On Friday, August 21st, students from the Tourism Business Class took a bus trip to Ushiku, in Ibaraki Prefecture. Throughout the journey, each student took turns introducing different places and sharing information about the destinations they were about to visit.

The journey began with a visit to the Ushiku Great Buddha. Standing at an impressive 120 meters tall, the statue is currently the fifth tallest in the world.

Students also had the opportunity to explore the inside of the statue, which features a museum introducing its history, construction process, and various interesting facts. One of the floors houses more than 3,000 bronze Buddha statues, creating an impressive and peaceful atmosphere.

At the top of the statue, an observation deck offers views of the surrounding gardens and a unique perspective of the upper part of the Great Buddha.

After visiting the Great Buddha, the students took a walk through the beautiful gardens surrounding the site. The lavender fields were in full bloom, adding a touch of color and fragrance to the landscape.

The giant soft-serve ice creams available at the shop were also a big hit with the students!

After a lunch break, the students continued their trip to a park located along the shores of Ushiku Swamp (牛久沼).

The area is home to beautiful swans, which quickly caught the students’ attention. Impressed by the birds’ beauty, they took plenty of photos to capture the moment.

The day ended with a visit to Château Kamiya (牛久シャトー), a historic winery founded in 1903. It is considered the oldest existing winery in Japan and was established by a Japanese entrepreneur with the help of French winemaking expertise. The grapevines were originally imported from France.

Inside the château, students visited a museum introducing the history of the winery and the development of wine culture in Japan. The visit concluded with a tasting of wine and grape juice produced at the estate.

After a full day of sightseeing and discovery, it was finally time to head back to Tokyo. Although the weather had been stormy throughout the day, the students were lucky enough to avoid the rain during their visits—it only started raining on the way home!