From fields of colourful tulips to a sea of blue nemophila, the sprawling Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki has something to see every season. In summer, the park starts growing kochia, or summer cypress. These fluffy little bushes look like something out of a Dr Seuss book.
Currently, there are approximately 33,000 kochia bushes growing at the park’s Miharashi no Oka Hill area, covering roughly 1.9 hectares.
![Hitachi Seaside Park kochia](https://media.timeout.com/images/105921140/image.jpg)
During summer, the bushes are in a fresh, vibrant green colour, but come autumn, they'll turn brilliant red.
![Hitachi Seaside Park](https://media.timeout.com/images/105790337/image.jpg)
These 'fur balls' will be starting to change colour in the next few days. The best time to see them in their full red glory is in mid-October. Later into the month, they'll start to take on a dusty golden hue.
《#コキア の紅葉&混雑予想》#みはらしの丘 のコキアは10月6日頃に「色づき始め」、10月11日頃に「紅葉始め」、10月17日頃に「紅葉見頃」を迎える予想です。
— 国営ひたち海浜公園【公式】 (@HitachiKaihin) September 30, 2023
※9/30現在の予想です。今後の天候等により変化します。
▼詳細はこちら https://t.co/IvJXpfkkXE#ひたち海浜公園 #hitachiseasidepark pic.twitter.com/51WjSar57u
According to this year's forecast, the best time to see them at peak red is between October 17 and October 23. You can keep tabs on this year’s kochia colours via Hitachi Seaside Park’s website. The park is roughly two hours from Tokyo Station. See the park’s website for information on how to get there.
This article was published on August 18 2022 and updated on October 4 2023.
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