The sun never 'sleeps' in Ibaraki

After a whole day of climbing the mountains or wandering around the solemn gardens and temples, I still see the 'sun' shining brightly as if it has never slept. That 'sun' is the color of autumn, when thousands of leaves change from orange, yellow, and red, creating striking patterns in the vast landscape.

Fukuroda Falls: Red maple leaves

Located in Daigo town, Fukuroda district, Fukuroda waterfall is one of the three most beautiful and famous waterfalls in the land of the rising sun. The waterfall is 120m high, 73m wide with four floors, formed about 15 million years ago by layers of sedimentary rocks stacked on top of each other. The waterfall is also known as Yodo no Taki. If you come in the fall, you will enjoy the endless flow, decorated with a palette of colors of maple trees dyed yellow and red. We all waited patiently in a long line just to have the most ideal standing position to watch the waterfall and record the charming frames.

To get to the waterfall, visitors will have to walk through the bustling streets and shops selling eye-catching souvenirs. Don't buy cute items, but take the time to take a small walk along the beautiful road with simple houses along the road, admire the scenery and completely relax with nature. A typical dish that you must definitely try here is Ayu, a grilled fish dish that is considered the most delicious and expensive in Japan, marinated in salt and grilled with a rich flavor, making you want to eat it forever.

“The Tunnel” in Hananuki Valley

Stretching from Tsuchitake Bridge along the Hananuki River to Torisone, Hananuki Valley is one of the natural landscapes that is beautiful in all four seasons in Ibaraki. But be careful, the 60m long suspension bridge across the valley is always one of the "traffic jams" because tourists gather here to sightsee and take pictures.

In autumn, the bridge transforms into a tunnel, surrounded by tree branches dyed in eye-catching red, orange, and yellow. From the bridge, you can see Shiomi Falls and the Hananuki River winding through the small valleys below. What a peaceful and gentle scene!

Bungee jumping from the longest suspension bridge on Honshu

Located in northern Ibaraki, the blue Ryujin Suspension Bridge spanning the Ryujin Gorge in Okukuji Prefectural Natural Park is considered the highest bungee jump in Japan, with a jump height of more than 100m. This is an exciting challenge for adventurous tourists. With a length of 375m, Ryujin is also the longest pedestrian bridge on Honshu Island. There is nothing more ideal than walking and enjoying nature, especially in the autumn weather.

The red hues not only color the forests of Japan, but also creep into the cities, where you can easily see the magical changes in parks and temples. There are countless such stops in Ibaraki.

Hitachi Park: Lost in Kochia Flower Paradise

With a prime location next to Ajigaura beach and a four-season flower paradise, Hitachi Park is always crowded with visitors coming here to enjoy the flowers and relax on weekends. In the fall, visitors to Hitachi Seaside Park will be amazed by the bright red Kochia "cotton hills". The paths around the hills are cleverly and delicately arranged, winding, making it easy for visitors to walk and enjoy the fresh air. Or visitors can also rent bicycles to ride around the enchanting flower paths and capture memorable souvenir photos.

In addition to Kochia, there are many other flowers planted among the hills such as Cosmos (butterfly flower), lily, zinnia and many other flowers. In the park, there is also an entertainment area with a large Ferris wheel, an ideal place for visitors to see the whole park, the coast from above, or the colorful flower carpets.

Street Food: Ayu Salt Grilled Fish – Japan's “Sweetfish”

One of my favorite street foods in Ibaraki is Ayu fish. Among many types of fish, Ayu fish is very expensive and loved by Japanese people. Although listed as high-class, the way to prepare and enjoy the fish is very simple, which is grilled fish with salt. After catching, the fish is marinated with salt, skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled over charcoal.

When enjoying, you can eat it right away without using any dipping sauce. The crust is golden brown, crispy, the fish meat is firm and sweet, marinated with rich salt, delicious and irresistible. If you enjoy grilled fish in September (right in the breeding season of ayu), you will eat grilled fish full of eggs, rich and sweet. The price of each grilled ayu fish is from 400 JPY ~ 85,000 VND.

More information:

+ Itinerary:There are currently no direct flights from Vietnam to Ibaraki. Visitors can:

Method 1: Fly from Vietnam to Narita Airport, Narita, then take the Tsukuba Express train to Tsukuba, which takes about 45 minutes.

Option 2: Fly from Vietnam to Haneda Airport, Tokyo. Then visitors can choose to go from Akihabara, Tokyo to Tsukuba in about 45 minutes by Tsukuba Express, or from Ueno to Mito City (capital of Ibaraki) in about 1 hour by Express train.

+ Some other attractions:The world's largest bronze Buddha statue Ushiku Daibutsu; Oarai Isosaki Shrine, Japan's largest school in the Edo period - Kodokan, Aqua World Oarai aquarium...

+ Language:English is not widely spoken in Japan, so you should go with a tour guide for assistance when needed, or bring your hotel's business card in case you get lost.

+ Currency:Japan's currency is the Yen (JPY). You should exchange money in Vietnam. Reference exchange rate: 1 JPY ~ 220 VND. Visitors can exchange money at the airport, or use credit cards when shopping at shopping centers, but you should still prepare a certain amount of cash.

+ Dishes you should try:Grilled Hitachi beef, enjoyed with sake and plum wine produced by Ibaraki farmers, will be very tasty; Anko fish hotpot, Hitachi Aki soba noodles, Rose pork, fermented soybeans, and melon. Japanese food is relatively bland, you can bring your own dried shrimp, lemon and chili seasoning to suit your taste.

+ Reference tour:Ibaraki - Mito - Fukushima - Hakone - Tokyo (6 days), price from 30,900,000 VND. Contact information: Vietravel - Hanoi, 03 Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi. Tel: 04.3933 1978. Website: www.travel.com.vn.

Article: Que Lan. Photos: Various sources

The Thanh