Contrary to many seated Buddha statues, the Ushiku Buddha statue stands at a marvelous height of 120 metres, with a 10 metres base and 10 metres lotus platform. What you see in pictures are nothing compared to what meets the naked eye.

Itako is a small town in Ibaraki Prefecture known for its pretty waterways and annual iris festival, and its location less than two hours from Tokyo makes it a wonderful weekend getaway from the metropolis.

Many tourists travel around Japan hoping to encounter some of its beautiful wildlife. They might want to see macaques relaxing in an onsen, a Tanuki streaking across the road or even a majestic Japanese deer.

Two hours from Tokyo, Ibaraki Prefecture is divided into 3 main areas: Tsukuba, Mito and Hitachinaka, with Hitachinaka being the most popular. The area is especially famous for the furry red flowers of its Kochia festival held at Hitachi Seaside Park in autumn, but offers beautiful scenery in every season.

Sometimes, you just want to get out of Tokyo for a few hours. Less than 1 hour away, people often overlook the exciting and beautifully rural Ibaraki prefecture. A place that can bring out all kinds of joy to an eager traveller.

Can we take time off and book a flight ticket somewhere, especially if it is a sudden trip? Most of you will answer in the negative. But there is a way to still enjoy the good days: travel by car.

Mt. Tsukuba's twin peaks jut up from the Kanto plain and afford a wonderful of view of such disparate things as spiky skyline of Tokyo to the thrusting cone of Mount Fuji in a single sweeping vista.

Japan is famed for its beautiful parks and gardens. Many cultural events are held in these parks. They are probably the most frequented places across the country the whole year round. Japanese culture expresses a characteristic aesthetics and sense of harmony that are deeply rooted in nature.

In Japan, plum blossoms mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. There are many famous spots to view the beautiful red, pink and white plum blossoms.