Current Time in Mito, Japan

Mito is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, on the Pacific side of Honshu about a hundred kilometres north east of Tokyo. The city sits on the Naka River where it crosses a low plateau, and its centre runs along a ridge between the river valley and the reed fringed Lake Senba. The climate is mild, with warm summers and clear, dry winters, and the surrounding countryside is rich farmland lying close to the sea.

About two hundred and seventy thousand people live in Mito, which serves as the administrative, commercial and educational centre of a prefecture known for agriculture, research and manufacturing. Although it lies within commuting distance of the capital, the city has a strong identity of its own, rooted in an unusually distinguished past.

During the Edo period Mito was the seat of one of the three senior branches of the Tokugawa family, which made it one of the most prestigious domains in Japan. Its second lord, Tokugawa Mitsukuni, sponsored an immense history of the country and later became a legendary figure in popular storytelling and television drama. Subsequent lords fostered a school of political and moral thought known as Mitogaku, whose ideas about the emperor and the nation influenced the movement that led to the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The castle was lost to fire and war, and much of the city was destroyed by bombing in 1945, yet that intellectual legacy remains central to local pride.

The finest attraction is Kairakuen, laid out in 1842 and counted among the three great gardens of Japan. Unusually for its time it was opened to ordinary townspeople from the beginning, and its three thousand plum trees make it famous in late winter, when the blossom festival fills the paths with visitors. The elegant wooden Kobuntei pavilion at its centre gives views over the lake and the surrounding groves. Close by stands the Kodokan, the largest domain academy of the Edo period, whose surviving halls and plum orchards can still be visited.

Modern culture is represented by the Art Tower Mito, a striking arts complex with a spiralling titanium tower designed by Arata Isozaki, containing a concert hall, a theatre and a contemporary art gallery. Lake Senba offers walking and rowing in the middle of the city, and Mito is famous throughout Japan for natto, fermented soybeans traditionally eaten at breakfast and sold here in straw wrapped bundles. Summer fireworks, seasonal festivals and a well supported football club fill the local calendar.

The Joban Line and its limited express trains reach Tokyo in around eighty minutes, expressways run north and south, and buses connect the coast and the countryside. Ibaraki University and several colleges give the city a student population, while the research institutes of the surrounding prefecture, including the science city of Tsukuba, reinforce its academic character.

Mito appeals to travellers interested in gardens, history and the intellectual traditions of Japan, offering an approachable and rewarding excursion from the capital.