What to do on a sunny Sunday around Tsukuba?
Ushiku pond and Edo warp station
by Nicolas Delerue
You may have noticed this pond on the south east of Tsukuba. A nice place to go on a sunny sunday.
This pond is at the junction of two small stream called Nishi-yata river and Higashi-yata river. Even if little water flows in these 2 streams, they become very broad when they reach the pond, forming 2 arms that extend on a few kilometers. A little shinto shrine devoted to the pond's deity is located at the tip between the two arms of the pond. The Edo warp station is a theme park that let you slip back to the time of the Edo era.
From Tsukuba center, you need to go to the south-east to reach Ushiku pond. The best way to do so is to take the Tsuchiura-gakuen dôri (the street passing between Seibu and the tallest building of Tsukuba, Mitsui building). Coming from the bus terminal, turn right on Tsuchiura-gakuen dôri. Cross Nishi Ôdôri and keep going in the same direction (you are now on road 408) a few hundreds meter later there is a bridge passing over road 408, just before the intersection where road 408 turns left. Turn left before the bridge (take the bridge if you were on the right side of the road). Down from the bridge comes a cycling path that goes all the way accross Matsushiro, crossing parks and gardens on its way. Cycle on this path all the way until its end (near a meat market), then turn right and follow the road. Soon this road crosses a big 2-way road (road 408 again). Cross road 408 and keep going in the same direction (toward the south east). There are many little roads going accross the paddy fields, choose whichever you want, as long as you keep road 408 in your back or on your left. You will probably reach the Institute for Agricultural Science, go around it by the right. The next big 2-way road you will reach is Science Ôdôri. Cross it and and keep going on the road on which you are, heading toward Yatabe. After something like 2 kilometers you should pass Yatabe clinic and then reach road 354. Cross it and turn right on the next road. Soon you should arrive at a bridge over the Higashi-yata river.
To return to Tsukuba, you can take the same way, but you can also make a little detour to visit the “Edo Warp Station”. To go there from the shrine follow the other river coming to the pond (Nishi-yata river) until you see a bridge on your left. Cross the river and keep going on the road until the next traffic light, then turn right. Soon the road makes a “Y”. Take the left arm of the “Y”, you should follow a little irrigation pipe. After a while the road goes away from the irrigation pipe, a bit uphill and soon there will be a crossing. Turn left and then right when you reach again the irrigation pipe and follow it. After a a few hundreds meters the road on the right of the irrigation pipe crosses it, so cross it too and keep following the pipe. Then the next bridge crossing the pipe should be a road. Turn right on this road and go uphill (that's the hard bit). The road reaches the Edo warp station after a few hundred meters.
To return to Tsukuba turn right after leaving the warp station and then right again when you reach route 19. On route 19 you will pass a first bridge (over the Nishi-yata river). Right after this bridge you should see a sign “Tsukuba city”. Keep going on route 19 until you see a second bridge. Do not cross this second bridge (over Higashi-yata river), but turn to the left just before. You are back on the trail you took to come to the Ushiku pond...
To provide the best ideas to everybody, we need your suggestions. Please email us at nicolas@alientimes.org what are you preferred places around Tsukuba where you go on sunny Sundays.
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