Kairaku-en Garden (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
As the hot and steamy summer ends, you might be ready to leave the comforts air conditioning and explore outside a little more again.
Though you may be tempted to head to Osaka or Kyoto, there are plenty of spots with great attractions, landscapes, rich history and traditions in the Kanto area to enjoy.
Mito City, on the north-eastern end of the Kanto Plain, is within a 2.5-hour drive from most area military bases. The castle city has a rich samurai heritage and is home to great points of interest like a scenic lake and beautiful traditional garden perfect for a fun day trip.
Since the first Edo Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616), chose the castle city as the base for one of his three family branches, along with Wakayama and Nagoya, Mito City developed as a major power base of the Shogunate government throughout the samurai era. Today, 265,823 people call the city their home (as of Aug. 2025).
In quest of profound history and samurai heritage in autumn colors, my wife and I explored the city. One thing we enjoyed was that there were relatively few visitors, meaning no crowds and no rush.
Kairaku-en Garden
Kairaku-en Garden (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
For our first stop, we visited 183-year-old Kairaku-en Garden, known for its beautiful plum blossoms, which bloom from late February to the end of March.
The garden is one of the country’s three most majestic traditional gardens, along with Koraku-en in Okayama City and Kenroku-en in Kanazawa City. It was completed in 1842 under Lord Tokugawa Nariaki and its name literally means “garden for everyone’s pleasure.” As its name suggests, Kairaku-en has always been accessible to all, including samurai and residents.
The garden is located on a hill in Mito City, and when my wife and I drove to the garden and parked our car in the large parking lot, we had to walk up on the long slope for more than 10 minutes to the entrance to the vast garden.
Inside, the sprawling bamboo and cedar trees sent us into a Zen-like calm.
Among the traditional wooden buildings on the grounds are a Kobuntei tea house with a stunning view on its third floor, and an inner palace where lords of the Mito Clan used as their personal villa to entertain guests. The original buildings were destroyed by an air raid during World War II, but were restored in the 1950s, according to the garden’s brochure.
view from Kobuntei tea house (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Kobuntei tea house (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Near the garden’s east gate visitors can stop at Tokiwa Jinja, a Shinto shrine for Lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni, aka Mito Komon. The shrine is known as a popular location for the “Shichi-go-san” (7-5-3) celebration in November.
Tokiwa Jinja (Shinto shrine) (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
In the shrine museum, you can check out interesting historical exhibits, such as a statue of Lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni, swords, canons and taiko drums used during wartime.
Walk in samurai footsteps at Mitogaku-no-Michi Street
Mitogaku-no-Michi street (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Kodokan (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Very few parts of Mito Castle remain due to repeated attacks during domestic wars and a WWII air raid. Mitogaku-no-Michi, a promenade that once led to the castle remains, gives visitors an opportunity to walk in samurai footsteps. This stone-paved path and the restored Otebashi Bridge and Otemon castle gate give a glimpse into feudal Japan.
Otemon castle gate (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
At the end of Mitogaku-no-Michi, Kodokan’s buildings surrounded by a white plastered clay wall remain in their original form. Kodokan was a samurai school in its heyday and is now designated as a Special Historical site by the national government.
Built in 1841, Kodokan was one of the largest domain schools in Japan, where the sons of prominent samurai families were educated in Confucian studies, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and martial arts.
Visitors can learn about the school through various displays. We were impressed how advanced medical science and technologies, such as smallpox vaccination, were studied at the school in the mid-19th century, when Japan was still closed to the world.
Feel autumn in the Prefectural Museum Park
Ibaraki Prefectural Museum Park (Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
To finish our day trip, we headed to the Ibaraki Prefectural Archives and Museum.
The museum displays plenty of local historical exhibits and archives, while its expansive grounds also house historical buildings relocated from various places around the prefecture.
The promenade and the museum grounds were filled with dozens of gingko trees, perfect for a walk in the fall.
Things to know
Kairaku-en
Address: 1-1251 Migawa, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Hours: Mid-Feb. – Sept., 6 a.m. – 7 p.m., Oct. – mid-Feb. 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Admission: Adults (middle schooler or older) 300 yen, elementary schoolers or younger 150 yen
Phone: 029-244-5454
Website
Kodokan (samurai school)
Location: 1-6-29 Sannomaru Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Hours: Feb. 20 – Sept., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Oct. – Feb. 19, -4:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults 420 yen, elementary and middle school students 210 yen
Phone: 029-231-4725
Website
Ibaraki Prefectural Archives and Museum
Location: 2-1-15 Midorimachi, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Hours: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults 500 yen, elementary and middle schoolers 200 yen
Phone: 029-225-4425
Website
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