Ibaraki Hidden Gems
7 spots
Kamiiso no Torii — Ocean Gate Sunrise
A single vermilion torii gate stands on a jagged rock platform where waves explode into white spray at high tide. Kamiis…
Kodokan — Samurai Academy
Kodokan was established in 1841 by Tokugawa Nariaki as the educational heart of Mito Domain, embodying the Mito School o…
Kasama Pottery — Climbing Kiln Heritage
Kasama-yaki pottery has been produced in this hillside town for over 250 years. Unlike the aristocratic refinement of Ar…
Tsukuba Science City — JAXA & Research Labs
Tsukuba was purpose-built in the 1960s as Japan's science city, a planned urban environment designed to concentrate the…
Kasama Inari Shrine — Fox God Forest Sanctuary
Kasama Inari Shrine is one of Japan's three great Inari shrines, dedicated to Ukanomitama-no-mikoto, the Shinto deity of…
Ushiku Daibutsu — World's Tallest Buddha Statue
Ushiku Daibutsu is a 120-meter-tall bronze statue of Amitabha Buddha, standing in a lotus garden surrounded by flat farm…
Kasama Himatsuri — Night Fire Climbing Kiln
The Kasama Himatsuri (Fire Festival) is an annual late-April event when the historic 11-chamber Nikko-gama climbing kiln…