Hitachinaka Japan Ibaraki
112
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Azamara Club Cruises (7 Cruises)
Azamara Pursuit
7 Cruises
Holland America Line (6 Cruises)
Oceania Cruises (6 Cruises)
Princess Cruises (22 Cruises)
Diamond Princess
13 Cruises
Seabourn Cruise Line (52 Cruises)
Seabourn Encore
52 Cruises
Frequently Asked Questions
In a commercial port area where pedestrian movement is restricted. Shuttles and coaches take over at the gangway, running to Katsuta station or directly to the attractions. Leaving on foot is not possible.
In Ibaraki prefecture, about a hundred kilometres northeast of Tokyo, facing the Pacific. It is a recent addition to Japanese itineraries, chosen mainly for Hitachi Seaside Park.
A 350-hectare flower park laid out on former coastal dunes. It stages the seasons: blue nemophila in late April and May, tulips and narcissi earlier in spring, cosmos and kochia, the round bushes that blaze red in October.
Late April and May. Millions of flowers then cover the slopes until earth and sky seem to merge. At peak bloom, weekends draw tens of thousands of Tokyo visitors: leaving the ship early secures the quietest paths.
A small rubber-tyred train spares tired legs, and bicycles can be hired on site to cover the hills faster. Trails, a Ferris wheel and ponds connect at your own pace. Allow a good morning for the full circuit.
A fish market near the mouth of the Naka river: fishmongers, sushi counters and skewer stands around the trawler basin. You eat tuna, grilled scallops and rice bowls topped with raw fish, elbow to elbow with Japanese families.
Yes, especially at Nakaminato market, where small stalls do not take cards. The region receives few foreign visitors and payment habits are more traditional than in the big cities.
Kairakuen garden, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens, famous for its three thousand plum trees in bloom at the end of winter. Mito is the neighbouring prefectural capital, and most organized excursions go there.
A shrine whose sacred gate stands on a wave-battered rock, a favourite of photographers at sunrise. The nearby aquarium, among the country's largest, delights families with its sharks and sunfish.
Hoshi-imo, dried sweet potato, of which the region is the national capital. It is a modest-looking treat that deserves to be better known, and it travels back to the cabin without trouble. The nemophila flower ice cream, by contrast, is eaten on the spot.










