The area around Mito is home to the National Hitachi Seaside Park, where the summer festival "Rockin" or ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL is held, the Japanese garden Kairakuen, where seasonal flowers are popular, Art Tower Mito, a contemporary art complex, Kasama Inari Shrine, one of the three major Inari shrines in Japan, Senba Park, Mito Castle, Joban Shrine, Ibaraki Prefectural Gokoku Shrine, Shokokan Tokugawa Museum, Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art Center, and many more. Shrine, Senba Park, Mito Castle, Tokiwa Shrine, Ibaraki Prefectural Gokoku Shrine, Shokokan Tokugawa Museum, and Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art Center, among other tourist attractions.
Also recommended are local delicacies such as natto (fermented soybeans), anko-nabe (red pepper stew), Kasama inari sushi, stamina ramen, and Hitachiniku beef.
Mito City is located in the central part of Ibaraki Prefecture and is the prefectural capital and a special-purpose city. As a place associated with the Mito Tokugawa family, Mito City is known for Mito Komon and Kairakuen, a famous plum garden. The Mito Plum Festival is held every February, the Mito Komon Festival in August, and the Mito Hagi Festival in September.
Since the Meiji period (1868-1912), natto production has flourished, and Mito natto is very famous. Natto dishes and souvenirs are sold at the festival, and a world natto eating contest is also held.
Kairakuen Garden is one of the most famous Japanese gardens and is widely known as one of the three best gardens in Japan, along with Korakuen Garden in Okayama City and Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa City. Currently managed and operated as a city park by Ibaraki Prefecture, the garden is home to 3,000 plum trees of 100 varieties.
Within the park is the Kobun-tei, named after Kobun-gi, another name for the plum tree. Every year from late February to late March, the Mito Ume Festival is held, attracting many tourists, and a night ume festival is held where the ume trees are illuminated by candlelight.
Kasama City is located in the northeastern part of the Kanto region, in the central part of Ibaraki Prefecture, and has long prospered as the gate town of Kasama Inari Shrine, considered one of the three most famous Inari shrines in Japan, and as the castle town of Kasama Castle.
It is also famous for pottery, and has recently become known as a production center of Kasama-yaki pottery, which attracts many tourists during the pottery fairs held in spring and fall.
Shunpu Manri-so is a thatched-roof exhibition hall in the center of the Art Village, where about 45 ateliers are lined up. It is a private house where the ceramic artist Kitaoji Rosanjin lived, which was moved from Kamakura, and exhibits his handmade furniture and favorite articles. The Ceramic Museum of Ibaraki is another must-see for those who love ceramics.
In spring, beautiful flowers bloom one after another. At Miharashi no Oka, an event called "Flowering" is held from late March to early May, where visitors can enjoy a variety of spring flowers. The park is divided into a vast area of about 200 hectares, with large flower gardens spread over several areas. In spring, daffodils, tulips, nemophila, and roses are at their best, zinnias in summer, a...»
Kasama Inari Shrine is one of the three major Inari shrines in Japan, along with Fushimi in Kyoto and Yutoku in Saga, and has a history of more than 1,350 years. The deity is Ukanomitama-no-kami. During the Edo period (1603-1867), the shrine was highly revered by successive feudal lords, who donated the shrine grounds, pavilions, and other facilities. The shrine is still well known to many people...»
Koudoukan was founded by Nariaki Tokugawa, the ninth lord of the Mito Domain, and is registered as a Japanese Heritage site as an educational heritage of modern Japan. Based on the founding spirit of Prince Nariaki Tokugawa, "to stabilize people's minds through education and to develop the nation on the basis of education," Koudoukan functioned as an educational institution that taught literature...»
It is located on a hill on the cape. It is also closely related to Oarai Isomae Shrine, and the two shrines are said to form a single belief system. Gods of worship The main deity is Sukunahikono-no-mikoto, and Dainamochi-no-mikoto is also enshrined. Onamochinomikoto, also called Okuninomikoto, is the deity of Oarai Isomae Shrine, and is said to have created the country with the help of Sukunah...»
Mito region has a large production of soy beans. Farmers make their own homemade natto, and nowadays natto is famous as the region’s specialty. According to an oral tradition, natto was first made in 1083, when Yoshiie Minamoto headed for Oshu for Gosannen no Eki and he stayed at the house of Ichimori Choja in Wataricho, Mito city, where boiled soy beans were used for horse food and its leftover t...»
The dish pickled in soy sauce together with dried chipped radish in fermented soybeans. Small soybeans are the feature.Small soybeans were made from the domain duties age and were the soybeans which don't point to tofu and fermented soybean paste, but it succeeded as fermented soybeans. It was sold at a tourist spot taking the long-nosed goblin fermented soybeans sold as a gift with opening to tra...»
Mito city in Ibaraki has a deep affinity with ramen, including the fact that Mito Mitsukuni, the lord of Mito Domain, was the first one to have eaten ramen in Japan. The biggest feature of Mito Stamina Ramen which was born in Mito city is its soy sauce-based sweet-and-hot あん and thick noodle. Pumpkin and lever quick-fried and cooked, and sweet-and-hot あん(sauce) is made, and they are put on the top...»
”Miso Peanuts” is a simple local food handed over from the ancient times in Ibaraki, where peanuts are grown (plentifully). Both local people and tourists love the taste of gentle sweetness of Miso and crispy texture of roasted peanuts. Originally, this was born based on the farmers' wisdom how to eat the imperfect-for-shipping peanuts. Containing much of polyphenol, protein, and minerals, peanuts...»