Hitachi Seaside Park (国営ひたち海浜公園) sits in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, about two hours from Tokyo, and if you go in April, you walk into spring happening all at the same time. Cherry blossoms, tulips, and five million nemophila, all blooming at once.
We spent about two hours and still didn’t finish the park. You could easily spend the whole day. Book a guided full day tour on Klook to make the trip easier for you. This tour from Shinjuku comes with seafood lunch.
Miharashi Blue Hill In Hitachi Park, Ibaraki
Miharashi Hill is the main event: 5.3 million baby blue nemophila covering a slope that rolls toward the Pacific. The photos are accurate but they don’t quite capture what it looks like in person, which is that the flowers and the sky become the same color and the hill just disappears into it. We stood at the top for longer than planned.
Nemophila peaks from late April into mid-May. Going in April puts you at the start of the bloom, which also means the crowds are still manageable before the peak hits.
The Tulip Garden in April – May
A short walk away is the Tamago no Mori Flower Garden, where 260,000 tulips grow across nearly 280 varieties. I had no idea how many kinds of tulips existed before this. The beds are arranged so that early-flowering and late-flowering varieties bloom in waves, so the garden looks different week to week.
Whoever is responsible for naming the varieties had a genuinely good time. We found one labeled “Kung Fu.” No explanation anywhere. I respect it completely.
Mid-April gives you a good mix of early and mid-season blooms, all at once and in every color. We spent the most time here looking at all the different tulips and their names.
Flower Bloom Seasons
If you go in late March, the daffodils come first, about a million of them in roughly 300 varieties. April brings the tulips and the cherry blossoms together with the start of the nemophila. By early May, the nemophila is at full peak and the roses are starting.
Later in the year the park shifts completely. Summer has zinnias and sunflowers. Autumn brings the kochia, which are round shrubs that turn deep red and take over the hillsides in October. Winter has ice tulips. February has Cherry Blossoms. It’s one of those parks that has a reason to visit in every season, but spring is the one where everything arrives at the same time.
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Dog-friendly Park
I wasn’t expecting this, but Hitachi Seaside Park is very clearly a destination for Japanese dog owners. We saw Shibas, retrievers, corgis, dogs in little raincoats, dogs in strollers, dogs in skirts. The park is pet-friendly and the crowd reflects it. There’s something about watching someone walk their dog through five million blue flowers.
If you’re based in Japan and have a dog, this is a strong option for a weekend out.
The Carnival in Hitachi Park
Past the flower fields, there’s a whole amusement section called the Pleasure Garden: a Ferris wheel that sits 100 meters up, mini rollercoasters, and several other rides. We walked past rather than through, but it felt like a completely different park. Good if you have kids, or if you want the full day and need something that isn’t flowers.
There’s also a Seaside Train that circles the park over 40 minutes, which we’d do next time just to cover more ground without walking it all. The park is 350 hectares, which is about seven times the size of Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. You can picnic on the grass too, or play frisbee golf, a lot of people do.
Getting There, and What It Costs
From Tokyo: JR Joban Line Express to Katsuta Station is about 80 minutes, then a bus to the park runs another 20 minutes. Total door to door is around two hours each way. There are also direct highway buses from Tokyo Station that take about 2.5 hours and cost around ¥2,500 ($17 USD) each way. Get a shinkansen ticket on Klook.
Driving: parking is ¥600 ($4 USD) for the day for a car, ¥300 for a motorcycle. Bicycle rental inside the park is ¥600 ($4 USD) for adults for three hours, ¥1,500 ($10 USD) for a tandem.
Admission is ¥450 ($3 USD) per person, with a seasonal surcharge added in April, May, and October during peak bloom periods.
On weekends in late April and early May, it gets crowded. A weekday visit in mid-April is a different experience.
Other recommendations in Japan. If you’re in Nagano, check out this 100-year old Soba shop.
Hours and Closures
The park runs 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM most of the year. Late July through August it closes at 6:00 PM. November through February closes at 4:30 PM. Closed every Tuesday (if Tuesday falls on a public holiday, closed the following weekday instead). Also closed December 31, January 1, and a stretch from the day after the first Tuesday of February through that Friday.
Two hours from Tokyo, ¥450, five million blue flowers, and a tulip called Kung Fu. It’s a good day.
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📍 Hitachi Seaside Park (国営ひたち海浜公園)
📮 285-3 Onuma, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture
🕐 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM (varies by season, see above)
🎟 ¥450 per person (~$3 USD) / seasonal surcharge in April, May, October
🅿️ ¥600/day car, ¥300/day motorcycle
🌐 https://hitachikaihin.jp/en/
🚃 JR Joban Line Express to Katsuta Station (80 min) + bus to park (20 min)
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