Hello! I’m Sugiemon, a lifehacker. Together with my partner RumiCar, I’m out hacking the region again in search of seeds of the future!
This is part of my “Tokiwaji Pass” trip series.
This time we hacked the Kashima Rinkai Railway Oarai–Kashima Line, riding from Mito to Kashima-Jingu Station and back.
The most striking feature of this line is the view: most of the route runs on elevated tracks.
From the train windows you can look out over the vast plains of Ibaraki.
The transfer wait at Kashima-Jingu Station was only 30 minutes.
But “just waiting” is not an option for a lifehacker.
I dashed from the station to the great torii gate of Kashima Jingu Shrine and back,
and soaked in the solemn atmosphere in front of the shrine’s approach.
The Oarai–Kashima Line matters even more from this year
The home ground of Mito HollyHock, newly promoted to J1 this year, and Kashima Stadium — the sacred home of the ever-victorious Kashima Antlers — sit at the two ends of this line. It is truly the artery that connects the “Ibaraki Derby”.
I am very curious to see how the usually sleepy one-car trains will handle it.
March 7: “Enya — Sake Meguri Night” at Oarai
The hack spot I am watching most closely along this line is Aqua World Oarai Aquarium.
On Saturday, March 7, it hosts “Enya — Sake Meguri Night”.
A luxurious evening tasting local sake in a dreamlike nighttime aquarium. A shuttle bus runs from Oarai Station, so access is easy, too.
Arriving early to explore the area around Oarai Port is also well worth it — there is plenty to see!
This has been RumiCar, the platform that makes it easy to get started with autonomous driving. Someday I want to come back here in a self-driving car!