
Ibaraki might just be the most underrated prefecture in Japan. It's pretty near Tokyo (about 2 hours away) and it's easy to get here. You can choose to take a train or bus to Ibaraki. Most people visit Ibaraki for two reasons — Kairakuen (especially during plum season) and the Hitachi Seaside Park. However, there's a dog amusement park, castle ruins, Tsukuba Space Centre, Fukuroda waterfall, museums, shrines, Mount Tsukuba, and many more attractions. Ibaraki's close proximity to Tokyo allows it to be the destination of a quick day trip from Tokyo. However, if you have time, we will recommend that you spend at least 2 fulls days here. We were in Ibaraki for 2 days, and we used Mito, the capital city, as a base to explore.