THE BOTANICAL RESORT Rinne (hereafter Rinne) in Naka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, will mark its first anniversary on November 29, 2026. Created by redeveloping the Ibaraki Botanical Garden and the Ibaraki Prefectural Forest, it is billed as Japan's first "overnight botanical garden" (see the note below).
Since opening, Rinne has welcomed more than 200,000 visitors and more than 10,000 overnight guests. More than half of the overnight guests come from outside the prefecture (all figures as of the end of September 2026).
Over the past year, the botanical garden that Ibaraki residents have long known has been renewed from a place to visit into an "overnight botanical garden" that combines accommodation, hot springs, dining, and a tropical plant house open at night. With more than half of its overnight guests coming from city areas and from outside the prefecture, Rinne aims in its second year to make a "one-night, two-day stay to find relaxation" easier and more accessible for busy city dwellers and their families and friends, in a place where the changing seasons are strongly felt. The goal is a 650,000-square-meter botanical garden where each visitor can spend time as if it were their own garden.
As a first step, November is positioned as the anniversary month, with a different hands-on event each weekend for four weekends in a row.
Note: The expression "Japan's first overnight botanical garden" is based on an in-house survey by the operating company as of September 2025 (including internet searches, database checks, and supplementary research using ChatGPT), which found no similar type of facility in Japan.
An Autumn Overnight Stay at Rinne
Rinne is about 90 minutes by car from Tokyo. During the day, visitors can play in the botanical garden and the Ibaraki Prefectural Forest and walk among the colorful trees. In the evening, they can warm up with the herbal baths and herbal sauna at Rinne no Yu, then gather around the table for a BBQ with prefectural ingredients or a meal at the restaurant. After dinner, there is the tropical plant house at night, open only to overnight guests. Inside the illuminated building, the colorful plants show a different side from the autumn leaves. Guests sleep in the forest, where the sound of the trees can be heard, and the next morning have a morning bath, breakfast, a quiet walk through the forest, and a special event.
The 650,000-square-meter garden looks different depending on the season and the time of day. From daytime to night and on through the morning, visitors can take in the changing seasons in full and feel as if the garden were their own second garden. According to the resort, that is the reason to stay in a botanical garden.
Four Different Experiences on the Weekends of November
The anniversary events will be held over four consecutive weekends in November. Rather than simply celebrating the anniversary, the events aim to create a reason to travel, "come to Ibaraki, stay, and enjoy," by combining nature experiences, food, hot springs, accommodation, and exchange with the local community, starting from the botanical garden as a regional resource. They are meant to convey thanks to those who have visited so far, to introduce a new way of spending a holiday at a botanical garden to those who do not yet know Rinne, and to serve as the starting point of Rinne's second year.
Images are for illustration purposes.
Week 1: Ibaraki Sweet Potato Day (いばらきお芋尽くしDAY)
An event to enjoy the tastes of autumn, including an all-you-can-pack sweet potato bag activity and roasted sweet potatoes for sale. After enjoying Ibaraki's autumn flavors, visitors can warm up at Rinne no Yu and have dinner featuring prefectural ingredients, making it a day of tasting autumn in Ibaraki that goes beyond just eating.
Dates: Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8
Images are for illustration purposes.
Week 2: Soap Bubble Garden Festival (しゃぼん玉ガーデンフェスティバル)
In a garden surrounded by plants and forest, experiences such as a soap bubble show and a giant soap bubble activity are offered for everyone from children to adults.
Visitors can play in nature during the day, head to Rinne no Yu in the evening, and enjoy the illuminated tropical plant house at night, spending a whole day with a botanical garden that changes its look with the time of day.
Dates: Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15
Images are for illustration purposes.
Week 3: Solve the 5 Mysteries! Botanical Garden Expedition (5つのナゾを解け！植物園探検)
Set in 650,000 square meters of vast nature and a botanical garden where about 600 species and 50,000 plants grow, this is a roaming event in which participants search for plants while taking on five mysteries. Touring the garden together as a family offers a different way to enjoy the botanical garden.
After exploring the garden by day, visitors can head to the illuminated tropical plant house at night. It is an experience unique to an "overnight botanical garden," where the plants show different faces by day and by night.
Dates: Saturday, November 21, Sunday, November 22, and Monday, November 23 (national holiday)
Images are for illustration purposes.
Week 4: 1st Anniversary Project "あす旅GREEN SUNDAY in林音"
On the anniversary day itself, a market (marché) themed on plants, nature, and connections with the community will be held, bringing together Ibaraki food, crafts, and products and experiences related to nature.
Rather than celebrating Rinne's first anniversary within the facility alone, the day is meant to be shared with the local people who have supported it. It expresses thanks for the past year and marks a milestone for Rinne to deepen its ties with the community in its second year.
Date: Sunday, November 29
As a Prefecture-Owned Facility, Working with Municipalities Across the Prefecture
Images are for illustration purposes.
Local mascot characters from municipalities across Ibaraki Prefecture are expected to appear during the anniversary month. This is not simply a greeting event. As a prefecture-owned facility, the aim is to deepen ties with municipalities in the prefecture and let visitors learn about the appeal of each community. Through the characters, the organizers hope visitors will become interested in each municipality's sightseeing and local specialties, creating an opportunity for that interest to spread from Rinne to the rest of the prefecture.
Limited Anniversary Novelty Gift
During the anniversary period, visitors who spend 2,000 yen or more (tax included) in the park will receive an original goods item made for the first anniversary.
The gift is a way of giving form to thanks for those who have visited Rinne so far, and also lets first-time visitors, drawn by the anniversary events, share in the milestone.
- Limited to the first 1,000 people (every group of overnight guests will receive one)
- Receipts from the same day can be combined
- One per person per day
- Available while supplies last
"Welcome Back" Plan for Past Guests
To mark the first anniversary, Rinne will also offer a "Welcome Back" (おかえりなさい) plan with 20% off for guests who have stayed before, available in November only. It is about returning in a different season to a place you have already visited. At a botanical garden, the scenery, plants, and ways to enjoy the place change with the season of the visit.
Rinne positions the first anniversary as a new start toward becoming a place that people want to visit again.
About THE BOTANICAL RESORT Rinne
THE BOTANICAL RESORT Rinne is a renovation of the Ibaraki Botanical Garden and the Ibaraki Prefectural Forest, billed as Japan's first "overnight botanical garden," where visitors can stay, relax, eat, and play in a single place. Newly built facilities in the park include glamping and cottage accommodation in harmony with nature, a hot spring facility with herbal baths and an herbal sauna, a dining facility using prefectural ingredients and local specialties, and an activity facility that makes use of the great nature of the Ibaraki Prefectural Forest. Visitors can experience the appeal of Ibaraki with all five senses. In the evening there are the illuminated tropical plant house and BBQ in the midst of nature, and in the morning a walk in the fresh air.
Reservations
- Plan details: https://rinne-resort.jp/topics/1920
- Reservations: https://d-reserve.jp/GSEA001F01300/GSEA001A01?hotelCode=0000003132&lodgingDateFrom=20261005&lodgingDateTo=20261006&searchTagCode=&sumrm=1&dpck=false&pagingKey=1&sortKeyOrder=0&DPCheckEnable=false<001=0_1_2_4&lnum001=2_0_0_0
Location and Access
THE BOTANICAL RESORT Rinne
- Address: 4369-1 To, Naka City, Ibaraki 311-0122
- About 30 minutes by car from JR Mito Station
- About 90 minutes by car from Tokyo
- About 10 minutes from Naka IC on the Joban Expressway
