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Central Ibaraki Area Customized Tour
Joined 2017
This tour will take you to the sights of Mito City and its surroundings using public transportation.
In the morning, we will tour the beautiful gardens with a history of more than 180 years and the former domain school in the center of Mito, which developed as a castle town.
For lunch, choose from Japanese, sea food,western dishes or pasta that are popular with locals.
In the afternoon, you can choose from seaside area ''Oarai " or Inland area "Kasama", a town of ceramics and art.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
JR Mito Station Or At your hotel in Mito city
- Day trips from Tokyo and Iwaki are available. (From Tokyo) If you take the limited express Hitachi that departs from Tokyo Station at 7:52 am, you will arrive at Mito Station at 9:18 am. (From Iwaki) If you take the limited express Hitachi that departs from Iwaki Station at 8:18 am, you will arrive at Mito Station at 9:26 am. We’ll travel around Mito city by public bus or walk
Kodokan Clan School, Central Mito
First of all, we will visit the area where the castle was located in the Edo period. Many buildings in the area were destroyed by fire, but some remain. We will visit one of them, Kodokan. Kodokan was one of the largest domain schools in Japan at the time, and was founded by a local feudal lord in 1841. It is a place where students over the age of 15 have studied a variety of subjects. You can get a taste of what it was like back then.
Also next to Kodokan is the newly restored Mito Castle Otemon Gate. You can feel its majestic appearance and size.
Kairakuen Garden
This park was created more than 180 years ago by Nariaki Tokugawa, the lord of the Mito Domain. It is said to be one of the three famous gardens in Japan. Nariaki created a place of relaxation that could be enjoyed not only by the high class such as samurai, but also by the common people. Kairaku means to have fun with the citizens. On this private tour, we will follow the wishes of the feudal lord who is the designer, and enter through the main gate and taste the world of yin(Darkness) first and then the world of yang(Brightness). Please enjoy the spectacular view from the old buildings in the park.
By the way, the Mito clan is a relative of the shogun family of Edo, and the first lord of the Mito domain is the grandson of the first shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. Also, the son of Nariaki, who created this park, is the last shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa.
Lunch(Central Mito or Oarai)
Have a meal at a restaurant in a department store in the central commercial area of Mito. Since is located on a hill, you can see the cityscape and unique terrain of Mito. I recommend pasta dishes from local chains, but there are also other dishes such as Japanese food and soba noodles. Taste your favorite dishes.
Basically, you don't visit this area on a bus tour, so you can see the daily life of the locals.
Of course, there are other restaurants such as a reasonable Western-style restaurant in the central city that are loved by locals.
And if you're going to the seaside area in the afternoon, you can also taste fresh fish dishes at a popular local restaurant.
I will do my best to accommodate your request.
Oarai Town(Seaside Area Course)
First, we will visit the Oarai Isozaki Shrine, which is located along the coast of Oarai Town.
This shrine was founded more than 1000 years ago. It is enshrined as a god who is said to have created the land of Japan and saved the famine and sick people in this area. The place with the torii gate built on the reef of the Pacific Ocean is a sacred place where the gods are said to have descended, and it is very popular. Admire the main shrine and worship hall, built about 300 years ago at the behest of a local feudal lord, and enjoy the beauty of the shrine architecture of master craftsmen in the early Edo period. After that, we will travel by bus to the neighboring town of Naka Minato to visit the largest fish market in the prefecture or a specialty store that sells locally grown dried sweet potato products and gelato.
Finally, take a popular local train from Naka Minato Station to JR Katsuta Station.
Kasama Central(Inland Course)
Take the train from Mito Station for about 30 minutes to Kasama.
The central city of Kasama is traveled by public bus.
Kasama is called the Little Kyoto of Ibaraki, and it is a town with an old townscape and pottery.
Kasama also has a thriving chestnut production, and Mont Blanc cake is also popular.
It is also known as an art town, with museums displaying paintings by Monet and Renoir.
There are many attractions in the city, but I will guide you to two from the following areas according to your request.
１． Kasama Inari Shrine and its surroundings (beautiful cityscape of shrine town)
２． Shumpu Banri-so (an old folk house relocated from Kamakura, with a rock garden and a garden of beautiful autumn leaves)
３． Gallery Road (a tour of fashionable shops selling Kasama ware)
In addition, the Chrysanthemum Festival is being held in the city until November 24, 2024.
Please note that this course will not be held on Mondays. (Because many facilities are closed on Mondays)
JR Katsuta Station or JR Tomobe Station
If you choose seaside course, you can end the tour at Katsuta Station.
(If take the limited express Tokiwa at 4:47 pm, you will arrive at at Tokyo at 6:13 pm.)
If you choose inland course, you can end the tour at Tomobe Station.
(If take the limoted express Tokiwa at 5:03 pm, you will arrive at Tokyo at 6:13 pm.)
JR Mito Station
The tour ends at Mito Station.
Ending Point
JR MIto Station
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee, round trip transportation fee to the meeting point(Mito area) for guide.
*Tansportation fee (you and guide),lunch and entrance fee (you and guide)
*Entrance Fees：Kodokan (domain school) 420 yen, Kairakuen Park (including Kobuntei-house admission fee) 550 yen. Shunpu Banri-so house, 1,000 yen.
*Approximate lunch fee: 1,000 yen to 2,500 yen.
* Transportation Fees: Mito Central One day Pass(bus) 500 yen,
Mito to Oarai(Bus) 770 yen, Oarai to Nakaminato(Bus) 350 yen,
Nakaminato to Katsuta(Train) 350 yen, Katsuta to Mito(JR) 190 yen.
Mito to Kasama(JR) 420 yen, Kasama Station to Inari Shrine(Bus) 190 yen, Kasama Loop Bus One day pass 300 yen.,Tomobe to Mito (JR) 330 yen.
Tour Important Information
* This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
* This tour is not recommended for those with severe back/knee problems.
* Please let me know in advance if you have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
* During heavy rains or when the flowers are not in bloom, I would guide you to one of the following three areas instead of the seaside park.
*On Mondays, we won't visit Kasama Area.
*Depending on the weather, you may not the autumn leaves.
* Autumn Leaves may not be seen by weather condition.
*We will not visit Kasama area on Mondays.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2017
About Tour Guide Go E.
Hello.My name is Go ,a national certified guide-interpreter. I live in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. Iwaki, about 180 km northeast of Tokyo, is a seaside city blessed with the mild climate and the gateway to the Tohoku district. My favorite things are gardening and listening jazz and fusion. I am a big fan of Hirotaka Izumi, a proficient pianist. I had lived in Auckland,NZ for a year and a half. As a local,I will show great sights of Ibaraki and Fukushima to visitors with sincerity.
Reviews
“Flexible and thoughtful, no better available.”
Go san is a kind-hearted person, he accommodated my change of schedule as far as he could. He asked why I opted for this tour and he could addressed with places to visit from extraordinary to wow. Go san was informative and talkative as well which allowed us to exchange observations and ideas of the local area spicing up the experience.
Go E.
(4 reviews)Maxim san Thank you for your heartwarming review. I am very happy that you enjoyed the tour. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughtful stories. They were very profound and informative to me. I look forward to seeing you again. Kind Regards Go
“Fukushima Coastal Tour”
I spent an amazing day with Go. He picked me up at my hotel and was on time. He took me to some awesome spots that I really enjoyed. It was one of my favourite parts of my trip as I got to see a side of Japan that you don’t see in the major cities. Go had the itinerary all laid out and I never felt rushed exploring the whole day. I went solo with him and his English is excellent.
Go E.
(4 reviews)Charles-san, I'm really glad you enjoyed the tour. I’ve learned a lot from you through the tour. I will continue to strive for a better tour. I look forward to seeing you again in the future. Thank you very much. Go
“Fukuroda falls”
Had a great day with Go-san, he helped us to arrange for the taxis and tea ceremony session with Chanosanto park. Unfortunately, Namase falls was too many steps and challenging, so we did not manage to see. Fukuroda falls was amazing! We ended the tour at an old cafe since the lacquerware shop is closed.
Go E.
(4 reviews)Fonia-san Thank you very much for your review. There were some things I didn't do well during the tour, but I were all helped by your kindness, compassion and smiles. I will do my best to provide more satisfying guiding in the future. I would also like to make a tour around the waterfalls and lakes of Fukushima. I look forward to seeing you again. Thank you. Go
$226/ per group
Reserve
