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Mito is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture in the Kanto region of Japan, about 100 kilometres north-east of Tokyo, famous for Kairaku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, with its thousands of plum trees, and for natto, fermented soybeans. About 270,000 people live in the city.
For most of the Edo period Mito was the castle town of the Mito Tokugawa, one of the three senior branches of the shogun's family. Its lords were great patrons of learning: Tokugawa Mitsukuni began the history Dai Nihonshi, and Tokugawa Nariaki founded the Kodokan school and the garden of Kairaku-en, which he opened to townspeople on set days.
Today the plum festival draws crowds from February to March, swans glide on Lake Senba below the garden, and the twisting tower of Art Tower Mito rises over the centre. The Tokugawa Museum, the rebuilt gate of Mito Castle and old shrines such as Mito Toshogu keep the story of the Mito lords alive.
Kairaku-en was created in 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki, lord of Mito, and is counted with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en among the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Its 3,000 plum trees of about 100 varieties bloom in late February and March, and the Kobuntei pavilion looks over Lake Senba.
Tokiwa Shrine stands beside the garden of Kairaku-en in Mito and enshrines Tokugawa Mitsukuni and Tokugawa Nariaki, the scholarly lords of Mito. Its grounds hold the Giretsukan museum of Mito history and a Noh stage, and it holds a festival of the Hinomaru flag.
Lake Senba lies below the garden of Kairaku-en in Mito and forms the heart of Senba Park, popular for walking and boating. Mute swans given by Hikone in 1969 and black swans from Ube live on the water, and in winter wild whooper and tundra swans arrive to join them.
The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki opened in 1988 beside Lake Senba in Mito in a building by the architect Junzo Yoshimura. It shows modern Japanese and Western art in its collection and exhibitions, and in its grounds stands a rebuilt studio of the painter Tsune Nakamura.
The Kodokan in Mito was founded in 1841 by Tokugawa Nariaki in the third bailey of Mito Castle and was the largest domain school of the late Edo period. Its main hall and gate are Important Cultural Properties, the site is a Special Historic Site, and its plum trees bloom in early spring.
Mito Castle stood on a hill in the centre of Mito and was the seat of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family throughout the Edo period. It used earthworks and dry moats rather than stone walls, and today a rebuilt main gate and corner turret stand among the schools on its old baileys.
Mito Toshogu is a shrine in central Mito founded in 1621 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the first lord of Mito, to honour his father Tokugawa Ieyasu. Its old buildings were destroyed in the air raids of 1945 and rebuilt in 1962, and the shrine keeps a sword that is an Important Cultural Property.
Mito Hachimangu is a shrine in Mito established in 1592 by Satake Yoshinobu, then lord of Mito Castle. Its main hall is an Important Cultural Property and its old ginkgo tree a Natural Monument, and its grounds are known for cherry blossoms, hydrangeas and autumn leaves.
The Tokugawa Museum in Mito displays the art, tools and documents handed down in the Mito Tokugawa family. It tells the story of Tokugawa Mitsukuni and his history of Japan, Dai Nihonshi, and its treasures include clothing that once belonged to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History opened in 1974 in Mito and covers the history of Ibaraki Prefecture with many documents of the Hitotsubashi Tokugawa. Its grounds hold the old Mitsukaido school of 1881 and the old main hall of Mito Agricultural High School, and make a pleasant walk.
Art Tower Mito is an arts centre in central Mito designed by Arata Isozaki and opened in 1990 for the city's centenary. Its 100-metre tower of stacked triangles twists into the sky, and the complex holds a concert hall, a theatre and a gallery of contemporary art.
Mito Natto is the fermented soybean dish for which Mito is famous across Japan, often sold as a souvenir wrapped in rice straw. It is sticky and strong-smelling and is eaten with rice at breakfast. Mito is a leading natto maker, and Tengu Natto sold it to rail travellers from the Meiji era.
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