Tsukuba

Tsukuba (つくば) is a city in Ibaraki, to the north of Tokyo, Japan.

Understand
Tsukuba is a modern town built around the University of Tsukuba &mdash; one of the most respected public universities in Japan and home to three Nobel Prize winners and a synchrotron. The city is also located at the foot of Mount Tsukuba which offers scenic views, hiking, and lifts. The surrounding area is mostly agricultural.

Tourist information sites

 * The city government's official site has a good Japanese-only tourism section with integrated machine translation.


 * The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site, with a downloadable 8-page pamphlet in English.

Get in
The Tsukuba Express Line (sometimes abbreviated as TX) connects Tsukuba to Akihabara in downtown Tokyo in about 45 minutes. The fare is ¥1,150. No reservation is necessary, despite the flashy name it looks like most other trains.

You can also travel to Tsukuba by highway bus (高速バス) from Tokyo station's Yaesu south exit (八重洲南口). Most of the buses go to University of Tsukuba, but you can get off at Tsukuba Center, a bus hub located near the Tsukuba Express line station. The travel time is approx. 70 minutes at a cost of ¥1150 each way.

If you get to Narita airport by plane, a route by train to Tsukuba is: Narita airport~(Keisei Narita Sky Access)~Shin-Kamagaya~(Tobu Urban Park Line) via Kashiwa)~Nagareyama-Otakanomori~(Tsukuba Express)~Tsukuba. Japan Rail Passes can not be used on this route. Any train route requires at least two train changes. Using Narita Kuko Kotsu Express bus is simpler - direct to Tsukuba station bus terminal, six times a day, at \2400.

Get around
Tsukuba is extremely accessible and well laid-out. The infrastructure consists of the Higashi-Ōdori (東大通り) on the east and the Nishi-Ōdori (西大通り) on the west, both major roadways running on either side of the university. The campus itself is connected to downtown via a system of bicycle paths and bridges, known as the Pedestrian Way, offering easy transit for university students.

Bicycle rental is available in front of the train station (ask for "rent-a-cycle"). ¥500 per day, half for kids bicycles, open from 09:00 to 18:30. You have to return the bicycles by 18:30, except if you rent for several days.

Do
Tsukuba's main attraction for tourists is Mount Tsukuba, a double-peaked mountain with a lot of history. The Tsukuba-san Shuttle Bus drives from the Tsukuba Express Train Station to Tsukuba Shrine for ¥720 each way, and to its terminus Tsutsujigaoka, closer to the top, for about ¥1,000. The last bus back to the city is at 5PM.



Buy
Tsukuba's local specialty is Gama Oil (ガマの油), an ointment that has existed since the Edo period.

Tsukuba has several large shopping centers such as LALA GARDEN, Q't and SEIBU. Lots of families or couples go there every weekend.



Drink
Many bars and izakaya (japanese-style pub) are located in Kuidaore district, which is near to a crossing of Kita-odori (北大通り) and Nishi-odori (西大通り).
 * Bar Progress, Amakubo 2-4-21 (Researchers and students gather and interact there)
 * Bar Progress, Amakubo 2-4-21 (Researchers and students gather and interact there)

Go next

 * Tsuchiura
 * Kasumigahara
 * Ushiku
 * Tsukubamirai
 * Ishioka
 * Kasama
 * Joso
 * Chikusei
 * Shimotsuma