Niihari

Niihari lies beside Lake Kasumigaura in southern Hitachi, where Tsuchiura grew as a castle town and port. The Tsuchiya family held the domain for much of the Edo period. Boats carried rice, timber, oil and other goods from the lakeshore through the Tone River to Edo Bay, while the Mito road passed through the town. These water and land routes helped Tsuchiura become one of Hitachi's principal commercial centres.