Ushiku Daibutsu
The world's tallest bronze Buddha, 120 meters high, standing over a Pure Land garden.
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Ushiku Daibutsu
SaveThe world's tallest bronze Buddha, 120 meters high, standing over a Pure Land garden.
Five floors fill the inside, and an elevator carries you to a viewing deck in the statue's chest, 85 meters up.
MoreWhat kind of place
The statue belongs to Higashi Honganji, a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple, and the height of 120 meters was chosen for a reason: it stands for the twelve lights of Amida Buddha.
Guinness World Records listed it in 1995 as the tallest bronze Buddha statue in the world, and the famous Great Buddha of Nara would fit in this one's palm.
The garden was laid out from a Kamakura-period text on garden design handed down at the temple, and the flower field alone covers about 2.5 acres (10,000 square meters), open for picking in spring and fall.
Sources and evidence (20)
- In 1995, Ushiku Daibutsu was entered in the Guinness World Records as the tallest bronze Buddha statue in the world.source
- The height of 120 meters (394 feet) was chosen for the twelve lights of Amida Buddha, and the Great Buddha of Nara would fit in this statue's palm.source
- The inside is divided into five levels, holding a sutra-copying hall and the viewing deck along with panels on how the statue was built and a model of the Buddha's thumb.source
- The chest-level viewing deck sits 85 meters (279 feet) up and looks out in all four directions, and in the right weather you can pick out Tokyo Skytree and Mount Fuji.source
- One room inside, the World of Light, is kept dark to represent worldly desire; when its doors open, a single beam of light comes through, standing for mercy.source
- The Lotus Sanctuary is a gold room ringed by about 3,400 small Buddha statues, where chanting sounds every morning and evening.source
- The petting zoo runs on Sundays and holidays only, closes for February and December, and is open from 9:30 a.m. until 30 minutes before the grounds close, with a charge for animal feed.source
- The petting zoo is run by Milk Zoo Co., Ltd., based at 2639 Funako, Miho Village, Ibaraki.source
- The monkey stage runs three times on weekdays, at 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:00 p.m., with a fourth show at 3:20 p.m. on weekends and holidays, and it is dark every Friday and in bad weather.source
- In February and December the monkey stage runs on weekends and holidays only; through the second week of January it runs daily except Friday, and from the third week to the end of January it is weekends and holidays only.source
- The monkey stage is run by the company Sen Mame, based at 1096 Nogawa, Miyamae Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa.source
- The cafe on the grounds (Totonoi Cafe) is open 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed Fridays, and you can meet goats, ducks, and miniature pigs there.source
- The restaurant on the grounds, Tone, serves Japanese set meals such as soba noodles, tonkatsu pork cutlets, and fried chicken.source
- The stand called Hitachi-no-Sato is popular for soft-serve ice cream in flavors that change with the season, including melon, strawberry, and Japanese pear.source
- The parking lot is free and holds 820 cars.source
- The Pure Land garden is a traditional Jodo-style garden laid out from Sansui Hidensho, a Kamakura-period gardening text long handed down at Higashi Honganji.source
- The flower field covers about 2.5 acres (10,000 square meters), and visitors can pick flowers there in spring and fall.source
- Peonies run late April to late May, hydrangeas early to late June, blue salvia and cockscomb mid-July to late August, and cosmos early to late October, and all of these can be picked.source
- Walk through the Hakken Gate and turn around, and you can see images of both Shakyamuni and Amida; the bronze incense burner here measures 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) around, the largest in Japan.source
- The temple holds perpetual memorial services with a small Buddha placed inside the statue, it accepts a share of a family's ashes for interment there, and a large cemetery park, Ushiku Joen, stands next door.source
With kidsThe part that matters
This bronze Buddha stands 120 meters (394 feet) tall over a Pure Land garden, and you can see it long before you reach the gate.
An elevator inside takes you to a viewing deck in the statue's chest, 85 meters (279 feet) up, where you can see out in all four directions.
The deck is inside the statue, so it takes the set ticket, 900 yen for adults and 500 yen for children with the garden included; the garden-only ticket costs 600 and 400 yen.
Outside, the Fureai Garden Terrace pairs a seating area with an open lawn, so the kids have room to run while the adults sit down.
The petting zoo runs on Sundays and holidays only and closes for February and December, so a Sunday outside those months adds the animals to the day.
Sources and evidence (6)
- The Fureai Garden Terrace pairs a seating area with an open lawn, so the kids have somewhere to run and the adults have somewhere to sit.source
- Shoes come off and you enter from the back, leaving by the left. Strollers wait at the door; wheelchairs can go in.source
- November with a 0- and a 3-year-old. Nursing and diaper rooms; the garden takes a stroller; the elevator up took 10 min.source
- Dango and a filled pancake from the stalls by the exit. The toddler rode inside in a sling; strollers stay downstairs.source
- Free parking for 800 cars; they arrived at 10 on a Sunday. Shoes come off inside and no slippers, so bring socks.source
- Mid-March with grandchildren. Moss phlox just starting, picking from May. They stayed an hour to an hour and a half.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1Children of 3 and under pay nothing, for the statue or the garden. The chest-height observation deck 85 meters up is reached by lift, so they ride up in your arms. Inside, the Rengezo World is a golden space ringed by about 3,400 small Buddhas, where sutra chanting sounds every morning and evening.There are two tickets, and the garden-only one, 600 yen for adults and 400 for children, does not let you inside the statue; the set ticket, 900 and 500, does. Reception closes 45 minutes before the park for the set ticket and 30 minutes before for the garden ticket. Inside, the World of Light is a dark space standing for worldly desire, and when the door opens a single beam of light comes through for compassion. The place to rest is Fureai Garden Terrace, with a terrace and a lawn. Parking is free, with 820 spaces. Pets cannot be brought inside the statue or into the Pure Land garden.
- Ages 2-3Fureai Garden Terrace has a lawn: a place where children play freely, with rest space beside it. At Totonoi Cafe they meet goats, ducks, and miniature pigs, open 11:00-16:00 and closed Fridays. On Sundays and holidays the petting zoo opens, with feeding at a charge. Children of 3 and under pay nothing, for the statue or the garden.The petting zoo opens on Sundays and holidays only and is closed in February and December, running 9:30 until 30 minutes before the park closes, with feeding at a charge. Totonoi Cafe closes Fridays, and the monkey stage is dark on Fridays and in poor weather. Last orders at the Tone restaurant are 13:30 on weekdays and 14:30 on weekends and holidays, so eat early. Hitachi no Sato sells soft serve whose flavour changes with the season: melon, strawberry, pear. In the flower field of about 10,000 square meters you can pick flowers in spring and autumn; the nine kinds including poppies and baby's breath from mid-April to late May and the cosmos from early to late October may be picked, while the cherry and moss phlox of early to mid-April may not.
- Ages 4-6Inside the 120-meter Buddha are five floors, with panels on how it was built and a model of the statue's thumb. From the chest deck 85 meters up you see in all four directions, and depending on the weather Tokyo Skytree and Mount Fuji. Knowing first that the Great Buddha of Nara would sit in this one's palm makes 120 meters land properly when they look up. The monkey stage runs three times on weekdays at 11:00, 12:30, and 14:00, and four times on weekends and holidays with 15:20 added.The child rate covers ages 4 through elementary school: 500 yen for the set ticket against 900 for adults, and 400 for the garden ticket against 600, with under-4s free. On the third level inside, the World of Gratitude has about 77 seats for sutra copying, an extra 500 yen and up. The park opens 9:30-17:00 on weekdays and 9:30-17:30 on weekends and holidays from March to September, and 9:30-16:30 every day from October to February, with set-ticket reception closing 45 minutes before the park; it is open year round. From stop 2 at the east exit of Ushiku station on the JR Joban line, buses for Ushiku Daibutsu and Ushiku Joen or for Ami Premium Outlets take about 20-30 minutes, 730 yen one way on weekdays and 560 on the weekend and holiday direct service.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe five floors inside the Buddha and the chest observation deck 85 meters up are enclosed, but the Pure Land garden, the flower fields, and the lawn are outdoors. The monkey stage is canceled on days of bad weather.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed2 h
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Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (4)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Steps & slope caution, Child switch (rider swap)
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Shoes come off and you enter from the back, leaving by the left. Strollers wait at the door; wheelchairs can go in.
Inside the Ushiku Daibutsu
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
November with a 0- and a 3-year-old. Nursing and diaper rooms; the garden takes a stroller; the elevator up took 10 min.
Ushiku Daibutsu keeps a two- or three-year-old busy all day: crowds and strollers
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Dango and a filled pancake from the stalls by the exit. The toddler rode inside in a sling; strollers stay downstairs.
Ushiku Daibutsu and the petting zoo, with a 22-month-old (March 2023)
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Free parking for 800 cars; they arrived at 10 on a Sunday. Shoes come off inside and no slippers, so bring socks.
Up the world's tallest at 120 m: the Fuji view and the animals at Ushiku Daibutsu
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Mid-March with grandchildren. Moss phlox just starting, picking from May. They stayed an hour to an hour and a half.
First time in Ibaraki: floored by the size of the Ushiku Daibutsu
Ushiku Daibutsu · Links & reads ▾
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Where it is
2083 Kunocho, Ushiku-shi, Ibaraki 300-1288source
Before you go
- Pets are not allowed inside the statue or in the Pure Land garden.source
- Cherry blossoms and moss phlox bloom from early April into the second half of the month, and these cannot be picked; from mid-April to late May, nine kinds including poppies and baby's breath are open, and those can be picked.source
Basics
- Fee：Two tickets, and the cheaper one does not let you inside the statue. The set ticket, which covers the garden and the inside of the Buddha, is ¥900 for an adult and ¥500 for a child. The garden-only ticket is ¥600 and ¥400. Adult means junior high school age and up, child means 4 up to the end of elementary school, and 3 and under are free for both the statue and the garden. Groups of fifteen or more pay ¥800 and ¥400 for the set, ¥500 and ¥300 for the garden; the same rates apply on showing a disability certificate. Copying sutras inside the statue costs a further ¥500 and up, and feeding the animals is charged separately.source
- Hours：Open every day of the year, but the closing time moves four ways. March to September it is 9:30-17:00 on weekdays and 9:30-17:30 on weekends and on holidays; October to February it is 9:30-16:30 whatever the day. The last tickets are sold 45 minutes before closing for the set ticket and 30 minutes before for the garden-only ticket. The restaurants take last orders at 13:30 on weekdays and 14:30 on weekends and on holidays, and the cafe in the garden terrace opens 11:00-16:00 and closes on Fridays.source
- Time to allow：2 h
- Booking：Tickets are bought on the day; nothing on the official site asks for a booking. Group rates need fifteen people or more, and the disability rate needs the certificate shown at the window. Taking ashes into the statue for interment is the one thing that must be arranged in advance.source
- Note: the animals are not there every day — the petting zoo runs Sundays and public holidays only (closed in February and December)source
Basics in detail (12)
Fees
- The third level inside, the World of Gratitude, has about 77 seats for copying sutras by hand, which costs 500 yen and up on top of admission.source
- The set ticket, which covers everything including the inside of the statue, is 900 yen for adults and 500 yen for children.source
- A garden-only ticket is 600 yen for adults and 400 yen for children, and it does not get you inside the statue.source
- Adult pricing starts at junior high school age, child pricing covers ages 4 through elementary school, and children 3 and under are free for both the statue and the garden.source
- Groups of 15 or more pay 800 yen per adult and 400 yen per child for the set ticket, or 500 yen and 300 yen for the garden only.source
- With a disability certificate, the set ticket is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children, and the garden-only ticket is 500 yen and 300 yen.source
Hours and closures
- From March through September, hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays; from October through February, it opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m. every day.source
- Last entry is 45 minutes before closing for the set ticket and 30 minutes before closing for the garden ticket, and the grounds are open year-round.source
- The restaurant takes last orders at 1:30 p.m. on weekdays and 2:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays.source
Getting there
- The address is 2083 Kuno-cho, Ushiku City, Ibaraki, the phone number is 029-889-2931, and the site is run by Higashi Honganji, head temple of the Jodo Shinshu Higashi Honganji school.source
- From the east exit of Ushiku Station on the JR Joban Line, take a bus from stop 2 bound for Ushiku Daibutsu / Ushiku Joen or for Ami Premium Outlets and get off at Ushiku Daibutsu, about 20 to 30 minutes; the fare is 730 yen one way on weekdays and 560 yen on the direct weekend and holiday bus.source
- A taxi from the east exit of either Ushiku Station or Arakawaoki Station on the JR Joban Line takes about 15 minutes.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (4)
- Official: Elevator
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: Best-fit ages (guide)
- Official: Stroller access notes
Guinness listed this statue in 1995 as the tallest bronze Buddha in the world. It stands 120 meters — the Great Buddha of Nara would sit in its palm. Inside, five floors run from a deliberately dark room to a gold hall lined with some 3,400 small Buddhas. An elevator reaches the chest deck at 85 meters. Below lies a Pure Land garden with a flower field open for picking in spring and autumn. It is a working temple as well as a sight.
| Elevator | Yes | An elevator takes you up inside the statue to the chest observation deck at 85 m. It is on the set ticket only — the garden-only ticket does not go inside. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | daibutu.net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | The garden, the flower field and the terrace are all outdoors; the five floors inside the statue are indoors. On a wet day the inside of the Buddha and the shops still work. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | daibutu.net |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | Children of 3 and under go free, both the garden and inside the statue; 4 up to the end of elementary school pay the child rate. The petting zoo runs on Sundays and public holidays only and is closed in February and December, feeding costs extra, and the monkey stage is dark every Friday — so the animals depend on the day you come. Inside the statue, the first floor is a deliberately dark room, and copying sutras costs ¥500 and up on top. There is a lawn in the garden terrace where children can run about. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | daibutu.net |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Parking is free, 820 spaces. By bus, from stand 2 at the east exit of JR Joban line Ushiku station, take the bus for Ushiku Daibutsu / Ushiku Joen or the one for Ami Premium Outlets and get off at Ushiku Daibutsu, 20 to 30 minutes; the fare is ¥730 one way on weekdays and ¥560 on the direct weekend and holiday service, so weekdays cost more. A taxi from the east exit of Ushiku or Arakawaoki station takes about 15 minutes. Pets cannot come inside the statue or into the garden. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | daibutu.net |
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller rental | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Steps & slope caution | Not checked yet | ||||
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet |
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