Hitachi Seaside Park

If I have to pick ONE favorite place in Japan, this is it. And before we go to the budget and itinerary, here it is in spring:

Do you get it now why I keep on coming back? This is easily a happy place for me, and it was definitely a magical experience.

Budget: JPY6120 (~USD57)

• JPY2,310. Train from Tokyo Station to Katsuta Station.
• JPY400. Bus from Katsuta Station to the park.
• JPY700. Entrance fee.
• JPY400. Bike rental fee, four hours.
• JPY2,310. Train from Katsuta Station to Tokyo Station. 

Visit Date 

• Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Spring 2019, Autumn 2019. Yes, I have gone a LOT. 
• Please make sure you have a certain level of fitness when you come, as this requires a lot of walking (or biking)

When to Go

• There are two main seasons to visit:
• Autumn for the red shrubs (kochia). This is usually end of October, but it changes quite significantly, and it can range from full green, to bright red, to dull red. The bright red portion usually lasts a week, and changes on an annual basis.  
• Spring for the baby blues (nemophila). This is usually end of April. Thankfully, this lasts a week or two as opposed to the autumn one. 
• Here's the estimate of the timing based on the park's website:

Special Notes

• Go on weekdays, if you can. It CAN get really crowded. 
• The park opens at 9:30am, so don't get to excited to take the earliest train.
• Check the pictures of the flowers to see their status on the JAPANESE website. Don't worry about the Japanese. Just click this link and you'll see what they look like live. Sometimes they update their English website, but generally the most up to date information is limited to the Japanese one. 
• Biking. I recommend renting a bike, at JPY300 for 3 hours. You put your money in a machine, and the machine prints out a small piece of paper the size of a train ticket, which has a time stamp. Your time starts from there. Now, you cannot request for more than 3 hours, but don't be alarmed. Just go your own pace, and you'll just get charged JPY50 per every half hour you exceed your limit. 
• Access. To get there, you have two options:
• Bus. JPY3,800 round trip. There is a bus at Yaesu Exit in Tokyo Station that goes direct to the park. The pro is that you don't have to transfer. I would not recommend it because:
• It leaves at 10:30am, on a first come, first served basis. No reservations accepted. Which means you'll get to the park at around 12 noon. 
• The return bus is at 4:41pm. Which means you  can't go home earlier, OR later. 
• The traffic can get bad. Going home one time, we were stuck in traffic for more than two hours. Ouch. 
• Train. Find the local trains to go to Katsuta Station. On peak seasons, there is a direct bus (bus schedule) going to Hitachi Seaside Park, and there are signs all over Katsuta Station. 
• Tokyo to Katsuta Station.
• Express train. JPY3,890, 91 minutes from Tokyo Station.
• Local train, JPY2,310, 127 minutes from Tokyo Station. To see this option, just go to Hyperdia and untick the express ones. 
• Katsuta Station to Hitachi Seaside Park. JPY400 one way, 20 to 25 minutes. During peak season, they sometimes offer a package where you pay for a roundtrip ticket + entrance fee in a bundle, which saves you JPY100 or so. 

Itinerary

• 06:44am. Departure, Tokyo Station. 
• 08:51am. Arrival at Katsuta Station. Take the East Exit, go to Bus Stop 2. There were signs all over so it's easy to follow where the bus is. 
• 09:00am. Bus to Hitachi Seaside Park. 
• 09:20am. Arrival at Hitachi Seaside Park, West Gate. But tickets. Once you enter, go to your left and you'll see the biking rental place. If there's a crowd and you are one of the first in line, you might want to head straight to the "Miharashi no Oka" so you can enjoy the place without the crowd.
• Go around, and head back at your own convenience. 

Autumn - mid October

Coming too early means no red kochia, but no crowds either. 

There were *some* bushes that have turned red though. 

Coming at the right time means full on bright red colors!

They had the hill fenced with cosmos, but this view with the ferris wheel at the background remains my favorite. 

Bright, bright red. 

And if you come too late, it turns into this dull red. Within a week, they will pull them out and use them for some local products, I hear. 

The glass house was a regular stop, simply because it has a gorgeous view, and on autumn, warm. They have decent cakes too. 

Prime spot. Overlooking the ocean. 

The ferris wheel. This flat spot sometimes sees many kids playing and some folks camping. 

Part of the biking route, we get to enjoy other flowers too. 

And stopped in one of the parking spots to take oh so many pictures. 

One of the first photos of the park I've taken. 

Spring - end of April

Though not as majestic, the nemophilia is also a unique sight to see in Japan. 

Here are my boys trying to take the perfect shot. 

Here's my attempt of a perfect shot. 

Beyond the nemophilia, there are so many flowers all over, mainly because it is spring. 

Near the main gate are tulip fields with all sorts of tulips of all sorts of colors. 

Even weird petals. 

So. Many. Flowers!!!

This is a "river", and I'm actually standing on a bridge. 

The beauty of spring. ^__^