Flowering at Hitachi Seaside Park

It’s rare to see a blue flower — let alone a whole field of them. But that’s the main attraction at Hitachi Seaside Park’s annual spring event, Flowering.

Pro tip: There’s an easier way of getting to Hitachi Seaside Park — an organized tour. This easy day trip visits Hitachi Seaside Park and either Ashikaga Flower Park or Mito Kairakuen and includes travel to and from Tokyo as well as lunch.

What happens?

The nemophila, also known as baby blue eyes or California blue bells, reach their peak sometime between mid-April and early May.

The park website has updates on the blossom progression as well as peak bloom times from previous years to help you plan when to go. While the nemophila steal the show, there are also daffodils (the first to bloom, from late March to mid-April) and tulips (from mid- to late April).

Looking for more spring bloom ideas? We’ve got you covered with our guide to spring flower festivals around Tokyo.

Pro tip: Free admission days are on May 12 and May 19 in 2024.

How to get to Hitachi Seaside Park

Unfortunately, getting to Hitachi Seaside Park, in Ibaraki Prefecture, is kind of expensive. First you need to get to Katsuta Station on the Joban Line, which you can do from either Shinagawa or Ueno. There’s a limited express that takes 1.5 hours (from Shinagawa) or 75 minutes (from Ueno). The regular train departs from Ueno and takes two hours.

Once at Katsuta Station, you can take a seasonal bus (about 15 minutes) direct to the park’s West Gate from stop no. 2 at the station’s east exit.

You’d think this might put people off but you’d be wrong. The nemophilla are extremely popular and the park will draw crowds.