Collaboration between Hitachi Seaside Park and NEXCO EAST
The benefits of Expressway for the local economy
Every year from mid-April through the Golden Week season, approximately 5.3 million nemophila flowers bloom on Miharashi Hill in Hitachi Seaside Park. It's a popular tourist spot that's a big hit on social media, and last year it attracted over 2 million visitors.
This park, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, relies almost entirely on cars for its visitors, making its relationship with Expressway inseparable.
This time, we spoke with Yuji Fukazawa, Deputy Director of the Hitachi Park Management Center, and Takashi Yamamoto, Director of the Mito Management Office NEXCO EAST Kanto Regional Head Office, about their respective initiatives and collaborations in transportation and tourism that "drive the vitality of the region."
Deputy Director of the Management Center and Head of the Public Relations and Community Collaboration Division
He joined the Parks Foundation in 1984. He has served as director of Echigo Hills National Park and Shinjuku Central Park, and has worked at eight parks nationwide, including those in Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hiroshima. He has worked at Hitachi Seaside Park twice, once for two years from 1997 to 1999 and again from February 2024 to the present.
He joined the Japan Highway Public Corporation in 2000. He has held positions in land acquisition, planning, and human resources, and since July 2024, he has served as the Director of the Mito Management Office of the Kanto Regional Head Office.
90% of visitors arrive by private car; a tourist area with excellent access by car.
Today, we've come to the "Glass House," located in the sand dune area on the ocean side of Hitachi Seaside Park. It's an open space with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
Hitachi Seaside Park is known for its nemophila in spring and kochia in autumn, and has been featured on social media and in the media. Could you tell us more about the park, its attractions, and its unique features?
Hitachi Seaside Park is a national park that opened in October 1991. With the theme of "Sea, sky, and greenery are friends, a refreshing and healthy experience," visitors can enjoy the seasonal plants throughout the 350-hectare park.
In addition to walks and cycling in the abundant nature, you can enjoy a variety of activities such as amusement parks, forest obstacle courses, and barbecues.
The main attraction is definitely "Miharashi Hill," where nemophila flowers bloom. At its peak, approximately 5.3 million flowers are in bloom.
At Miharashi Hill, the kochia plants are in full bloom from summer to autumn, and they are also very popular. We also light them up at night so that people can enjoy them not only during the day but also at night.
It looks like it would be enjoyable at any time of year and at any time of day! How many people visit the park throughout the year?
Last year, we welcomed a tremendous number of visitors, exceeding 2 million people. In 2017, we even recorded a record high of over 100,000 visitors in a single day.
Incidentally, about 90% of visitors arrive by private car. Approximately 36% of visitors are from within the prefecture, while about 64% are from outside the prefecture, indicating that a large number of visitors use Expressway to get to the park.
We believe that visitors arriving by private car often stop by other nearby tourist attractions and restaurants in addition to our park, so we feel that the economic impact that Expressway will have on our prefecture is very significant.
The central region of Ibaraki Prefecture, where Hitachi Seaside Park is located, is a region with excellent transportation access, with Joban Expressway running north-south and Kita-Kanto Expressway and Higashi-Mito Road running east-west.
The fact that it's easily accessible not only from within the prefecture but also from outside the prefecture may be one of the reasons why so many people come to visit.
During what time of year is the traffic on the surrounding Expressway heaviest?
While Expressway generally experience heavy traffic congestion during the Obon and New Year's holiday periods when people return to their hometowns, Expressway around Hitachi Seaside Park experience the most congestion of the year from April, when the nemophila flowers are in bloom, until Golden Week.
I think the likelihood of traffic congestion will increase as the number of visitors rises. Could you please tell me about measures to prevent traffic congestion?
Providing alternative routes is an important measure. We are working with Hitachi Seaside Park to provide alternative routes from multiple interchanges.
Our park has secured ample space for temporary parking and installed directional signs along surrounding roads. We have also invested in training security guards to ensure smooth parking operations. Furthermore, we open earlier on peak days and promote staggered visits on our website to encourage visitors to come during weekdays.
So you're disseminating information from both Expressway and the park. Could you also tell us about the characteristics of the surrounding area?
Hitachi Seaside Park is the most representative tourist spot in this area, and the surrounding area is perfect for sightseeing by car. You can easily visit places like Nakaminato Fish Market, where you can enjoy plenty of seasonal seafood, Aqua World Ibaraki Oarai Aquarium, and Kairakuen, a Japanese garden in Mito, by car.
Furthermore, there are plenty of power spots, such as the Oarai Isomae Shrine. With lots of delicious local food to choose from, you'll leave feeling satisfied both in mind and stomach.
Speaking of local cuisine, the stamina ramen is delicious, isn't it? Also, if you're buying dried sweet potatoes, I recommend the whole dried ones!
That's definitely correct!
Um...it's really exciting, but are you both from Ibaraki Prefecture?
No, that's not it (laughs).
Wow! You both seem to know so much, I thought you were locals.
I came to Ibaraki Prefecture from outside the prefecture, but it has already become my favorite city.
Me too. It really is a great town. Ibaraki Prefecture is often ranked at the bottom of attractiveness rankings, but that's not true at all. The people who live here feel that "Ibaraki Prefecture is a great place." With the sea and mountains, and surrounded by the bounty of agricultural products, there's nothing happier than this.
Hitachi Seaside Park and NEXCO EAST are collaborating to bring the charm of Ibaraki to even more people.
Please also tell me about the initiatives that Hitachi Seaside Park and NEXCO EAST are jointly implementing.
In March 2025, we installed flowerbeds at the Tomobe Service Area (In-bound lane) on Joban Expressway.
This stems from my previous experience in a department responsible for regional cooperation and tourism promotion, where I witnessed firsthand how Expressway based sightseeing tours enriched local communities. After being transferred to Mito, I wanted to leverage that experience to collaborate with Hitachi Seaside Park, a leading tourist destination in Ibaraki Prefecture, to promote tourism and contribute to the local community.
When we approached them about collaborating, we found that they shared the same vision, and that's how this initiative began. We've asked the staff at Hitachi Seaside Park to guide us in maintaining these flowerbeds. Our group employees plant nemophila in the spring and kochia in the fall.
Service areas around Hitachi Seaside Park are actively disseminating information about the park and strengthening cooperation.
We hope to contribute to the local community by allowing customers using Expressway to see the nemophila and kochia flowers, thereby raising awareness of the attractions of Hitachi Seaside Park, and encouraging tourism in the area, including Hitachi Seaside Park.
Furthermore, we hope that drivers will feel refreshed by looking at the flowerbeds, and that this will also contribute to traffic safety.
The "Northern Kanto Stamp Rally," which included a total of 161 spots, including recommended tourist spots in Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma prefectures, as well as Expressway was very popular. Our park was also included in the stamp rally, and many people enjoyed it.
Thank you! In addition to the stamp rally, NEXCO EAST 's driver's site "DraPla" offers attractive discount services such as the "North Kanto Free Pass," which allows unlimited use of Expressway in designated areas, so that you can enjoy sightseeing in Ibaraki even during the off-season.
We're planning events that will allow you to fully enjoy Ibaraki Prefecture no matter when you visit, so we'd be happy if you could check out "DraPla" or stop by Tomobe Service Area before coming to Hitachi Seaside Park.
It seems you're all working together to promote tourism. What kind of place do you want Hitachi Seaside Park to become in the future?
Considering the mission of a national park, I believe it must be a place that meets the recreational needs of people from the Tokyo metropolitan area. We want to make it a place that can be enjoyed not only by local residents but also by many people from outside the prefecture.
Furthermore, we believe it's important not to forget about contributing to the local economy. We want not only Hitachi Seaside Park but the entire region to prosper together. We will strive to promote sightseeing centered around our park by creating initiatives that encourage visitors to also visit surrounding facilities.
What kind of support can we provide?
Our primary goal is to ensure the safety and security of Expressway. While people use them as a matter of course, it is our mission to protect that sense of security.
Expressway are used not only for tourism purposes, by people who come by private car or by large buses for group tours, but also as vital infrastructure supporting local life and the economy. In the event of a disaster, they function as a "lifeline" for disaster relief and the transport of relief supplies.
We strive to maintain and manage Expressway so that anyone can use them "as a matter of course," whenever and under what circumstances. In Ibaraki Prefecture, bridge renewal work to ensure the safety and security of Expressway has begun this year, so we will continue our public relations activities to gain your understanding and cooperation.
Lastly, is there anything that Hitachi Seaside Park and NEXCO EAST would like to work on together in the future?
We want to make the flowerbeds at Tomobe Service Area even more vibrant. I believe that having safe and secure Expressway is essential for attracting more visitors to the park, so I hope we can work together to promote the charms of Ibaraki by closely coordinating information.
We believe that as Hitachi Seaside Park becomes more vibrant and attracts more visitors, it will further energize the local area. We want to help more people know that it's a fun park to visit anytime.
In addition to providing information on alternative routes to alleviate traffic congestion, this is a wonderful park where you can enjoy seasonal flowers such as nemophila and kochia, so we would like to implement measures that will help to distribute traffic as much as possible.
summary
In popular tourist areas that are frequently accessed by car, I realized how crucial daily coordination between surrounding Expressway and tourist spots is. It was wonderful to see that both Mr. Fukazawa, who manages the park, and Mr. Yamamoto, who maintains Expressway are motivated by working for the community.
Whether it's during the nemophila or kochia seasons, or simply to enjoy the many other attractions of Ibaraki, why not take a drive around Hitachi Seaside Park?
This is a hidden gem in the park. Please take your time and enjoy it.