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- Recommended Ibaraki sightseeing itinerary
Enjoy Ibaraki's Pottery, Weaving and Other Traditional Crafts, as well as the Blessings of the Pacific Ocean
In the interior of Ibaraki, you can experience traditional Japanese crafts and art works. And in the coastal area, there is bountiful fresh seafood and aquariums, so much you just might overdo it!
Itinerary Maps
Trip Details
Day 1 – Time needed: approximately 8 hours, 30 minutes, including approximately 4 hours, 30 minutes for sightseeing and meals
Tomobe Station
Train – approximately 8 minutes (JR Mito Line)
Kasama Station
Approximately 20 minutes on foot
Kasama
Geijutsunomori Park
Walk
Kasama Geijutsunomori Park
This park is built on the themes of traditional crafts and modern plastic arts. In addition to the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, the park grounds include a concert hall for a variety of outdoor events, a ceramic forest promenade with outdoor ceramic plastic art work on display and a fun forest that is popular with kids.
Hours of operation
- 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Address
- 2345 Kasama, Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 165 minutes (for 1 to 3 combined)
The amphitheater
The fun forest
Ibaraki Ceramic
Art Museum
Walk
Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
The Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum opened in April 2000 in Kasama Geijutsunomori Park. A prefectural museum approachable by anyone, it provides easy-to-understand introductions to the history of Kasama pottery and techniques using panels and videos. There are also planned exhibitions, such as an introduction to representative pieces of ceramic artists with deep ties to Ibaraki Prefecture.
Hours of operation
- 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.)
Closed
- Mondays (the following day in case of a holiday) and December 29 to January 1
Admission
- Adults – 300 yen (70 and older, free), though prices may change for planned exhibitions
Address
- 2345 Kasama, Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 165 minutes (for 1 to 3 combined)
Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
Crafthills Kasama
Approximately 20 minutes on foot
Crafthills Kasama
Located in a corner of Kasama Geijutsunomori Park, Crafthills Kasama exhibits and sells craft pieces. The interactive studio inside has an experiential studio for visitors to make pieces with a potter's wheel or by hand molding. An instructor provides guidance to help even novices turn out fantastic pieces of art.
Hours of operation
- 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed
- Mondays (the following day in case of a holiday)
Admission
- Potter's wheel experience (basic fee): 2,100 yen
- Hand molding experience (basic fee): 3,150 yen
- Other classes also available
Address
- 2388-1 Kasama, Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 165 minutes (for 1 to 3 combined)
Crafthills Kasama
The potter's wheel experience
Kasama Inari
Jinja Shrine
Approximately 20 minutes on foot
Kasama Inari Jinja Shrine
Said to have been built in the year 651, Kasama Inari Jinja Shrine is incredibly old, with a history of more than 1350 years. Ancient buildings on the compound create an atmosphere steeped in feeling. Each year, 3.5 million people visit the shrine.
Hours of operation
- 6:00 a.m. to sundown
Open 365 days a year
Address
- 1 Kasama, Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 30 minutes
The outer shrine of Kasama Inari Jinja Shrine
Kasama Station
Train – approximately 45 minutes (JR Mito Line)
Yuki Station
Approximately 10 minutes on foot
Tsumugi no Yakata
Approximately 10 minutes on foot
Tsumugi no Yakata
The premises include an archive, a kimono fabric exhibition hall, a shop selling goods made from Yuki-tsumugi fabric and a dyeing workshop for a lot of enjoyment for family and friends. Throughout the seasons, various events bring traditional Japanese culture to life, such as a yukata dyeing workshop, a lesson in the proper wearing of kimonos and a Dolls' Festival event.
Hours of operation
- 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entrance at 4:30 p.m.)
Closed
- Tuesdays (some areas may be open for certain events)
Admission
- No charge (except for the archives and dyeing workshops)
Address
- 12-2 Yuki, Yuki, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 80 minutes
Tsumugi no Yakata
Dyeing workshops are available
Yuki Station
Train – approximately 55 minutes (JR Mito Line)
Tomobe Station
Train – approximately 20 minutes (JR Joban Line)
Mito Station
Train – approximately 20 minutes (Kashima Rinkai Testudo)
Oarai Station
Shuttle – approximately 5 minutes
Oarai Hotel
Oarai Hotel
The Oarai Hotel faces the Pacific Ocean, giving fantastic views from the guest rooms. While soaking in the hot water in the large bath on the top floor, enjoy the extraordinary views of the sunrise and evening sun. Taking advantage of Ibaraki's bountiful seafood, the hotel serves such meals as winter anko nabe (monkfish hotpot), a specialty of Ibaraki.
Address
- 6881 Isohama-cho, Oarai-machi, Higashi Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Oarai Hotel
Large bath with a panoramic view
Day 2 – Time needed: approximately 8 hours, including approximately 5 hours for sightseeing and meals
Oarai Hotel
Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium
Separated into nine exhibition zones, each created around a different theme, the Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium allows visitors to appreciate up close a wide variety of sea life such as sharks from around the world. The Sea Life of Ibaraki zone includes a magnificent water tank boasting 1,300 tons of water used to model Ibaraki's ocean. In the Seas of the World zone, visitors encounter sea life in living models of the world's seas such as Okinawa, the Caribbean, the Red Sea, the Tasman Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.
Hours of operation
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entrance at 4:00 p.m.)
Closed
- Not set
Admission
- Adults – 1,800 yen
Address
- 8252-3 Isohama-cho, Oarai-machi, Higashi Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture
Getting there
- Approximately 7 minutes by bus from Nakaminato Station on the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway
Related websites
Aqua World Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquarium
The giant tank in the Sea Life of Ibaraki
Nakaminato Fish Market
Nakaminato Fish Market is filled with the bustle of tourists seeking fresh seafood at reasonable prices. Many restaurants line the market, the sort found only in a harbor town, selling seasonal seafood dishes and running sushi conveyor belts boasting large, fresh pieces of fish.
Hours of operation
- Vary depending on the store/vendor
Closed
- Varies depending on the store/vendor
Address
- 19-8 Minatohon-cho, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture
Getting there
- Approximately a 10-minute walk from Nakaminato Station on the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway
Related websites
Nakaminato Fish Market
Oarai Marine Tower
Oarai Marine Tower, symbol of Oarai. Rising 60 meters above ground, the tower has an observation deck on the third floor that provides a grand, 360-degree panorama. On clear days, visitors can see Mount Fuji, the Nikko Nasu Mountains and Mount Tsukuba. In the Marine Theater, located in the first floor entrance hall, visitors can learn about the history of the seas, the future shape of the oceans and other marine secrets.
Hours of operation
- 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (March 1 to August 31, December 22 to 25 and January 2 and 3)
- 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (September 1 to the end of February)
- 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (January 1)
Closed
- December 28 to 30
Admission
- Adults – 330 yen
Address
- 10 Minato Chuo, Oarai-machi, Higashi Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture
Getting there
- Approximately 5 minutes by bus from Oarai Station on the Kashima Rinkai Testudo
Related websites
Oarai Marine Tower
Oarai Station
Train – approximately 20 minutes (Kashima Rinkai Testudo)
Mito Station
Train – approximately 35 minutes (JR Suigun Line)
Hitachi-Omiya
Station
Taxi – approximately 20 minutes
Nishikanasa Soba
no Sato Soba Kobo
Taxi – approximately 30 minutes
Nishikanasa Soba no Sato Soba Kobo
In the soba crafting workshop, participants start by mixing the flour and work through the steps to the final product. An instructor is on-hand to provide advice, making this a task even a beginner can tackle. The workshop takes approximately 40 minutes. You'll see that soba never tastes better than when you make it yourself.
Hours of operation
- 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Closed
- Thursdays and December 29 to January 3
Address
- 2408 Akazuchi-cho, Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 90 minutes
Nishikanasa Soba no Sato Soba Kobo
A soba-making workshop
Seizanso
Bus – approximately 15 minutes
Seizanso
Seizanso is the name of the dwelling used for retirement by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, second daimyo (lord) of the Mito domain, and figures prominently in "Mito Komon," a long-running samurai TV drama in Japan. For the ten years leading up to his death, Tokugawa Mitsukuni lived at Seizanso, compiling his Dai Nihonshi (the Great History of Japan) a work of deep historical scholarship.
Hours of operation
- 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last entrance: 3:30 p.m.)
Closed
- Mondays (unless it's a holiday)
Admission
- Adults – 735 yen (includes a guide)
Address
- 590 Arajuku-cho, Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 60 minutes
Seizanso
Hitachi-Ota
Station
Train – approximately 35 minutes (JR Suigun Line)
Mito Station
Taxi – approximately 10 minutes
Tokugawa Museum
Approximately 10 minutes on foot
Tokugawa Museum
The Tokugawa Museum is the only place to view historical articles of the Mito House, a branch of the Tokugawa shogun family. Composed of some 30,000 articles, the exhibit focuses on the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Hours of operation
- 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last entrance at 3:30 p.m.)
Closed
- Mondays (unless it's a holiday)
Admission
- Adults – 735 to 1,155 yen (includes a genealogy chart)
Address
- 1-1215-1 Migawa, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 60 minutes
Tokugawa Museum
Kairakuen
Bus – approximately 15 minutes
Kairakuen
Along with Kenroku-en in Kanazawa and Korakuen in Okayama, Kairakuen is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. With 3,000 trees on the grounds representing some 100 species of ume, the park is quite lively in early spring with ume blossom viewers. Each season has major points of note: cherry blossoms in spring, rhododendrons in early summer, bamboo and sugi (cedar) in summer and maples in fall.
[Pay facilities]
Hours of operation
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – February 20 to September 30
- 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – October 1 to February 19
Closed
- December 29 to 31
Admission
- No charge (except for Kobuntei, which is 190 yen for adults)
Address
- 1-1251 Migawa, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
Related websites
Time needed: approximately 80 minutes
Kairakuen
Mito Station
As of November 2012
Trunk line
Bus
Taxi
On foot
For train travel from Tokyo to Ibaraki, use a JR Kanto Area Pass.
- Good for unlimited travel for three days with reserved seats on Shinkansen, limited express and other regular trains for 8,000 yen.
- Since this pass is also valid for travel from Narita and Haneda Airports, this is a great way to travel.
Timetables and seat reservations
