Visit

Ose Beach

Ose Beach is the closest seashore to JR Hitachi Station. At high tide, seawater fills up hollows in the rocks forming natural pools that are perfect for children to play in.
The beach also hosts a summer festival every year.

Kasama Chrysanthemum Festival

Kasama Chrysanthemum Festival is Japan's oldest chrysanthemum festival. The festival began in 1908 when the head priest of Kasama Inari Shrine created gardens on the shrine grounds to comfort people following the Russo-Japanese War.
Chrysanthemum festivals are typically held across Japan in autumn. Likewise, this festival has come to symbolize the arrival of fall in Ibaraki. Around 8,000 chrysanthemum plants are displayed throughout Kasama Inari Shrine during the festival, filling the grounds with the color and fragrance of Japanese autumn.

Kasama Inari Shrine

First established in 651, Kasama Inari Shrine is one of Japan's famous Inari shrines, attracting around 3.5 million pilgrims and visitors annually. The sacred site enshrines Ukanomitama-no-Mikoto, known to answer prayers for success in business and protection from fires. The shrine grounds are stunning in the late spring when the wisteria flower bloom. Another beautiful time to visit is during the chrysanthemum festival in autumn.
The streets leading up to the shrine are filled with various shops to explore, from traditional soba restaurants to fashionable cafes and renovated sake breweries. Specialties of the area include Kasama Inari Sushi, rice with walnuts, and other seasonal products wrapped in deep-fried tofu and roasted chestnuts. Kasama City is known for its pottery, and there are plenty of galleries in the area to pick up a souvenir before heading home.

Crafthills Kasama

Kasama City is famous for its thriving pottery tradition throughout Japan. Crafthills Kasama is the ideal place to learn more about the city's pottery, see works by famed local potters, shop for souvenirs, and even try making your own Kasama-style pottery!
The facility is set in an expansive park and houses galleries exhibiting works by well-known local artists. There's also a cafe, coffee shop, souvenir shop, and pottery studios.
The Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum is located next door to Crafthills Kasama. Likewise, the surrounding park contains several unique and playful outdoor sculptures.
The cafe, hands-on pottery experiences, and affordable souvenirs make Crafthills Kasama an accessible introduction to the world of Japanese pottery. It has plenty of attractions to offer families, casual visitors, and pottery enthusiasts.

Ryujin River & Kamegafuchi Pool

The Ryujin River and Kamegafuchi pool area has inspired numerous local legends. In Japanese, Ryujin River translates to "Dragon River." Not surprisingly, the locals believed that a mythical dragon resided in the river. The otherworldly Kamegafuchi Pool area certainly seems like something could lurk in its depths.
The Ryujin River and Kamegafuchi Pool area is an excellent site for hiking. Nearby destinations include the Ryujin Campsite and Tacchan-no-Yu hot spring baths, ideal for relaxing and recovering after hiking.

Kikunoka Brewery

Kikunoka Brewery uses a range of traditional brewing techniques to make authentic-tasting, crowd-pleasing sake. From the first mouthful to the last sip, the brewery's sake is perfect for special occasions to an evening drink.
The brewery is also open to visitors.

Yoshikubo Brewery

Yoshikubo Brewery has been making sake at their Mito Honcho location since 1790. The tasty beverage uses Mito City's soft water and top-quality rice produced locally in Ibaraki. Yoshikubo Brewery achieves its distinct acidity and savory flavor of their sake by allowing the koji (mold) to develop slowly during the brewing process.
The brewery is famous for its junmai daiginjo sake (top-grade sake), "Ippin." This beverage has received numerous awards, including the Gold Award for Sake.

Kujihama Beach

Enjoy the sun, sea, and sand at this beach known for its white lighthouse and shallow waters.
Hitachi Fish Market is located close to the beach, which is the perfect place to grab fresh sushi or a sashimi lunch.

Ushiku Daibutsu Buddha Statue

This giant Buddhist statue towers above the Ibaraki countryside. At 120 meters tall, it holds the Guinness World Record as the tallest standing bronze statue worldwide.
Visitors can go inside the Buddha and take the lift to an observation platform that offers stunning views over the Kanto Plains. The statue also contains a Buddhist Temple, a Buddhist memorial, and an area for practicing Buddhist calligraphy.
During spring, the grounds around the statue are filled with stunning pink cherry blossom trees and moss phlox (a type of blossom covering the ground), making for a breathtaking spectacle.
English-speaking staff and information are available to ensure you get the most out of your visit.

Koga Park

This 250,000 square meter park is located in the center of Koga City. The park encompasses a large swamp and lotus pond. It is also home to several traditional Japanese farmhouses and the grave of Yoshiuji Ashikaga (1537–1597), the former ruler of the province.
The Koga City Peach Blossom Festival occurs in the park from late March to early April annually. More than 1500 peach trees fill the grounds with delicate pink and white blossoms during the festival. Various special events and performances take place beneath the canopy of flowers.
If you miss the peach blossom festival, the lotus flowers bloom from June to July. The variety of lotus found in Koga Park is the Ogahasu variety, dating back some 2000 years!
Koga Park is a recipient of the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes. It was the first place in Japan to receive this award.

Rokkakudo

Rokkakudo was designed during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) by Tenshin Okakura, a forerunner of the Japanese modern art movement. This red hexagonal building is also known as the "Kanrantei" or "place for viewing the ocean waves." Both Tenshin and Taikan Yokoyama, a famous Japanese painter, spent significant periods contemplating around this rocky coastline.
Currently, Rokkakudo is open to the public under the supervision of the Izura Institute of Art & Culture, Ibaraki University.

Oiwa Shrine

While the exact age of Oiwa Shrine is unknown, the presence of religious remains from the Jomon Era (around 3500-4500 years ago) appears to have occurred here from ancient times. The shrine is also mentioned in "Hitachi no Fudoki," one of Japan's oldest literary texts. It refers to the shrine by its former name of "Yamakabire no Takamine" and describes it as a sacred site built to honor the deities in the mountainous area.