Enjoying the Cool Sea Breezes in Ibaraki
Japan has much to offer travelers with kids, and that includes access to beautiful beaches and ocean views throughout much of the country, so when you want to feel those cool sea breezes, you may feel spoiled for choice. One of my family's favorite places to visit the sea is to take a day trip or overnight stay, or even go camping, in the area of Oarai and Hitachinaka in Ibaraki Prefecture
Oarai Town and Hitachinaka City are located right next to each other along the coastline, about 15 minutes away from Ibaraki's capital city Mito, which is about an hour and a half from Tokyo Station by train or by car. This easy access makes it a popular destination for Tokyoites and tourists alike. And besides the beaches, there are a lot of kid-friendly activities both indoor and outdoor, so it's also a great place to visit in any season or weather.
Getting to and Staying in Oarai
As this is one of our go-to areas for beach and ocean fun, we've done day trips, overnight stays, and even camping in the area, each with their own good points and challenges. This trip, we decided to stay a night to enjoy the area leisurely, so we booked at the Kamiya Resort Hitachi Oarai Ocean Terrace, a unique "shipping container"-type individual room located a bit north of Oarai's central area. The drive from our home was a quick two-hour one, with a brief stop at a parking area along the highway to allow the kids to get some energy out.
Parking Areas along the highways, or Michi-no-Eki if you're along surface roads, are always a highly-recommended stop when traveling with kids in the car, as they feature fully-equipped bathrooms, and usually a few fast food and snack options to keep small tummies full. It also allows the kids to get out of the car for a bit, hopefully making those "Are we there yet?" questions stop for awhile!
Although my family usually prefers to get around by car, the area can also be accessed by train from Tokyo, via Mito Station. The area we stayed around, Nakaminato, is a few stops away from Katsuta Station, which is also where you would catch the bus to Hitachi Seaside Park. From Nakaminato Station, the fish market is about a 15 minute walk away, while the Oarai Aquarium is about 30 minutes.
Oarai Town itself is accessed via a different train line from Mito. From Oarai Station, Oarai Sun Beach and the Port area are about a 20 minute walk, while Shiosai Onsen is around 30 minutes, Isosaki Shrine closer to 40 minutes, and the aquarium is over 50 minutes. So if you plan to visit the aquarium from Oarai Station, it's recommended to use a bus or take a taxi, which are both available from the station.
Oarai Nakaminato Fishery Port
We were about an hour early for check in, so decided to park the car at the room and just walk over to the Oarai Nakaminato Fishery Port for lunch. This bustling fish market is less than a 10-minute walk away, and features a wide array of restaurants amid sections set up for selling fish.
It was surprisingly crowded! I expected a lot less going on for a lunch-time visit, since fish markets are often more of a morning thing, but it was full of people shopping and enjoying the restaurants. The restaurant we chose, Yorokobi MINATO Bistro, had a seemingly-simple menu, but a long line out the door, so we chose to wait. Luckily, while we waited, one parent could take the kids around looking at the market while the other stayed in line, so even though the wait was a bit long, they stayed entertained and didn't get too grumpy from hunger. My son chose the kids plate which had rice and a hamburger patty, while my daughter joined in with the adults and chose one of the grilled fish options.
Then we walked back to the room, where check-in was simple. Once the room is booked and check-in time close, you're sent a code to open a lockbox that holds the key to the door. When you leave, you lock up the door, lock the key in the lockbox, and then you don't have to worry about losing the key. There were two rooms available, with parking next to them, and a direct view of a big red bridge and the river flowing into the ocean. The inside has two beds, a seating area, a very small kitchen, and a shower unit. Just fine for a night!
Aqua World Ibaraki Oarai Aquarium
After a quick rest, we got ready and walked across the bridge to go to the Aqua World Ibaraki Oarai Aquarium for the rest of the afternoon. I really appreciated the central location of the room to both an area with numerous restaurants to choose from, and also to beaches and the aquarium. We weren't planning to swim as it was still a bit chilly, but the kids were looking forward to shell hunting, and not having to drive somewhere and park again was a huge plus. And definitely something to note while visiting is that while the temperatures might seem fine for shorts and t-shirts at first, the sea breeze is definitely chilly and strong, especially when walking across a bridge, so both kids were glad we made them bring jackets!
This is probably our second or third visit to this aquarium, but I didn't realize it had just reopened after being closed for a bit to renovate and renew the facilities! So even though they kids have actually been to this one before, it felt like a new place, and they had a blast exploring all the fish exhibits. We also caught a show featuring sea lions and dolphins, and got majorly splashed! We spent about two and a half hours looking around before it was getting close to closing time. We also managed to hustle the kids past the gift shop without them getting too attached to any of the stuffed animals, but beware... there are a lot of cute ones!
Also good to note for families traveling with young children or babies is that the entire aquarium is easily accessible for strollers, except the show, so you'll need to leave the stroller outside if you plan to catch one. It's also a big splash zone, so keep to the back seats if you don't want to get wet! There's also a restaurant area, a touch pool, a play zone, and several educational opportunities, behind-the-scenes and feeding time tours, and even arts and crafts that can be reserved, so the aquarium could really be a whole-day activity with some planning beforehand.
Once the kids had their fill of exploring, we walked back to the room very slowly, because the kids wanted to fill their pockets with shells from the beach again. Then after a short break, we decided to go out to dinner instead of finding a restaurant to walk to.
A bit south of the area we are staying is the Oarai Port and Oarai Sun Beach area, which we didn't have time to explore this trip, but have visited before. There are several beaches, parks, and nice campgrounds in that area, as well as the Oarai Isosaki Shrine, which has a really neat torii gate out in the ocean that is a cool picture spot. We thought about stopping, but the kids were getting hungry, so we skipped it this trip.
Instead we went to Shiosai-no-yu, my favorite onsen in the area, for a quick bath. I was too focused on getting the kids inside to grab a picture, but it features an outdoor salt water bath, indoor fresh water baths, and even one that has carbonation in the water, so bubbles form on your skin. Refreshing! Then after the bath, headed back towards the port area to visit an Italian restaurant to try for the first time. Trattoria J-Marina is located in a marina as the name might imply, and had the night air been a little bit warmer, it would have been lovely to sit outside, but we chose inside. It was a bit fancier than we expected, but luckily even without a reservation we were able to get in.
Hitachi Seaside Park
The next morning we woke up, checked out of the hotel, and then drove up to Hitachi Seaside Park, a large park with tons of space for flowers and activities, including a biking trail with bikes to rent. We started at the rental office after entering, and this year is the first time my son can ride the bike himself, so he was excited about that. But there are also adult bikes with seats for young children, or a two person bike to rent as well. Helmets are also provided, so no need to bring your own. And for those who don't want to bike or walk, there is a hop on and off train provided around the park for a fee.
We first rode to Miharashi Hill, which is famous around April to May for the blue nemophila flowers that match the color of the sky. I didn't expect to see any, but there were a good amount blooming, which was nice! We also grabbed a snack.
Then we biked around the park, stopping a few times to see some different flowers, for the kids to play at the trampoline mounds, to visit the natural sand area, before turning the bike backs in at the end of our 3 hour rental time.
After leaving the park, we stopped at the Hitachi Osakana Center fish market along the coast for another seafood meal, before finally heading home, happy with another good trip to a favorite area.
