Mito Travel: Kairakuen Garden

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Kairakuen Garden

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Plum Blossom Report of March 9, 2012

Ranked among Japan's three finest landscape gardens, Kairakuen is most famous for its over three thousand plum trees. Kairakuen is located in Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, one hour northeast of Tokyo by limited express train. The garden suffered damage from the March 2011 earthquake, but was repaired and fully reopened in February 2012.

Kairakuen was built relatively recently in 1841 by the local lord Tokugawa Nariaki. Unlike Japan's other two great landscape gardens Kenrokuen and Korakuen, Kairakuen served not only for the enjoyment of the ruling lord, but was open to the public. Kairakuen means "park to be enjoyed together".

While worth a visit throughout the year, Kairakuen is particularly popular during the plum blossom season, which usually takes place from late February through March. The garden features a forest of 3000 trees of over one hundred different plum tree varieties with white, pink and red blossoms. The Mito Plum Festival (Mito Ume Matsuri) is held annually from February 20 to March 31.

Besides the plum trees Kairakuen also features a bamboo grove, cedar woods and the Kobuntei, a traditional Japanese style building. Like the whole park, the Kobuntei has always been open to the public and served educational and recreational purposes. A nice view of Kairakuen and nearby Senba Lake can be enjoyed from the building's top floor.

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How to get there

Kairakuen is located in Mito City, 120 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. Mito is easily accessed from Tokyo's Ueno Station by the Joban Line. The one-way trip by limited express "Super Hitachi" takes 65 minutes and costs 4020 yen, while local trains take twice as long, but only 2210 yen.

From Mito Station, Kairakuen can be reached in a pleasant 30 minute walk along Senba Lake (a good English city map of Mito is available at the station's sightseeing information desk) or in 15 minutes by bus. During the peak of the plum festival, the trains on the Joban Line stop at the temporarily served Kairakuen Station, which stands just next to the garden.

Google Map

Hours and Fees

Kairakuen Main Garden
Hours:	6:00 to 19:00 (February 20 to September 30) 7:00 to 18:00 (October 1 to February 19)
Closed:	No closing days
Admission:	Free

Kobuntei Building
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (until 16:30 from October 1 to February 19)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 190 yen

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User Ratings

Ratings for Kairakuen Garden:

japan-guide.com Rating:		interesting
User Rating (by 66 users):	76/100	recommended

Best rated destinations (out of 149):

99. Bessho Onsen 77/100

100. Echigo Tsumari 76/100

101. Noto Peninsula 76/100

102. Furukawa 76/100

103. Sendai 76/100

104. Kairakuen Garden 76/100

105. Asahikawa 76/100

106. Karuizawa 76/100

107. Nagano 75/100

108. Iga Ueno 75/100

Most visited destinations (out of 161):

96. Saitama 172

97. Noto Peninsula 164

98. Minakami 161

99. Kirishima 155

100. Sado Island 153

101. Kairakuen Garden 152

102. Gujo-Hachiman 148

103. Yakushima 147

104. Yamanouchi 136

105. Naoshima 135

User Feedback

English Links

Kairakuen
Official English website.

Japanese Links

Kairakuen
Official website.

Mito Ume Festival (mitokoumon.com)
Up-to-date information about the plum festival.

Related Pages

Travel
Sightseeing
Ibaraki Prefecture

Gardens
Japanese Plum

News and Reports

March 8, 2012
Plum Blossom Report from Kairakuen, Mito
by sean

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