Tsukuba & Ushiku 2026: Science City, Mount Tsukuba & a Giant Buddha

Southern Ibaraki is the prefecture’s most family-friendly corner and its easiest from Tokyo, reachable in well under an hour on the Tsukuba Express. It holds Japan’s purpose-built science city, the country’s second-largest lake, a holy twin-peaked mountain the classical poets ranked beside Mount Fuji, and a bronze Buddha so tall you ride an elevator up inside it. This guide is for families and the curious, and works as a packed day trip or a relaxed two days. It assumes you will use a mix of the train and a car.

At a glance: 1–2 days · good year-round, clearest views in autumn and winter · budget roughly ¥6,000–12,000 per person per day with entries, the mountain ropeways and lunch · for families, science-minded travellers and view-seekers · base in central Tsukuba if you stay overnight.

Tsukuba, the science city

Tsukuba was built from the 1960s as Japan’s planned science city, and it is now home to the national space agency and dozens of research institutes. The most rewarding stop for visitors is the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center, the operational heart of the agency — the place that develops Japan’s satellites, trains its astronauts and runs the Japanese module of the International Space Station. Its public face is the free Space Dome exhibition hall, where you walk among full-size models of Japanese satellites, a real test model of the Kibo space-station module you can step inside, rocket engines and a half-scale launch vehicle; outside, a genuine retired H-II rocket lies full-length in the entrance plaza. The Space Dome is free and walk-in; guided tours of the working facility run by reservation, some in English, and should be booked well ahead.

A short way north, the Tsukuba Expo Center is a hands-on science museum left from the 1985 Tsukuba exposition, recognisable from the full-size 50-metre H-II rocket model standing upright outside. Inside are interactive exhibits on space, robots and the body, pitched at children but engaging for adults, and one of the largest planetariums in Japan. Entry is around ¥500, or ¥1,000 with a planetarium show (approx., 2026); it is closed Mondays and the last Tuesday of the month. The full two-day route that links the science city with the lake, the mountain and the Buddha is our Tsukuba, Ushiku and Mount Tsukuba itinerary.

Lake Kasumigaura and the eel town

A short drive east, Tsuchiura sits on Lake Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan — a broad, shallow sheet of water that defines the south of the prefecture. From the Tsuchiura port a small sightseeing fleet runs short cruises out among the fishing boats and, on summer weekends, the traditional sail-powered hobikibune fishing boats with their great white sails. A short cruise runs around ¥1,500–1,700 adult (approx., 2026); the lotus beds along the shore bloom pink in late June and early July.

Tsuchiura has also been an eel town for generations, when the lake and its rivers were rich in it. Komatsuya, founded in 1916, grills its eel in the Kanto style — steamed, then finished over charcoal with a sweet-savoury glaze — and serves it as unaju at roughly ¥3,000–6,000 (approx., 2026), along with the soy-simmered tsukudani the lake country is known for. Reserve at weekends.

Mount Tsukuba

Mount Tsukuba, the twin-peaked mountain that dominates the plain, is one of the very few mountains the classical poets ranked alongside Fuji, and it has carried shrines on its summits for some three thousand years. At its foot, on the saddle between the two peaks, Tsukubasan Shrine worships the mountain itself: its higher summit Nyotai-san (“female body”) and Nantai-san (“male body”) are honoured as a pair of deities, husband and wife, which is why the mountain is a long-standing place of prayer for marriage and family harmony.

The easy way up is by the two cableways. The cable car climbs from the Miyawaki station beside the shrine to the saddle near the higher summit in about eight minutes (around ¥590 one way, ¥1,070 round trip; approx., 2026). From there a marked ridge path crosses to the second peak in twenty to thirty minutes of enjoyable summit walking past curious weathered rocks, and the ropeway carries you down the eastern slope to Tsutsujigaoka in about six minutes (around ¥750 one way, ¥1,300 round trip; approx., 2026). Going up one way and down the other turns the mountain into a proper traverse, and on a clear day the views reach across the Kanto plain to Tokyo’s towers and Mount Fuji. The ropeway runs special evening services in season for the night view.

The Great Buddha at Ushiku

South of Tsukuba, rising abruptly from flat fields, stands the Ushiku Daibutsu, one of the tallest statues on earth: a bronze Amida Buddha 120 metres to the top of its head, of which the figure itself is 100 metres — three times the height of the Statue of Liberty, and for years a world record for a bronze statue. The astonishment is that you go inside: a lift carries you about 85 metres up into the chest, past a dim hall of thousands of small gilded Buddhas, to a viewing window from which, on a clear day, you can see Tokyo’s skyline and Mount Tsukuba. Around its feet are a garden of seasonal flowers, a small petting area and a pond, so it works for all ages. Entry including the lift is around ¥800 adult, ¥400 child (approx., 2026). Lift waits can run to a couple of hours on peak-day weekends, so a weekday is much calmer, and it is a strange, awe-inspiring close to a southern Ibaraki trip — unforgettable for children.

Getting around

Central Tsukuba is the terminus of the Tsukuba Express from Akihabara, about 45 minutes; from there, buses reach Mount Tsukuba and the science sights, but a rental car makes linking Tsukuba, Tsuchiura and Ushiku far smoother, especially with children. If you only have one day, prioritise the JAXA centre, Mount Tsukuba and the Ushiku Buddha; the lake and the planetarium are the natural additions for a second day. All prices are approximate 2026 figures; reconfirm the ropeway and aquarium-style attraction fees when you go.

FAQ

Can you really go inside the Ushiku Daibutsu? Yes. An elevator carries visitors about 85 metres up inside the 120-metre bronze statue, past a hall of thousands of small gilded Buddhas, to a viewing window in the chest with views over the plain to Tokyo and Mount Tsukuba on clear days. Entry including the lift is around ¥800 for adults (approx., 2026), and a weekday visit avoids the long peak-weekend queues.

How do you get up Mount Tsukuba without hiking? Two cableways do the climbing: a cable car from the Tsukubasan Shrine side up to near the higher summit, and a ropeway down the other peak to Tsutsujigaoka. A short ridge walk of twenty to thirty minutes links the two summits, so most visitors ride up one side, cross on foot, and ride down the other for a full traverse without a serious hike.

Is Tsukuba good for kids? Very. The JAXA Space Center with its real rockets, the interactive Expo Center and its planetarium, the cable car and ropeway up Mount Tsukuba, and the elevator inside the Ushiku Buddha are all engaging for children, and the southern area is the easiest part of Ibaraki to reach from Tokyo. It makes a strong family day trip or a relaxed two days.

How far is southern Ibaraki from Tokyo? Central Tsukuba is about 45 minutes from Akihabara on the Tsukuba Express, making it one of the closest parts of Ibaraki to the capital. Ushiku and Tsuchiura are a little south and east of Tsukuba; a car links them most easily, while Tsukuba and Mount Tsukuba are well served by train and bus.

Is the JAXA Space Center free to visit? The Space Dome public exhibition hall is free and open to walk-in visitors, though it closes on some days, so check ahead. Guided tours of the working research facility, some offered in English, are paid and require advance reservation, and they book up, so arrange those before your visit if you want the behind-the-scenes look.

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