Things to do in Hitachi Seaside Park

The trip was very organized and Helen was a very nice guide. The three places in Ibakari was spectacular. This is much easier than if we had to do it on our own, more comfortable convenient and probably cheaper too.

Our tour guide Juna was amazing the whole entire time — we really enjoyed her company. Hitachi was definitely not a disappointment and absolutely worth visiting. I’m a little sad because I came a bit late for the wisteria season, but nonetheless I still thoroughly enjoyed all the other beautiful flowers that were in bloom. Last but not least, our driver was so friendly the entire time as well. BOOK if you’re looking for a peaceful nature vibe — this is a MUST do!

Since it was nemophila season at Hitachi Seaside Park, and traveling there independently from Tokyo would be quite inconvenient, I decided to book a Klook day tour. Our guide was Elsa, a soft-spoken Chinese girl. The journey from Tokyo took about two hours, and our first stop was Oarai Isosaki Shrine and its torii gate by the sea. The shrine has over a thousand years of history, and its outer courtyard offers a serene view. A long staircase leads down to the sea, where you can see the torii gate. Elsa helped us take some beautiful photos! Afterwards, we went to Nakaminato Fish Market for lunch. The market isn't very big, but even though it was a weekday, there were many tourists, and we waited a long time in line for lunch! We almost missed our meeting time, so we asked Elsa to help us communicate, and she even assisted us with picking up our food. We were very grateful to her! The last stop was the main event: the nemophila flower fields. Hitachi Seaside Park is vast, so we paid extra to take the park tram to the flower fields, where we took many photos and explored. It was truly spectacular and beautiful! We were fortunate to have a wonderful guide and fellow tour members. Everyone gathered on time, and we all rested quietly on the bus, enjoying a pleasant day together!

Starting from Shinjuku Station, it's about a 2-hour journey. Our first stop was Oarai Isosaki Shrine for photos, where we stayed for about 1 hour. The second stop was Nakaminato Fish Market. Due to the holiday, it was very crowded, and there were long lines everywhere, so we stayed for approximately 1 hour. The final stop was Hitachi Seaside Park. Admission was self-paid at 800 yen, and we stayed for about 2 hours.

I almost wanted to cancel this trip because the flower season was over, but then I thought a suburban tour would also give my feet a rest. The date was the Friday after Golden Week, so there were far fewer tourists, and we hardly had to wait in line for anything. The three stops on the itinerary weren't far apart. Initially, it was just 'get on the bus - sleep - attraction - eat - attraction - go back.' It took over two hours to get to the first attraction, even without much traffic. At Oarai Isosaki Shrine, I think the main point is to go down the stairs to the beach. For the fish market, you really need to do your research beforehand and decide immediately which restaurant you want to eat at, otherwise, you definitely won't have enough time. The last stop was a park. I initially thought it was just a nature park, but it actually had playground equipment, so it's a great place for those with kids. Since the flowers had already withered this time, we took the guided tour bus that circles the park. One loop took about 40-50 minutes. The park is truly enormous; if you don't take the bus, you'd need to rent a bicycle, or you'd be exhausted from walking. In summary, this tour isn't one where the guide takes you around the attractions; it's all free time, so it's essential to do your homework beforehand.

I joined the Ibaraki tour on June 17 and had a wonderful experience. The itinerary was enjoyable, and everything was well organized. Our guide, Cora, was very kind, friendly, and always willing to help whenever I had questions. She also shared many recommendations for places to visit, which made the trip even more interesting. Thanks to Cora's guidance and hospitality, I had a great time exploring Ibaraki. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking to visit the area.

We were incredibly lucky to join the tour when the nemophila flowers were in full bloom this year, and on a perfectly sunny day too. It was truly fortunate to see such a beautiful sea of nemophila. The tour guide was fluent in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and provided very clear explanations of the sights. The sea shrine was part of the morning itinerary, so when taking photos, it was backlit, which made it harder to get great shots, but it was still beautiful. The fish market at lunchtime wasn't very large, but it was quite crowded on a weekend. It's a good idea to find a restaurant and get in line as soon as you arrive, then explore after you've eaten.

A refreshing escape from Tokyo as it offers a perfect mix of nature, culture and great food.The local seafood was fresh and delicious. Seaside park was a bit disappointing as now is the season for the flower hills but since the park is big so still a nice walk in the green forest. There is fun fair and play ground for children but no time to play. Overall, exploring scenic parks, visiting temples and shrines, taking in the ocean views, Ibaraki offers a different side of Japan that's well worth discovering.

Our tour guide, Zoe, was incredibly attentive and fluent in English, Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese! The day before the trip, she sent a thoughtful reminder with all the details, including bringing an umbrella in case of rain and a power bank since there wouldn't be charging on the bus. Thirty minutes before arriving at each attraction, she would explain the site to us in the car. Once we arrived, she was enthusiastic about helping us take photos and pointing out the best spots, as well as restaurants and souvenir shops. We are so grateful for Zoe's meticulous and thoughtful arrangements behind the scenes, which made this trip so smooth! I've been on many local tours, and Zoe's arrangements were the most seamless. Although the nemophila and wisteria weren't at their best, we still enjoyed camellias, yellow wisteria, and a beautiful rose garden 🌹. Thank you, Zoe, for your dedication and hard work, which made this such a wonderful flower-viewing trip.