Culture, Crafts & Cuisine
For travelers flying to and from Ibaraki Airport
- 5 day – 4 night (3 nights in Mito and 1 night at Fukuroda Hot Spring Resort) travel plan featuring shrines, gardens, traditional pottery and the chance to try some local delicacies!
- For travellers flying to and from Ibaraki Airport
Day 1
Ibaraki Airport
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Ibaraki Airport
directions_bus 40min by bus
Mito Station North Exit
directions_bus 15min by bus
Kairakuen Garden
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Kairakuen GardenLocated in the center of Mito, Kairakuen Garden is one of the three most famous gardens in Japan. The garden features a flat hill from which you can get a panoramic view of Lake Senba and its surroundings, and local people often come here to relax. The garden is landscaped according to the principles of yin and yang, and you can enjoy walking through the bamboo forest, as well as the beautiful gardens of seasonal flowers.
directions_busdirections_walk Take a bus or walk.
Stay at a hotel in Mito
Day2
Mito Station
train 25min by train on JR Joban Line and JR Mito Line
Kasama Station
directions_walklocal_taxi 20min on foot or 5min by taxi
Kasama Inari Jinja shrine
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Kasama Inari Jinja shrineOne of Japan’s three most popular Inari shrines, Kasama Inari Shrine features a main hall with beautiful carvings that has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. Wisteria flowers on a 400-year-old tree bloom in early May, and the shrine is also known for its chrysanthemum festival in autumn. Some visitors pray for prosperity in agriculture, commerce, and the manufacturing and fishing industries, while others pray for a safe birth or successful match-making.
Try some inarizushi (soy-sauce-flavored tofu pouches with fillings such as vinegar rice, walnuts and other ingredients.)
Try some inarizushi (soy-sauce-flavored tofu pouches with fillings such as vinegar rice, walnuts and other ingredients.)
directions_walklocal_taxi 28min on foot or 6min by taxi
CraftHills Kasama / Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
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CraftHills KasamaCrafthills Kasama provides various kinds of things related to Kasama pottery, such as classes to learn and experience how to make pottery, a permanent exhibition of highly-evaluated Kasama pottery works, a relaxing café lounge, and a souvenir shop. In the gallery near the souvenir shop on the first floor, there is space for temporal displays, where you can appreciate original works by local pottery artists. This is an inspiring art facility.
directions_walk 20min on foot (strolling around the town)
Kasama Station
train Approx. 20min by train on JR Mito Line and JR Joban Line
Uchihara Station
directions_walk 5min on foot
AEON MALL Mito Uchihara
shopping and dining
directions_walk 5min on foot
Uchihara Station
train 11min by train on JR Joban Line
Mito Station
Stay at a hotel in Mito
Day3
Mito Station
train Approx. 80min on JR Suigun Line
Hitachi-Daigo Station
Strolling around the town of Daigo / Machikado Art Museum
Eat Okukuji-Shamo Don (a bowl of rice with chicken-omelet-like toppings) for lunch at Tamaya Ryokan in front of the station.
Hitachi-Daigo Station
train5min by train on JR Suigun Line
Fukuroda Station
local_taxi 5min by taxi (fees: roughly 1,000 yen)
Get to the entrance of Fukuroda Falls.
directions_walk 7min on foot
Fukuroda Falls (required time: 45min)
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Fukuroda FallsFukuroda Falls is said to be one of the three great waterfalls of Japan. Water cascades against a giant rock cliff in four levels, so it is also called ‘Yodo-no-taki’ (four-time falls). There are some spots to see the waterfall closely, and from there you can enjoy magnificent scenery every season.
Try some Ayu-no-shioyaki (broiled sweet fish sprinkled with salt) and skewered konjak with miso at stalls.
directions_walklocal_taxiwalk or take a taxi to the hotel.
Stay at a hotel in the Fukuroda Hot Spring resort
Day4
Fukuroda Station
train Approx. 80min on JR Suigun Line
Mito Station (change trains here.)
train 70min by train on JR Mito Line
Yuki Station
local_taxidirections_walk 5min by taxi or 15min on foot or 10min by bike (Bicycle Rental is available at Yuki Station.)
Yuki Tsumugi (silk fabric) Museum ‘Tsumugi no Yakata’
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Yuki Tsumugi (silk fabric) Museum ‘Tsumugi no Yakata’Strolling around the town of Yuki (Try some yude-manju (local sweets: boiled buns with a sweet bean jam filling.)
directions_walk 15min on foot or ride on the rental bike.
Yuki Station
train Approx. 75min on JR Mito Line
Mito Station
Stay at a hotel in Mito
Day5
Mito Station North Exit
directions_walk 4min on foot
Kodokan Mito Han School
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KodokanKodokan was established in 1841 by Nariaki Tokugawa, the 9th feudal lord of the Mito Domain and was the largest of the clan warrior schools. Kodokan is comparable to a university today; students could study subjects such as medicine, pharmacy and astronomy as well as martial arts. Japan’s last shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, was educated at the Kodokan for five years from the age of six. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Yoshinobu spent four months confined to a room in Shizendo, part of the Kodokan complex at that time.
directions_walk 5min on foot
Mito Station South Exit
directions_walk 10min on foot
Meiri Shurui: Besshunkan (Japanese Sake and Umeshu Museum)
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Meiri Shurui Besshunkan
directions_walk 10min on foot
Mito Station South Exit
directions_bus 40min by bus