Travelling in Ibaraki Prefecture

Right now I am located within Ibaraki Prefecture. I have to say that before coming here I had no idea what there was to do in this prefecture. I even asked the locals and they all responded nanimonai (which means "nothing"). But that's far from the truth. I've spent several of my weekends exploring this beautiful prefecture. So here is a short list of must sees in Ibaraki:

1) Hitachi Seaside Park 

This park is so famous for it's flowers. In the spring and fall seasons, people come from all over the world to see the beautiful (blue) nemophila flowers and (red) kochia at their peak. I unfortunately arrived just when the nemophila season had ended. So I did not get to see the nemophila for myself; but according to the students, it is a really beautiful sight to see.

Spring (Nemophila)

Fall (Kochia)

Along with these two attractions there is also other flower gardens, an amusement park, and a bicycle path. As for my experience, I rented a bike and strolled through the park and enjoyed the flowers that were blooming.

2) Fukuroda Falls

In the northern part of Ibaraki prefecture, near Daigo, there is Fukuroda Falls; a waterfall that has been ranked as the 3rd most beautiful waterfall in Japan. The falls are beautiful through out the year. In the winter, when it is cold enough, the falls freezes. This is definitely an affordable day trip, not only do you get to enjoy the waterfall the local towns surrounding it. The towns really advertise their "apple pais" (which looks more like an apple tart), apple soft serve, and ayu (heavily salted fish cooked on sticks over hot coals).

Fukuroda Falls

As someone who struggles with eating anything that has a face on it, I was pleasantly surprised with ayu. When you go to the falls there are trails you can take to climb one of the mountains after looking out from the observatories. We started to climb this very steep, uneven, and heavily damaged staircase that led to the top of mountain near the falls. Thirty minutes into the climb we gave up (we didn't even make it half way to the top). When we got back down what we had hiked, we were pretty tired. So we went to one of the local shops and bought ayu. This salty treat was surprisingly refreshing. I think I preferred the ayu over the sweet dango my host sister, Yuki, bought. It wasn't terribly scaly and it didn't have a strong fish taste. Although the down side of eating ayu is that you have to be careful when you bite into it because of all the small bones.

3) Ryujin Suspension Bridge

As one of my coworkers put it: "Ryujin is the bridge to no where, it's just there because it can be." Ryujin bridge is a footbridge that is over this random gorge just because it can. I went to this bridge the same day I went to Fukuroda, it's a short car ride south from the waterfall. One thing I've noticed while I've been here is that the Japanese are really obsessed with cutting out parts of the flooring in bridges or tall buildings and replacing it with thick glass. The glass is thick enough for people to stand and walk on, but most people (and dogs) avoid these cut outs.

Ryujin Suspension Bridge

Ryujin bridge is also host to Japan's highest bungee jump (you can faintly see the white bungee cord in the picture). I will be jumping of this bridge in a couple of weeks with a teacher and a student from my internship. The jump costs about 15,000 yen (which is about the equivalent of 150 USD) and you have to book at least a month ahead.

4) The Ushiku Daibutsu

Japan certainly isn't lacking Buddha statues. This one just so happens to be the third tallest statue in the world. Interestingly enough, unlike the Kamakura  daibutsu where it is surrounded by towns, this statue is hidden within Ushiku's rural area. For this statue, you to take an elevator up into it's chest where there is an observatory that gives you the view of the surrounding area (rice fields and graveyards). As you climb back down there are several shops inside where you can buy incense, charms, and other touristy items like key chains. Behind this daibutsu there is also a petting zoo with squirrels, rabbits, and other animals. Apparently squirrels are a big commodity over here. I've never seen so many people get exited about a squirrel walking on a telephone wire until I came to Japan.

5) Other

There are other places that I won't  go as in depth with is like Aqua World Oarai and Mito City. They are really nice places to visit if you are in Ibaraki prefecture. Mito has a variety of shops, parks, and galleries that are nice to go to for a more relaxed day trip. As someone who hasn't really had time to check out the locations closest to me, Mito is always a nice go-to if I have a spar moment. Each time I've been there I have gone somewhere new: Mito Art Tower and Kairakuen park (where you can experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony for 200 yen). 

I'm hoping that in this last month I will be able to explore a couple more of Ibaraki prefectures treasures.