Cruises to Hitachinaka
常陸那珂Ibaraki Prefecture, on the Pacific coast north-east of Tokyo
About Hitachinaka3 upcoming voyages call at Hitachinaka
- Autumn Hitachinaka & Kobe Cruise
Yokohama → Hitachinaka → Kobe
- Calls here
- October 21, 2026
- Day
- 2 of 4
- Ashore
- 08:00–17:00 (9 hours)
- Spring Hitachinaka & Onahama Cruise
Yokohama → Hitachinaka → Onahama → Yokohama
- Calls here
- April 6, 2027
- Day
- 2 of 5
- Ashore
- 08:00–17:00 (9 hours)
- Spring Muroran & Sakata Cruise
Yokohama → Muroran → Sakata → Aomori → Hitachinaka → Yokohama
- Calls here
- April 28, 2027
- Day
- 7 of 8
- Ashore
- 08:00–17:00 (9 hours)
Times shown are as scheduled and can change. Weather, sea conditions and port operations may shorten a call or prevent it — always check the latest information from NYK Cruises, and once aboard, from the ship.
What is out when the ship calls
Early April — cherry blossom, and the first of the nemophila
April 6, 2027
Late April into May — the nemophila hill at its fullest
April 28, 2027
October — the same hill under scarlet kochia
October 21, 2026
Bloom dates move by a week or two each year. The park publishes what is flowering now.
About Hitachinaka
Ships berth at the Hitachinaka district of Ibaraki Port, a working commercial port two hours up the coast from Tokyo. Almost nobody comes for the port itself. They come for what is twenty minutes away: Hitachi Seaside Park, a former airfield turned into 200 hectares of flower fields, and one of the few places in Japan whose landscape changes colour completely from season to season. A call here is scheduled around that, which is why the three ASUKA III calls land on three different flowers.
Within reach of the port
Hitachi Seaside Park
The reason most ships call. A hillside of nemophila turns solid blue in spring, and the same hill turns scarlet in autumn when the kochia bushes colour. Tulips, cosmos and narcissus fill the seasons between. The park publishes what is flowering now, which is worth checking before you plan the day — bloom dates move by a week or two each year.
Hitachi Seaside Park (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Mito and Kairakuen
The prefectural capital, inland from the port. Kairakuen is counted among the three great gardens of Japan and was laid out around a plum grove, so it peaks earlier in the year than the cherry blossom most visitors plan around.
Oarai and Nakaminato
South along the coast. Oarai Isosaki Shrine has a torii gate standing on the rocks in the surf, and Nakaminato has a working fish market where the day's catch is sold and grilled on the spot.
The Minato Line
A single-track diesel railway runs 14.3 kilometres from Katsuta, the JR interchange, through Nakaminato to Ajigaura, following the coast for the last stretch. One- and two-car trains, level crossings, cherry trees along the track in early April. It is a way to see the place at ground level rather than through a coach window, though it does not reach the berth — you would join it inland.
Hitachinaka Seaside Railway (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Shore excursions
NYK Cruises run their own guided excursions at each port, booked by guests themselves through My ASUKA PLANS — the booking window opens before departure and depends on your cabin class. They are conducted in Japanese. Going ashore independently is always an option.
Official sources
- Hitachinaka Port Promotion Association ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
- Ibaraki Port, Hitachinaka district (Ibaraki Prefecture) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it