Japan
Hitachinaka (for Nikko), Japan
Hitachinaka: Gateway to Nikko's Shrines and Ibaraki's Seasons
Hitachinaka was created in 1994 by merging the cities of Katsuta and Nakaminato, a fishing port at the mouth of the Naka River, and it grew largely as a company town for Hitachi's factories. Nikkō, named alongside this port, is not nearby: it lies in the mountains of northwestern Tochigi Prefecture, the next prefecture inland.
Good to know
What Cruise Travelers Should Know
Cruise ships calling here use the Hitachinaka district of Ibaraki Port, on the Pacific coast of Ibaraki Prefecture, with the cruise berth at Nagasuna. This district is mainly a cargo port for container and roll-on ships, and the sights are several kilometers away, so plan on a shuttle, a tour or a taxi.
- Hitachi Seaside Park is about 10 minutes, or 6 km, by car from the port.
- JR Katsuta Station, the main railway connection, is about 25 minutes away by car.
- Ibaraki Port was formed in 2008 by joining the ports of Hitachi, Hitachinaka and Ōarai, and some cruise ships berth at Ōarai instead, so check which district your ship uses.
Hitachinaka on Your Own
The main sights are a ride away from the berth, but a short one covers the city's two big draws: Hitachi Seaside Park and the fish market at Nakaminato. Nikkō, the destination in this port's name, is a separate matter.
- Hitachi Seaside Park: This is the shortest ride from the port. Check the park's opening hours and admission before you go.
- Nakaminato fish market: Eight restaurants and five seafood shops face the fishing harbor, and it draws more than a million visitors a year. Nakaminato Station on the Minato Line is the nearest stop.
- The Minato Line: A small local railway runs 14.3 km from Katsuta through Nakaminato to Ajigaura, mostly with single-car diesel trains.
- Nikkō: Its shrines are in the mountains, about 140 km north of Tokyo. If you go independently, work out the travel time in both directions against your all-aboard time before you commit.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Carry your passport: Visitors to Japan must carry their passport at all times, and the police can ask to see it.
Getting Around Hitachinaka and Ibaraki
Hitachinaka is spread out, with the port, the seaside park and the fishing town of Nakaminato several kilometers apart. Taxis and tour buses cover the gaps, and the Minato Line serves Nakaminato and the coast.
- The Minato Line starts at Katsuta Station on the JR Jōban Line, which has direct trains to Tokyo.
- Ajigaura Station, at the end of the Minato Line, is the nearest station to Hitachi Seaside Park.
- About 40 tourist signs around the city are designed to look like the Minato Line's station name boards.
What to Eat in Ibaraki
Seafood from the Nakaminato fishing port, dried sweet potato and a local noodle dish are the flavors to look for. The fish market's restaurants serve bowls of rice topped with the day's catch.
- Stamina ramen: It is Hitachinaka's own noodle dish, topped with a sweet and spicy sauce of liver, pumpkin, garlic chives and cabbage. It comes hot, or as chilled noodles under the hot sauce.
- Hoshiimo: Steamed, sliced and dried sweet potato reached Nakaminato around 1908, and Ibaraki now makes about 90 percent of Japan's supply.
- Seafood bowls: The restaurants at the Nakaminato fish market serve kaisen-don, rice topped with raw fish and shellfish.
- Whitebait bowls: Shirasu-don, rice topped with whitebait, is a specialty of neighboring Ōarai.
- Sake: Ibaraki has 41 sake breweries.
Tipping in Japan
Tipping is not part of Japanese culture, and money left on a restaurant table will probably be brought back to you. Some Western-style hotels and restaurants add a 10 percent service charge instead.
- Tour guides and interpreters are among the exceptions where a tip may be given. Never leave cash on a table or a hotel bed.
- Prices are in Japanese yen (¥).
- Japan still runs largely on cash, and cards issued abroad can be hard to use. Cash machines at post offices and 7-Eleven stores accept some foreign cards.
Culture and Sites
Hitachinaka mixes ancient sites with a working fishing town and a very large modern park. Its shrine on a headland and its painted tomb both go back well over a thousand years.
- Sakatsura Isosaki Shrine: It stands on a hill above the sea at Isozaki. Tradition says it was founded after gods appeared on the coast in 856, and it forms a pair with Ōarai Isosaki Shrine across the Naka River. The forest around its approach, thick with old camellias, is a protected natural monument.
- Torazuka Kofun: This keyhole-shaped burial mound from the early 7th century has a stone chamber painted in red with geometric patterns, weapons and shields. The chamber opens to the public twice a year, in spring and autumn.
- Hitachi Seaside Park: About a million daffodils flower in spring, the nemophila cover the Miharashi hill in May, and around 40,000 kochia turn red in October.
- Nikkō's shrines: Tōshō-gū, first built in 1617, is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. It and the temples and shrines around it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
History of the Region
Burial mounds along the lower Naka River go back to the 7th century, and the lords of the Mito domain later used this coast for villas and a cannon foundry. The modern city of Hitachinaka dates only from 1994.
- Early 7th century: Torazuka Kofun, 56.5 m long, was built with its painted burial chamber, which was found in excavations in 1973.
- 12th century: Minamoto no Yoshikiyo settled at Takeda here and took its name, founding the Takeda clan that later produced the warlord Takeda Shingen.
- 1698: Tokugawa Mitsukuni, lord of Mito, built a villa at Minato, now Minato Park, where pine trees he brought from Akashi still grow.
- 1857: Tokugawa Nariaki built a reverberatory furnace at Nakaminato using Dutch techniques, and it cast cannons for coastal batteries. It was destroyed in the fighting of 1864 and reconstructed in 1937.
- 1938: The Imperial Japanese Army built an airfield and flying school on the land that is now Hitachi Seaside Park. In the Second World War the area's factories were bombed and shelled by Allied warships.
- 1946 to 1973: The US military used the old airfield as a bombing range until it was returned to Japan. The park opened on part of the site in 1991.
- 1994: The cities of Katsuta and Nakaminato merged to form Hitachinaka.
- 2011: The Great East Japan Earthquake damaged the Minato Line and the seaside park; the railway was running again by July.
- To learn more ashore: The Hitachinaka City Archaeological Research Center in Nakane, near Torazuka Kofun, displays a replica of the painted chamber and finds from the area. Check opening days and hours before you go.
Traveling with Children
Hitachinaka works well with children, with a huge park, rock pools full of sea creatures, and an aquarium just across the river in Ōarai. Pick one or two of these for a port day rather than all of them.
- Younger children: Hitachi Seaside Park has a small amusement park with a Ferris wheel, and seasonal flower fields on its hills.
- School age: The rocky shore from Isozaki to Hiraiso is a favorite place for children to look for crabs, starfish and hermit crabs in rock pools from spring into early autumn. Go with an adult, watch for slippery rocks, and leave the creatures where you find them, because most of the coast is covered by fishing rights.
- Fossils: The same rocks are layers from the end of the Cretaceous period, and ammonite fossils have been found in them.
- Aquarium: Aqua World Ōarai, across the Naka River in Ōarai, keeps about 580 species in 60 tanks and is known for its many kinds of shark. Check its opening hours before you go.
- Teenagers: Cycling routes run through the seaside park, and a bowl of stamina ramen makes a filling lunch.
Accessible Travel
The berth is in an industrial port district, so start by asking your ship whether its shuttle or tour coaches can take a wheelchair.
- Hitachi Seaside Park is large, with 215 hectares open to visitors, so plan a route rather than trying to see all of it.
- The rocky shore at Isozaki and Hiraiso is slippery and uneven.
Shopping in Ibaraki
Dried sweet potato is a Hitachinaka specialty, and Nakaminato's fish shops sell dried fish to take home. A farmers' market sits in Nagasuna, the same district as the cruise berth.
- Nagasuna Farmers Market Kokosuna: It sells fresh vegetables and local produce, including hoshiimo and Koshihikari rice, on Route 245 in Nagasuna.
- Nakaminato fish market: Its seafood shops sell fresh fish and himono, dried fish, and will ship within Japan.
- SHIO_KAZE: This city project pairs local businesses with Ibaraki designers to make souvenirs, and the products are sold in shops and some hotels.
- Sake: If you buy bottles from Ibaraki's breweries, check your home country's customs allowance first.
Beaches Near Hitachinaka
Hitachinaka has two swimming beaches, Ajigaura and Hiraiso, each a short walk from a Minato Line station. They are officially open for swimming only for a few weeks in high summer.
- Ajigaura: It is about 5 minutes on foot from Ajigaura Station and sits close to the seaside park.
- Hiraiso: Breakwaters keep its waves calm, a whale-shaped slide floats in the water for children in season, and it is about 10 minutes on foot from Hiraiso Station.
- Season rules: During swimming hours, stand-up paddleboards and surfboards are not allowed in the swimming area.
- Earthquakes: If you feel an earthquake or hear a tsunami warning on the shore, leave the beach at once and head for high ground.
Traveler photos
Photos from travelers
Reviews
Traveler reviews
Be the first to share your experience.
Suggest an edit
See something missing or incorrect?