Ushiku Daibutsu
The world's tallest bronze Buddha, 120 meters high, standing over a Pure Land garden.
piggybackjapan.com
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.
Note: the animals are not there every day — the petting zoo runs Sundays and public holidays only (closed in February and December)
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Green = we confirmed it. Grey = not checked yet. Grey with a line through = the place does not have it.
Near here
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Inside the Ushiku Daibutsu
Shoes come off and you enter from the back, leaving by the left. Buggies wait at the door; wheelchairs can go in.
sugar0222reading.com2026
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Ushiku Daibutsu keeps a two- or three-year-old busy all day: crowds and strollers
November with a 0- and a 3-year-old. Nursing and nappy rooms; the garden takes a buggy; the lift up took ten minutes.
fukunanlife.com2024
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Ushiku Daibutsu and the petting zoo, with a 22-month-old (March 2023)
Dango and a filled pancake from the stalls by the exit. The toddler rode inside in a sling; buggies stay downstairs.
note.com2023
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Up the world's tallest at 120 m: the Fuji view and the animals at Ushiku Daibutsu
Free parking for 800 cars; they arrived at 10 on a Sunday. Shoes come off inside and no slippers, so bring socks.
plump-papa.com2025
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
First time in Ibaraki: floored by the size of the Ushiku Daibutsu
Mid-March with grandchildren. Moss phlox just starting, picking from May. They stayed an hour to an hour and a half.
4travel.jp2023
Ushiku Daibutsu · Links & reads ▾
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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 primary 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.■
- 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 at 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 at weekends and on holidays, and the cafe in the garden terrace opens 11:00-16:00 and closes on Fridays.■
- Time needed：120 min
- 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.■Official booking site ↗
- Note: the animals are not there every day — the petting zoo runs Sundays and public holidays only (closed in February and December)■
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 | A lift 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 primary 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 |
Not checked yet (2)
Steps & slope caution, Child switch (rider swap)