Weekend Trip To Ushiku.
This was my last weekend in Tokyo of this year`s trip and I wanted it to be really unforgettable, and it sure turned out that way. This weekend I spent enjoying at Ushiku in Ibaraki about 50km from Tokyo. This is a beautiful and pleasant place where one can visit the wineyards and Daibutsu, the largest Buddha statue in the world.
We first visited the sprawling winery of Chateau Kamiya built by Denbei Kamiya way back in 1903. This Chateau consists of a beautiful reddish-brown bricked mansion, built in a western style with green rooftop. There is a special exhibition building which showcases modern and ancient wine production tools and machinery. The building has huge barrels on display in a recreated cellar.
The Chateau has huge, open grounds for picnics and leisure with barbeque tents where an irresistable treat of garden barbeque can be savoured. The fountains, huge cherry trees lining the quaint Chateau lanes and the superb lush green lawns make it a picture perfect view. The souvenir shops and restaurants along with a swanky food court makes it a hugely popular tourist destination.
After our garden barbeque feast, guzzled up on wine and champagne, we left for Ushiku Daibutsu, which is the largest Buddha statue in the world. It potrays Amida Buddha standing and is a whopping 120metres tall. The garden surrounding the statue is a splendid Japanese style garden and with it being Fall season, the color change in trees looked absolutely mesmerising. The stream gushing down the slopes and a pond in the centre of the garden add to the splendour of this place.
The trip inside the statue is the highlight of this place. The elevator carries you about 85 metres to the top, about the chest level of the giant Amida Buddha from where a magnificient view of the surroundings is possible. The museum inside has about 3,000 Buddha statues. The huge park also consisits of a Walnuts Garden for squirrels and rabbits. This is hugely popular with children who enjoy playing with the adorable squirrels and rabbits. The aura of the statue filling the surrounding park, one can sense great spiritual awakening and relaxation.
After enjoying ourselves to the hilt at this amazing place, we returned back to the bustling metropolis of Tokyo to wind up our evening with a tasty dinner at an Izakaya at Akihabara. Undoubtedly, it was a nice and pleasant day spent in the beauty of nature and spirituality. The winery in the midst of fountains and lawns and the Amida Buddha statue in the lovely park was truly unforgettable! It was definitely one of those days which I will not forget in years to come.
-Isha.
10/nov/08.
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