Nature Course Main Image

Depart from Tokyo Station

NATURE

2 Nights, 3 Days

Enjoy a 2 Night-3 Day Course Filled With Many Activities

First we'll depart from Tokyo Station, then after arriving at Hitachi Station we'll take a taxi. In a woodland area, we'll enjoy participating in a variety of activities together with nature. These include a farming experience, mountain climbing, and cycling.

DAY 1

7:00

Tokyo Station

At Tokyo Station we'll board the Limited Express Hitachi which takes about one hour and 40 minutes to Hitachi Station. From here it takes about 30 minutes by taxi to Oiwa Shrine.

DAY 1

9:30

Oiwa Shrine

A course that features a visit to Oiwa Shrine as well as mountain climbing.

Mt. Oiwa, located in Ibaraki Prefecture, sits at an elevation of 530 meters. From ancient times it has been revered as a divine object of faith and is honored here at Oiwa Shrine.
In total, there are 188 kami (gods) enshrined at Oiwa Shrine. So it's believed that making a pilgrimage here allows you to worship all of Japan's gods. Visitors can make various kinds of wishes including prayers for family harmony, career advancement, a safe delivery for one's baby, and also good luck. As a result, it's often considered to be Japan's top all-purpose shrine.
While aiming for the summit of Mt. Oiwa, please enjoy your outward trip from the shrine's front approach, and your return trip from the back approach.

Website: Oiwa Shrine Official Site

Address: 752 Irishikencho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Open year-round (The shrine may be closed during stormy weather)

Opening Hours: Visiting hours: 6:00-17:00, climbing hours: 6:00-15:00 (must descend the mountain by 17:00), office hours: 9:00-17:00

About 25 minutes by car

DAY 1

13:00

Kamahei

When you walk along the Kujiragaoka Shopping Street, you can't help but notice a banner that reads, "Sauce Katsudon."

This delectable dish features carefully selected Japanese pork and delicious koshihikari rice grown in Hitachiota City, topped off with a fragrant secret sauce.

Website: Kamahei Official Site

Address: 2129-2 Nishisancho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Sundays

Opening Hours: 11:00-14:00 * Open in the evening by reservation only

About five minutes on foot

DAY 1

14:30

A Walk Through Kujiragaoka District(Seven Slopes of Ota)

Take in the amazing scenery that often appears in TV dramas and movies!

There are many slopes in Kujiragaoka. In particular, there's Kizaki slope and Shimoido slope in the south; in the east there's Banya slope, Hanawa slope, and Azuma slope; and in the west there's Sugimoto slope and Juo slope. Together they are known as the Seven Slopes of Ota.

Website: Kujiragaoka District Official Site

Address: Higashiichi-cho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: ----

Opening Hours: ----

About 30 minutes by car

DAY 1

17:00

Yamadaya Ryokan

Yamadaya Ryokan — A certified hot spring treatment inn.

Yamadaya Ryokan is located in Ibaraki Prefecture's Hitachiota City. It's known as an onsen whose spring waters come vividly gushing out of the valley each season, and also as a "beauty bath (bijin-no-yu)" with a long and continuous history. It conveys 300 years of history to the present moment.

Website: Yamadaya Ryokan Official Site

Address: 1409 Orihashi-cho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: ----

Opening Hours: ----

About 10 minutes by car

DAY 2

10:15

Mattary Village(A Small Farm in the Countryside)

Farm Experience

Mattary Village is a small farm managed soley by a husband and wife. Here they cultivate free-range poultry chicken and native bean varieties without the use of any chemical fertilizers or herbicides. They also offer farm stays. So those people who would like to fully experience the nature of the local woodlands, those who want to be physically active, those who want to clear their heads and bask in the sunlight, and those thinking of moving, by all means, how about giving an authentic satoyama (woodlands) experience a try?

Website: Mattary Village Official Site

Address: 1215 Kosuge-cho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: ----

Opening Hours: ----

About 30 minutes by car

DAY 2

11:15

Italian Restaurant Raul

Features authentic pizza baked in a stone oven, as well as pasta, and a variety of main dishes using seasonal locally grown ingredients.

This Italian restaurant offers authentic, full-flavored pizza that's baked in a stone oven with firewood, pasta topped with a special homemade original sauce, and main dishes using seasonal ingredients that are grown locally.

Website: Italian Restaurant Raul Official Site

Address: 2975-2 Nakatoshikazu-cho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Tuesdays

Opening Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11:00-15:00 / Thursday to Sunday 11:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00

About 40 minutes by car

DAY 2

13:30

Konnyaku Sekisho

Homemade konnyaku (konjac jelly) prepared with carefully selected ingredients that were nurtured by Okukuji's pristine water and climate.

Konnyaku, made from Fukuroda's delicious water, is produced and sold directly at this shop. There are also some good bargain items that are unique to this retail shop, including homemade konnyaku.
In the adjoining restaurant, you can enjoy tasting sashimi konnyaku, tokoroten (seaweed jelly), and also some items produced at their sister shop such as yuba (tofu skin), and udon and soba noodles.

Website: Konnyaku Sekisho Official Site Reservation

Address: 2698-8 Fukuroda, Daigo-machi, Kuji-gun, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Open year-round

Opening Hours: 11:00～15:00

About ten minutes by car

DAY 2

14:30

daigo-cafe

A cafe with many highlights in a renovated traditional kominka home.

daigo-cafe is a stylish cafe that's even been featured in several magazines. It stands along Daigo-machi's Chushin Shopping Street and makes full use of a traditional home (kominka) that's a nationally registered tangible cultural property. The cafe serves up their popular spicy curry rice, as well as other entrees and sweets using ingredients from the Daigo area.

Website: daigo-cafe Official Site

Address: 688 Daigo-machi, Kujik-gun, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Wednesdays

Opening Hours: 11:00-18:00

About ten minutes by car

DAY 2

17:00

Daigo Onsen Yamizo Hotel

From autumn until winter, Daigo Onsen is famous for its Ringo-buro.This is a hot spring bath filled with floating apples, which are a local specialty.

Daigo Onsen Yamizo Hotel—a calm and peaceful inn—is surrounded by the Kuji River's clear streams and the abundant nature of the Okukuji area. The hotel got its name from the Yamizo mountain range which spans the three prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Fukushima.
The view from the summit of Mt. Yamizo is spectacular, and there are also many people who enjoy mountain climbing here. Nearby you'll find Fukuroda Falls. They boast a height of 120 meters and a width of 73 meters, and the highlight is the force and power of these amazing waterfalls.

Website: Daigo Onsen Yamizo Hotel Official Site

Address: 524-2 Yada, Daigo-machi, Kujik-gun, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: ----

Opening Hours: ----

About five minutes by car

DAY 3

11:00

Ring-Ring Square Tsuchiura

Go cycling along the shoreline of Lake Kasumigaura and enjoy the ever-changing scenery as you admire the view of Mt. Tsukuba.

Ring-Ring Square Tsuchiura is a cycling hub facility that's directly connected to the station. Bike rentals are also available here, so just bring yourself and then easily enjoy a day of cycling.

Website: Ring-Ring Square Tsuchiura Official Site

Address: PLAYatre 1F / B1F, 1-30 Ariake-cho, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Open year-round (Temporary closures can sometimes occur)

Opening Hours: 1F - 10:00-20:00 / B1F - 5:00-25:00

About 180 minutes for a bike ride

DAY 3

11:30

Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring-Ring Road

A 40-kilometer cycling course

This is an authentic 40-kilometer-long cycling route. With no sharp corners and minimal slopes, this special bike-pedestrian route is really easy to use.
Along the way, we recommend stopping in for some morning ramen at Matsuya Seimenjo, which opens early at 7:00. It's really popular and can sometimes sell out before noon.
Hojo Oike Pond is at the entrance to the former mountain trail along the Tsukuba-michi route. In the springtime, the cherry blossoms here are in full bloom with Mt.Tsukuba as a backdrop. The reflection of the blossoms and Mt. Tsukuba on the pond's surface is breathtakingly beautiful. This is one of Tsukuba City's most famous blossom spots.

Website: Former Tsukuba Railway Course Matsuya Seimen-jo

Address: Matsuya Seimenjo: 300 Numata, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki

Regular holiday: Matsuya Seimenjo : Wednesdays

Opening Hours: Matsuya Seimenjo : 7:00-17:00

After taking a short break at Hojo Oike Pond, we head for JR Iwase Station.

DAY 3

14:30

Takasago Ryokan

Conveniently return your rental bike at Takasago Ryokan.

You can return your bike at Takasago Ryokan which sits right in front of JR Iwase Station. After returning your bike, hop on board the JR Mito Line and head for Tokyo Station. Along the way, at Tomobe Station, you can transfer to the JR Limited Express.