Tsuchiura, Ibaraki during Covid-19


In late April I took another day trip on the weekend, this time to a town called Tsuchiura, in Ibaraki prefecture. Tsuchiura is about 60 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, along the shores of Lake Kasumigaura. From my apartment it took me two hours by rail, transferring once in Kita-Senju. Taking the JR part way would have cut down the time by 20-30 minutes but add an extra 1,000 yen each way, so I decided to go the (slightly) slower route.

Not sure why this says 49 minutes from Tokyo but then around 60
minutes to Tokyo Station. Anyway, I took local trains

After I transferred to the Joban Line, the train made its way out of the city itself, through the still densely populated suburbs and eventually past open fields with the occasional rice paddy. Even as we approached Tsuchiura, the areas around the train stations had shops and apartment complexes--this wasn't exactly the middle of nowhere countryside of Japan.

After reaching Tsuchiura Station, I walked to Kawaguchiundo Park, which has a small baseball stadium and marina along the lake shore. I passed just a handful of pedestrians and even fewer boats out on the lake. I had anticipated stopping for lunch, although there weren't many restaurants in the area. So, I decided to double back and head toward Kijo Park, centered around the remains of Tsuchiura Castle, and which I had only learned about via a map of local sights at the train station. At the park, like the marina, I only saw a few people--mostly locals out for a stroll enjoying the weather.

Marina at Kawaguchindo Park; not much happening

Reconstructed gate of Tsuchiura Castle; not much of the
original structure remained, but it was cool to have the
park nearly to myself

Part of the moat surrounding the old castle walls


The park also had a coy pond


Next to the park I found a local restaurant where I stopped for tonkatsu curry, and then made my way through the nearby walking street with souvenir shops. Most of the businesses were shut due to Covid-19, but I got the sense that this wasn't exactly a hopping area during normal times either. Even the Tsuchiura page on the Japan visitor website starts out with: "As a place to live work or commute to Tokyo, historic Tsuchiura is seen as competing and rather losing out to the more contemporary charms of nearby Tsukuba." What a glowing endorsement!

Katsu curry, a popular Japanese dish. This is a stock photo--I didn't
actually take a picture of my food (wouldn't call myself a foodie)

Houses along the park/castle moat. Although the area was
quiet, I enjoyed the peaceful streets


It may sound strange, but I kinda like those 'boring' non-touristy places--well, at least to visit--especially as a brief getaway from Tokyo and working from home in my 19 square meter apartment. And the town did have its charms, with the historic park and restored traditional buildings in the nearby blocks. As I continued to walk through town, past the empty entertainment area, I made my way to the Sakura River and followed it to the shores of Lake Kasumigaura again, eventually reaching the Tsuchiura City Kasumigaura Comprehensive Park (just rolls off the tongue).

I found my new home in the Tsuchiura entertainment scene


Closes at 9 am...stopover after you catch the
first morning train back from Tokyo? I
wonder what the nightlife is like sans Covid

For some reason the park had a Dutch windmill, with views of the lake, the second largest in Japan. After a walk around the park and surrounding rice paddies, I headed back into town to the train station to catch a ride to Tokyo. Again, I didn't measure my distance, but I probably clocked a solid 15 miles or so (close to 25 kms), so it was great to have a nearly empty train with plenty of seats for the hour back into the city before my transfer. Overall, I wouldn't put Tsuchiura on the top of a traveler's to do list for Tokyo day trips, but I really enjoyed my visit.

View of Lake Kasumigaura from the park

The windmill was an unexpected touch

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