Every once in a while you discover a place where the photos that made you run to the nearest station and jump on godzilla-knows-how-many-trains to get there did not lie. Not even a little bit.
Those pictures of hills swathed in an unbroken carpet of blue flowers at Hitachi Seaside Park? REAL.
Where I come from, these little pieces of flowery blue sky are known as Baby Blue Eyes, and are apparently native to my own back yard. (NorCal, that is). Still, nowhere I know in America do they singlemindedly plant one species of flower like they do in Japan (but as you see, they should, THEY SHOULD)
Open: 9:30 – 17:00, closed Mondays
Admission: ¥410
Hitachi Seaside Park is about three hours northeast of Tokyo, near Mito. To get there, plug your nearest station into the Train Finder or download a free Japan Travel mobile app to your phone (I use Navitime Japan Travel)with Ajigaura Station as the destination. There’s a free shuttle bus that runs every nine minutes between Ajigaura Station and the park.
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
So beautiful!