Suigo Waterways to Farm Country: Itako, Namegata, and Hokota

Last updated: 2026-07-19

Pixel-art imaginary scene of Itako's Iris Festival, its Twelve Bridges boat tours, Namegata's sweet potatoes, and Hokota's melons across the Kashima Coast

Small boats gliding down narrow waterways, and fields stretching to the horizon. In the Kashima Coast region, two very different kinds of abundance grow side by side.

The suigo, or water town, around Itako City is counted among Japan's three great water towns, alongside Yanagawa in Fukuoka and Omihachiman in Shiga. Boats threading through its waterways, and irises blooming each early summer, have long shaped a landscape unlike anywhere else in the region.

Inland, the scenery changes entirely: sweet potato fields around Namegata City, and melon fields around Hokota City. Both towns share the same Kashima Coast region as Itako, yet their abundance comes from soil rather than water. Here's how each has been shaped.

Itako's Twelve Bridges: a boat tour through the waterways

Touring the canals aboard a sappa-bune boatSuigo

born from an effort to save a vanishing landscape in 1971

Itako's water town is known for its 'Twelve Bridges' tour, aboard a traditional small boat called a sappa-bune. The name is said to come from roughly twelve small footbridges that once crossed the canals connecting local homes. The sightseeing tour itself began after floodgate construction on the Maekawa River in 1971 swept away Suiun-bashi, a bridge that had symbolized the waterway landscape; residents who mourned its loss pushed to create the boat tour that preserves the scenery today, alongside a second, lesser-known route called the Katouzu Twelve Bridges tour.

Source:Maekawa Twelve Bridges Tour - City of ItakoWhat Are Japan's Three Great Water Towns? - sandai-japan.com

The Suigo Itako Iris Festival: from beer bottles to a major event

Started in 1952 among a small group of enthusiasts

now around 500 varieties, a million plants, 800,000 visitors

The Suigo Itako Iris Festival traces back to 1952, when a small group of enthusiasts arranged cut irises and Japanese irises in beer bottles just to enjoy them together. Today the festival grounds hold roughly 500 varieties and a million plants, running from late May through late June, with peak bloom around June 10, and drawing about 800,000 visitors during the season. In 1960, a song called 'Itako Hanayome-san,' picturing the town's waterway scenery, became a hit for singer Hanamura Kikue and earned her a first appearance on NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen.

Source:Suigo Itako Iris Festival - WikipediaItako Hanayome-san - Wikipedia

Namegata's sweet potatoes: a city with its own 'Sweet Potato Section'

'Namegata Kansho' — GI-registered and a Tenno Cup winner

second in Japan for both area and volume

Namegata City ranks second nationwide in both cultivated area and production volume for sweet potatoes. To build the brand, the city hall set up an unusually named 'Sweet Potato Section,' and 'Namegata Kansho' has been registered under Japan's Geographic Indication protection system and awarded the Tenno Cup, the top prize at the National Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Festival. Annual shipments are estimated at around 20,000 metric tons.

Source:Namegata Kansho | Geographical Indication (GI) Registered Product InformationIbaraki's Sweet Potato Feature 2025 - Ibaraki PrefectureAbout the Emperor's Cup Award - JA Namegata Sweet Potato Growers' Council

Hokota's melons: from Prince melons to Ibarakiing

Ibaraki has ranked first in melon production for 27 straight years

it traces back to Prince melons introduced in 1962

Ibaraki Prefecture, centered on Hokota City, has ranked first nationwide in melon production for 27 consecutive years, as of the mid-2020s. The region's rise as a melon producer traces back to 1962, when Prince melons were introduced in the former village of Asahi, now part of Hokota, and in Yachiyo. More recently, a premium Earl's-type melon called 'Ibarakiing' was developed by selecting parent melons from around 40,000 individuals and testing over 400 cross combinations. Hokota also ranks first nationwide among municipalities for agricultural output in the vegetable category.

Source:Ibaraki's Melons - Ibaraki Guide official site

FAQ

Is 'suigo' a term that only applies to Itako?

Not exactly — Sawara, in neighboring Chiba Prefecture, shares the same lower Tone River water-town landscape and is often mentioned in the same breath. But Japan's three great suigo specifically refers to Itako, Yanagawa, and Omihachiman; Sawara isn't formally counted among them, even though the two areas are close enough that tourism sites like 'Suigo Sawara Iris Park' link them together.

What's the difference between ayame, shobu, and kakitsubata irises?

They're distinct species, distinguishable by bloom timing and petal pattern. Despite the festival's name featuring 'ayame,' most of the flowers planted and blooming at peak season are actually hanashobu, or Japanese iris — the region has long used 'ayame' as a broad, familiar term covering all of these related flowers.

Sources & references

* Where origins are debated, we note that. Readings and origins draw on public sources; please check each source for the latest.

Written by: LoreMania editorial team / Source verification: noted per item

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