Its a little bit plummy - Kairaku Park
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Everywhere in Japan is famous for something. Ibaraki is famous for many things, nattō, used car dealers, hair dressers to name a few, but one of the best known is Plums or "Ume" in Japanese.
Due to the fact that Kairakuen (˜ñŠy‰€) boasts 3000 plum tress in 100 varieties, the park has become well known for its plums all over Japan. In fact, Kairakuen in Mito is one of Japan's top 3 parks. It is never mentioned which one of the parks is first, second or third, but people from Ibaraki like to believe that Kairakuen ranks number one.
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While plum blossom viewing season finished way back in March, if you visit Kairakuen now in summer you are able to see the bushy green leaves and the plump green fruit hanging on the branches.
Kairakuen was established in 1842 by the 9th Lord of Mito, Nariaki Tokugawa. It was designed as a place for citizens to relax and enjoy. These days, people come in droves from all around the Kanto plain to see the blossoms in the 13 ha park.
It is not only known for its plums, but also is beautiful all year round. In spring you can also see Cherry blossoms. At the beginning of summer you can enjoy the deep red azaleas and in mid-summer cooling bamboo and cedar forests. Autumn is a time for pretty little Hagi flowers and spectacular autumn leaves. While Mito doesn't have much snow in winter, the traditional Kobuntei Teahouse looks amazing when covered in snow.
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From Kairakuen, the view over Lake Senba and the newer lower part of the park with its many plum trees, wetlands and large grassy areas is beautiful and shouldn't be missed.
While the whole park itself is open 24 hours, but the upper area around Kobuntei is only open between 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. (7 a.m. - 6 p.m. September to March). Kobuntei is open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Entry to the park is free, but it costs 180 yen to enter Kobuntei. To get to the park, take a bus from Mito station bound for Kairakuen, or you can walk.
You can see a live webcam of Lake Senba and Kairakuen on the NTT
website.