Kairakuen

photo by Etwas Neues · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by Lukas from Munich, Germany · CC BY 2.0

Tokugawa Nariaki opened it for the townspeople in 1842: today 3,000 plum trees of 100 varieties.

Tokugawa Nariaki, ninth lord of the Mito domain, opened the garden on 1 July 1842 as a space to be enjoyed together with the townspeople, not reserved for the clan alone. Among the three thousand plum trees of a hundred varieties, the path passes the Kōbuntei pavilion, where the lord received his guests, before going down towards Lake Senba.

Commissioned by Tokugawa Nariaki, who decided on its construction in 1833, it is one of the three most celebrated gardens in Japan, together with Kenroku-en and Kōraku-en. Since 1922 it has been a national Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, registered under the official name ‘Tokiwa Kōen’.

ℹ️ Open 6:00–19:00 from 15 February to 30 September, 7:00–18:00 the rest of the year; the Kōbuntei pavilion opens at 9:00, last entry 15–30 minutes before closing. Garden admission 320 yen, Kōbuntei 230 yen. During the Mito no Ume Matsuri (2026: 11 February – 29 March) most of the three thousand plum trees are in bloom.

🚉 Kairakuen · 5 min walk

Sources: ibaraki-kairakuen.jp · ja.wikipedia.org · mitokoumon.com

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