Kairakuen and Senba Lake - Mito, Ibaraki

Kairakuen「偕楽園」

"One of Three Great Gardens of Japan"

偕楽園 (Kairakuen) means: "The ancients would share the pleasures with people so their pleasures would be hearty and deep." (from The Book of Mencius). Founded by 徳川斉昭 (Tokugawa Nariaki) as the ninth feudal lord of the Mito Clan; he wanted a place for all people (feudal lords, feudal warriors, and the commoners of Mito) to go and relax while basking in nature's beauty after a stressful day. Located in the park is the: Japanese plum trees, azaleas, bamboo forest, and cedar forest. 

梅の木 (ume no ki => Japanese plum tree) originates as the Chinese apricot tree which was for many years the tree for nobility garden viewing in Ancient Japan. 

Ume trees bloom in various colors during 春季節 (haru kisetsu => spring season). The petal colors range from pure white, white-pink, pure pink, crimson-pink, or a deep-red crimson. While similar to 桜の木 (Sakura trees) for petal blossoms, the branches are rigid and smaller in size. Yet over 100 types of ume trees bloom here in Kairakuen each spring.

The Mito Plum Festival has been held for more than 120 years; starting from Mid-February until March 31st. There are six other seasonal festivals and events held in Mito: 

春 (haru => Spring): Cherry Blossom Festival (April 1st ~ April 15th), and the Azalea Festival (April 30th ~ May 15th).

夏 (natsu => Summer): Plum Picking & Sale (June), Kairakuen Fireworks Festival (July - August).

秋 (aki => Autumn): Lespedeza Festival (Sept. 1st ~ Sept. 31st), Autumn Colors of Momijidani 

(Nov. 15th ~ Nov. 30th).

冬 (fuyu => Winter): Plum Pruning (2nd Saturday in December).

One of the unique features about Kairakuen is the multi-purpose design for both admiring Japan's natural beauty and as an emergency plum farm incase of food shortages or natural disasters.

 

Many food, game, and snack stalls called "やたい" (yatai) are posted nearby the entrances during a 祭り (matsuri). One of my favorite snack foods to eat at a matsuri is the 鮎焼鳥 (ayu yakitori) which is a grilled sweet-fish covered in 塩 (shio => salt). Although it might look freaky to eat, it's a common snack food in Japan for fishing and cooking activities at some natural parks (like Natsukogen).

https://imai-otori.blogspot.com/2021/07/blog-post_42.html

孟宗竹森 (Mousou Bamboo Forest) 

If you're lucky, the 笛吹 (ふえふき => fuefuki => flute player) performs during different events (at Kairakuen) throughout the year.

吐玉泉 (Togyokusen) is a natural spring located next to the cedar forest.

Although Kairakuen isn't located too far from Mito Station, you have the option to ride a bus but usually has a longer-than-average wait time. Personally, it's nice to walk around Mito City to see what you can find amongst the various streets.

Senba Lake 「千波湖」

"A Popular Hotspot for the Locals of Mito City"

千波湖 (Senbako) is a man-made lake (during the Edo-period as a moat for the former Mito Castle) with a 3km (1.86 mile) long boardwalk around its circumference. The boardwalk has a large lane for runners, walkers, strollers, youngsters with a parallel lane dedicated for cyclists also.

I often spent my time cycling around Senba Lake whenever I needed to breath fresh air after being in-class all day. There is also a green-way connected to the boardwalk if you want to explore more of Mito city too.

A statue of Tokugawa Nariaki nearby Senba Lake.

Sometime in July, the City of Mito hosts a 花火 (hanabi => firework show) launching off over ~7,000 fireworks and stationing a multitude of various food stalls around the lake's boardwalk.

Whenever you decide to visit Mito (in Ibaraki prefecture), definitely add Kairakuen to your list of places to visit during the spring season. I also recommend walking around Senba Lake since it's technically the city center which will make it easy to access other parts of Mito during your exploration.

また、今度 (mata kondo) => see you next time.

Trey-Uncaged