The Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center is also located nearby, as is the Tokugawa Museum, and Gokoku Shrine.

In 1969 Hikone in Shiga Prefecture donated a pair of mute swans and in either 1978[4] or 1983[5] two Australian black swans were donated by Ube in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

During the winter tundra swans, whooper swans, Eurasian widgeons, mallards, common coots, white wagtails, black-headed gulls, herring gulls, great crested grebes, little grebes, moorhens, northern pintails, pochards and other species can be seen.

During the winter of 2016-2017 at least 56 wild birds died of avian influenza.

It was reported in 2017 that Mito city was placing decoy eggs in nests near lake Senba to gradually reduce the population over time.