We rode our bikes to our friends house which was south east of Mito Station. He had recently purchased a car and was willing to drive us around to a couple of local spots for Cherry Blossom Viewing in Mito.

Momiji-Dani

First on our list was Momijidani (もみじ谷). We had first heard of Momijidani from one of Amy’s coworkers for its autumn leaves. We were surprised to hear that it was also known for its sakura. There was a small parking lot at the entrance to the park. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot, as someone else was about to leave. The parking lot was so small that there was no room to turn around and some cars had to back all the way out. There were a couple of large trees near the entrance and their petals were falling in the breeze.

We took the upper path on the far left and walked a bit until we reached a nice sized clearing. The grassy clearing was lined with mature sakura trees and seemed like an excellent choice for hanami (cherry blossom viewing party). The clearing was quiet and there weren’t very many people. Definitely a place we want to come back to in the future.

Sakurayama

Further down the tree lined path was Sakurayama (桜山) and the back side of Ibaraki Gokoku Shrine. We continued down the path and came up to a nice sized festival at the top of Sakurayama. There were a good number of food stalls and a large number of floor tables on tarps. They even had an assortment of cushions available too. There was also a nice area among the sakura trees where people had set up there own tarps and cushions. It was especially beautiful because the sakura petals were falling in the wind. Sakurayama as its name implies was a small mountain which was covered in sakura trees.

Ibaraki Gokoku Shrine

Before heading down we took a quick peak at Ibaraki Gokoku Shrine. The shrine complex was pretty large and had a number of beautiful sakura trees. The shrine was pretty busy and it looked like they had just wrapped up an event.

We thought that this was a funny site. Even a 77 year old historic shrine can have modern amenities. We snapped a few pictures before heading down to the base of Sakurayama. The descent was quite steep and we were glad we wore our tennis shoes.

At the base of Sakurayama the fallen sakura petals blanketed the ground. It turned an ordinary pond and creek into a beautiful scene.

We walked south along the Sawatari River and crossed a pedestrian bridge to the other side. The weather was fantastic and there were many people enjoying the large grassy areas of the park.

Along a canal we came up to a path that was flanked on both sides with Thunberg’s Meadowsweet. Amy’s coworker had recommended this spot to see these beautiful flowers. We snapped a couple of pictures before heading out. We headed back to the car as we needed to get to our next event.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a Cherry Blossom Viewing in Mito, we recommend the clearing between Momijidani and Ibaraki Gokoku Shrine. The space was nice and open, the branches from the mature trees provided a good amount of shade, it was close to Sakurayama, and it wasn’t crowded at all. We are likely to recommend this as a viable hanami spot in years to come. The parking lot at Momijidani was free, however there were a limited amount of spots. The parking lot at the base of Sakurayama was ¥500 and there were plenty of parking spots.

Click Here for Ankokuji Temple Sakura Illumination in Mito.

More to Come…