Planet-ta-kun’s Observations of New Japan

In this column, our original company character ‘Planet-ta-kun’ will travel to tourist spots in Japan that are popular with overseas visitors and will introduce some topics related to the charms and inbound expenditure of these places.

Ibaraki Prefecture has been much talked about recently - as the hometown of the newest sumo grand champion, for the opening of all lines of the Ken-o Expressway and for being the setting of a new morning drama beginning in April.Ibaraki has been attracting attention in the inbound tourism field, as tours from overseas have increased 1.6-fold compared to the previous quarter*, and the prefecture was ranked second in a list of “Top 10 prefectures that foreigners are growing interested in,” released by TripAdvisor in 2016. In this issue we visited popular spots around the prefecture, discovered the charms of Ibaraki and talked about efforts to improve visitor satisfaction.
*Tour figures from the April 2016 to January 2017 period.　

Ibaraki

In a good location which is easy to access from Tokyo, the number of foreign visitors staying in Ibaraki Prefecture has been increasing year by year. Tours from Vietnam are the third most common after those from China and Taiwan. Ibaraki is the second largest prefecture in terms of agriculture. As a country with plentiful agriculture, Vietnam has close links to the prefecture and many Vietnamese trainees are sent to stay with farming families in Ibaraki, increasing the opportunities for cultural exchange across many fields.

Kairakuen

A famous place for plum blossoms just six minutes from Mito Station by car. Its ‘Plum Blossom Festival’ is held every year from mid-February to late March. In the midst of the blossoming plum trees, you can also meet the ‘Mito plum ambassadors’ who wear beautiful furisode kimono. It’s the second most popular spot with foreign tourists in Ibaraki after Hitachi Seaside Park.

Museum of Umeshu and Sake :‘Bessyun-kan’

The most popular Ibaraki souvenir among foreign tourists is umeshu (Japanese apricot liqueur)! Following the sake brewing tour, everyone buys as much as they can carry before leaving. We also heard this anecdote - when a group tour of Vietnamese visitors were leaving, one of the museum employees looked up the Vietnamese for “Please come again” on her smartphone and called after the group. The visitors were deeply impressed and all came back to shake hands with her.

Hitachi Seaside Park

A sprawling seaside park located in Hitachinaka City. Before WWII it was an airfield belonging to the Japanese Army, post-war it became a US Army shooting range. From late April to mid-May, blue nemophila bloom. Thanks to foreign tourists posting photographs on social media of the blue-covered fields they discovered upon their visit, the park has suddenly become an extremely popular spot.

Oarai

About 16 minutes from Mito by train is a coastal town with plentiful seafood such as monkfish hot pot. Due to the appearance of a local tank in a 2012 animation, fans suddenly began to descend on this “pilgrimage spot” and turned the town’s sleepy shopping street into a bustling thoroughfare. Overseas fans from places like Taiwan and Hong Kong also visit!

Ushiku Daibutsu & Ami Premium Outlet

Beginning with visitors from Buddhist countries in Southeast Asia, tourists from many countries have come to visit this rare colossal standing Buddha. There is also an outlet mall approximately a 25-minute walk away which many people go to after visiting Ushiku Daibutsu. In particular, many Chinese bus tour groups pay a visit.

Ibaraki Airport

There are international flights to and from Shanghai everyday, excluding Wednesdays. There are also Tokyo Station-bound connecting buses, which air travellers are able to use for just one coin (500 yen) one way. Upon arrival, many people use these to travel to Tokyo. It is also cheaper to stay in Ibaraki, so there are also people who use rental cars.