. So, for those who want access to the flower gardens, you will want to head east from the West Gate area.
Click here to get a better look at the park MAP (large photo)
Because I was planning to head to the seaside area, my time at the park was only two hours at best. So, I wanted to stay in the main area from the West Gate and explore this area and told myself, the next time I visit this park and near the Central Gate area, it would be in a spring or early fall when the park’s flowers are at it’s best.
Once you go through the entrance, you will be going to the Water Stage overlooking the West Lake.
I have a sense by the way the area was developed, a lot of performances probably happen in this area. But once there, I had to make a decision… Left or Right? I decided to head to the Hitachinaka Natural Forest.
More on this and other locations at Hitachi Seaside Park in part two!
The One about Hitachi Seaside Park Part 2
The One about Hitachi Seaside Park Part 3
The One about Hitachi Seaside Park Part 4
The One about Hitachi Seaside Park Part 5
