Mito, Tsukuba and Oarai Model Routes: 3 Plans with Times, Kairakuen, Mt. Tsukuba and an Aquarium

Model routes for Mito, Tsukuba and Oarai

Plan 1 in Mito covers Kairakuen at 7:00, then Kodokan at 9:00; Kairakuen is free until 9:00 except during the plum festival.
Plan 2 in Tsukuba features the Mt. Tsukuba cable car from 9:00 until November, costing ¥1,860 round trip for adults.
Plan 3 in Oarai visits Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium, open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00), costing ¥2,300 for adults.

This article contains advertising (affiliate links).

This page is for people with no plans or bookings yet. Follow it in order and you have a day in one of Mito, Tsukuba or Oarai in Ibaraki. Kairakuen opens at 7:00 in winter hours (October 1 to mid-February), and except during the plum festival, entry is free from opening until 9:00. The Mt. Tsukuba cable car starts at 9:00 in November, and Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium is open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00). The 3 areas are far apart, so pick 1 plan per day.

In short

Gardens and a feudal school: Plan 1, Mito (Kairakuen at 7:00, then Kodokan at 9:00; on Nov 7 to 29 add the night illumination of Momiji-dani).
A mountain climb: Plan 2, Tsukuba (shuttle bus from Tsukuba Station, then the Mt. Tsukuba cable car and ropeway).
The sea and an aquarium: Plan 3, Oarai (circulation bus from Oarai Station, then Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium).

Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).

1. Three model routes in Mito, Tsukuba and Oarai, with times

Plan 1 starts at Kairakuen at 7:00, and Plans 2 and 3 start at 9:00 with the cable car and the aquarium. Times follow each place’s opening time and are a guide only. Travel time between places is not included.

Time	Plan 1 (Mito)	Plan 2 (Tsukuba)	Plan 3 (Oarai)
Morning	From 7:00 Kairakuen	From 9:00 Mt. Tsukuba cable car	From 9:00 Aqua World Oarai
Late morning to noon	From 9:00 Kodokan	Come down from the summit by ropeway	Inside the aquarium (last entry 16:00)
Night	Sunset to 21:00 Momiji-dani illumination (Nov 7 to 29)	—	—

Sources: the official site of each place (checked Nov 1, 2026). The dates of the Momiji-dani illumination are planned and may change with the color of the leaves.

2. Things to know in Mito, Tsukuba and Oarai (free hours and winter timetables)

Kairakuen is free if you enter by 9:00, and free at any time except during the plum festival for residents of Ibaraki Prefecture.

The Mt. Tsukuba cable car and ropeway change their first and last departures between March to November and December to February. From December, the first departure is 9:20 and the last is 16:40 for both.
Aqua World Oarai has no weekly closed day, and in 2026 its maintenance closure is Monday, December 7 to Friday, December 11. It is open over the New Year.
Because of renovation work on Kairakuen’s East Gate, from around November 2026 the East Gate cannot be used, and you enter through a temporary gate north of the East Gate toilets (the work is planned until February 2027).

3. Plan 1: Kairakuen and Kodokan in Mito

Kairakuen

The main garden is open 7:00–18:00 from October 1 to mid-February. Entry is ¥320 for adults and ¥160 for elementary and junior high school students, and during the plum festival (mid-February to about the end of March) it is ¥500 for adults. People aged 70 and over pay half. Kobuntei inside the garden is open 9:00–16:30 (entry until 16:15), with a separate ¥230 fee for adults (visitor information page of Kairakuen, Japanese). If you come by car, the Kairakuen-shita parking lot (140 cars) and the Tokiwa Shrine parking lot (70 cars) are near the East Gate.

Name	Kairakuen
Address	1-3-3 Tokiwacho, Mito City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	October 1–mid-February 7:00–18:00 (mid-February–September 30 6:00–19:00)
Phone	029-244-5454
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

Kodokan

The buildings of the Mito domain’s school are open 9:00–16:30 from October 1 to February 19, and closed December 29 to 31. Entry is ¥420 for adults, and ¥210 for elementary and junior high school students and people aged 70 and over. The official site gives a photo guide to the walking route from the North Exit of JR Mito Station along the pedestrian deck.

Name	Kodokan
Address	1-6-29 Sannomaru, Mito City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	October 1–February 19 9:00–16:30 (closed December 29–31)
Phone	029-231-4725
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

Kairakuen Momiji-dani illumination (November 7 to 29)

About 170 maple trees in “Momiji-dani” are lit from sunset to 21:00 from Saturday, November 7 to Sunday, November 29, 2026 (planned). By local bus, take a bus from stop 4 at the North Exit of Mito Station and get off at “Sakurayama” (Kairakuen’s notice on the Momiji-dani illumination, Japanese). You can walk through the Park Center grounds only until 16:30.

If you wait for the illumination, or want to split the 3 plans over 2 days, one option is to stay in Mito. You can compare rooms and prices in Rakuten Travel’s list of inns in Mito and Kasama (ad).

Name	Kairakuen Momiji-dani
Address	Kairakuen, Mito City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	Illumination November 7–29, 2026 (planned) sunset–21:00
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

4. Plan 2: from Tsukuba Station to Mt. Tsukuba

Mt. Tsukuba cable car and ropeway

From Tsukuba Station (Tsukuba Center) on the Tsukuba Express, take the direct shuttle bus to Mt. Tsukuba to the foot of the mountain. The cable car (Miyawaki Station to Tsukubasan-sancho Station, about 8 minutes) runs 9:00–17:00 until November, every 20 minutes. The ropeway (Tsutsujigaoka Station to Nyotaisan Station, about 6 minutes) runs 9:20–17:00 until November. The fare for both is ¥930 one way and ¥1,860 round trip for adults. If you go up by cable car and come down by ropeway, buy one-way tickets (cable car fare page, Japanese). On autumn and winter night-service days, the last departure is at 20:00.

If you drive, the Tsukuba City parking lot on the cable car side is ¥500 a day for a car (499 spaces), and the Ibaraki Prefecture parking lot on the ropeway side is ¥700 each time (388 spaces).

Name	Mt. Tsukuba cable car and ropeway
Address	1 Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	Cable car March–November 9:00–17:00, December–February 9:20–16:40; ropeway 9:20–17:00 (until 16:40 December–February)
Phone	029-866-0611
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

↑ Back to the comparison table

5. Plan 3: the aquarium in Oarai

Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium

It is open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00), with night hours every Saturday. Admission is ¥2,300 for adults, ¥1,100 for elementary and junior high school students and ¥400 for children aged 3 and over. Parking is free, with about 750 spaces (admission page of Aqua World Oarai, Japanese). By train, take the sightseeing route of the “Umi-machi Line” circulation bus from Oarai Station on the Kashima Rinkai Railway, about 20 minutes (¥200 for adults; a ¥500 one-day pass comes with a 10% discount on admission). From Nakaminato Station on the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway, take Ibaraki Kotsu bus route 50 for about 7 minutes (¥190 for adults) (access by train page of Aqua World Oarai, Japanese).

See the post on Instagram

Prices and hours may change.

Name	Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium
Address	8252-3 Isohamacho, Oarai-machi, Higashiibaraki-gun, Ibaraki
Hours / Closed	9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00; closed December 7–11, 2026)
Phone	029-267-5151
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗