This time, I would like to introduce report of the “Kamenoi Hotel Tsukubasan,” located in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
It’s only about a 1-hour drive or train ride (via the Tsukuba Express) from central Tokyo. If you live in Tokyo, Tsukuba might not immediately image “vacation” or “faraway getaway.” But once you actually visit, you’ll find a brilliant harmony of the lush, well-planned streets unique to a science and research city, paired perfectly with the grand nature of Mount Tsukuba.
“Where can we easily pop over for a 1-night stay from Tokyo during Golden Week?” “I want the kids to experience nature and hot springs while doing activities that help them grow.” …This Tsukuba trip, with Kamenoi Hotel Tsukubasan as our base, beautifully granted all of our selfish parental wishes.
I’ll be honest: it doesn’t quite have the overwhelming, “extraordinary” feel of an ultra-luxury resort. However, it turned out to be a trip “Tsukuba is actually just right for traveling with kids.” Today, based on my actual experience, I’ll be sharing a completely unfiltered report from a family-with-kids perspective, including the crowd situation during GW.
Overview of Kamenoi Hotel Tsukubasan
- Access
- 【Train/Bus】 About 40 mins by direct shuttle bus to Mount Tsukuba from Tsukuba Express “Tsukuba Station.” Get off at the “Tsukubasan Jinja Iriguchi” bus stop, then a 2-minute walk.
- 【Car】 About 35 mins from Joban Expressway Tsuchiura-Kita IC via Route 125 (Parking available for 100 cars).
- Official Website: https://kamenoi-hotels.com/en/tsukubasan/
What People are Saying in Reviews
Positive Reviews
“The night view of the Kanto Plain from the room and open-air bath was spectacular. The complimentary late-night ramen was also very satisfying.”
“Excellent access to Mount Tsukuba Shrine and the ropeway. The food was delicious and the whole family enjoyed it.”
“The renovated room was extremely clean, and the infinity-style public bath was amazing.”
“The staff were very kind and accommodating, making us feel at ease even with kids. The breakfast buffet had a wide variety of choices.”
“High-quality hot spring water that left my skin feeling silky smooth. The complimentary late-night dandan noodles were a great touch.”
Where needs improvements
“Some parts of the facility felt a bit old, and the waiting time for the elevator was frustratingly long.”
“The breakfast venue was extremely crowded. We lost a lot of time just waiting in line to grab food.”
“While the view from the open-air bath is fantastic, the dressing room felt very cramped depending on the time of day.”
“It’s situated atop a steep hill, so getting around on foot is quite tough. Be prepared if you aren’t arriving by car.”
“Check-in took way too long during peak hours; we were left waiting in the lobby for quite a while.”
Review Summary: Score 3.50 / 5.00
“A quick 1-night escape from Tokyo, even during Golden Week! An accessible hotel where you can truly feel ‘Tsukuba is awesome’ through nature, hot springs, and hands-on experiences that might just help your kids grow a little.”
- Memorable & Unique Experience: 3.0 / 5.0
- Activities 4.0 / 5.0
- Hot Springs & Baths: 3.5 / 5.0
- Facility Quality 3.0 / 5.0
- Dining & Food: 4.0 / 5.0
- Overall Score: 3.50 / 5.00
Memorable & Unique Experience: 3.0 / 5.0
For those of us living in Tokyo, Tsukuba is only about an hour away by car or train. Because of that, the feeling of “I’ve traveled far away to a different world” is honestly a bit weak.
However, it’s not just a rural countryside. There’s a delicate, perfect balance between the sophisticated atmosphere of a “science and research city” (home to JAXA, Tsukuba University, etc.) and the abundant nature of Mount Tsukuba. For kids—especially boys who love vehicles, science, and playing outdoors—this might just be the ultimate environment to spark their curiosity.
And of course, the moment you look down at this sweeping view from Mount Tsukuba, you definitely get that non-routine, extraordinary vibe!
Activities 4.0 / 5.0
This high score reflects the “experiences around Tsukuba” rather than just the hotel itself. The hotel isn’t exactly a place that focuses on in-house activities (they do rent out board games, though). But step outside, and there’s a dazzling array of attractive spots!
1. JAXA Tsukuba Space Center
First up, head to JAXA (https://visit-tsukuba.jaxa.jp/) first thing in the morning! It’s packed with exhibits that will thrill both kids and adults.
【Crucial Advice】
The exhibition hall opens at 10:00 AM, but if you arrive exactly at 10:00, you absolutely will not find a parking spot. The blocks around here are massive, so if you can’t park inside JAXA, you’ll end up walking from a ridiculously far parking lot.
Anticipating Golden Week traffic, our family left early with the goal of passing through the Tokyo Station area by 7:00 AM. We somehow managed to arrive around 9:10 AM and safely secured a spot. I want to say this loud and clear: waking up early is an absolute must!
Once you’re in, it’s super fun, and the sheer scale of the space world really hypes you up (they even had a Dr. STONE collab!).
↑ They even have a vending machine like this! The curry was genuinely tasty.
2. A Drive Through the Beautiful Fresh Greenery
The drive to the hotel is an activity in itself. The area lined with research facilities has a completely different vibe from Tokyo’s concrete jungle. The vast, well-maintained roadside trees are easy on the eyes, and just driving through it is incredibly relaxing.
3. Forest Adventure Tsukuba
This is a full-scale athletic obstacle course located deep in Mount Tsukuba (https://foret-aventure.jp/park/fa-tsukuba/).
Whatever you do, do not underestimate the difficulty of their “Adventure Course.” It’s intense enough that plenty of high school boys end up dropping out halfway through. (You wear a dedicated harness so there’s no danger of falling, but it heavily drains your stamina and willpower).
That said, the experience of desperately moving their bodies in the middle of pristine nature is priceless for kids.
【Things to Know Before You Go】
・Bringing your own gloves is mandatory.
・There is a very high chance you will be covered in dirt from head to toe. Definitely wear clothes you don’t mind ruining.
・Once you enter the mountain, there are absolutely no convenience stores. Make sure to buy bug spray, drinks, and snacks at a convenience store at the base of the mountain (there were surprisingly few bugs, but better safe than sorry).
Booking through Asoview is a great deal since you earn points.
Book Forest Adventure Tsukuba here!
Hot Springs & Baths: 3.5 / 5.0
There are two main bathing areas.
7F Infinity Open-Air Bath (Tenku no Yu)
The view here was genuinely stunning! Even as you walk down the hallway to the bath, you get tantalizing glimpses of the scenery, which really builds the anticipation. However, please note that there is no washing area here, so you cannot wash your body.
Also, because the bath switches between men and women, the time you can enjoy this spectacular view is limited (Men: 15:00–21:00 / Women: 21:30–25:00). The smartest move is to head straight there as soon as you check in.
1F Baths (Indoor & Open-Air)
This is the main bath where you can wash your body. The spring water quality is solid and pleasant, but to be brutally honest, the design itself is “ordinary.” It’s not particularly large, and the layout won’t exactly blow you away.
A minor personal letdown: when I visited, there were artificial grass-like mats laid out around the open-air bath. It kind of ruined the authentic hot spring atmosphere for me…
Facility Quality 3.0 / 5.0
Here is the room we stayed in. The interior itself has likely been renovated—it was clean, and I had no complaints during our stay.
However, from the moment you walk into the hotel and smell the lobby, or walk down the hallways, you can definitely sense the “age” of the building itself. If you go expecting a brand-new, sparkling resort, you’ll experience a gap in expectations. I highly recommend going with the mindset of “a slightly retro, but well-maintained inn.”
Oh, by the way, the parking lot was completely full by around 5:00 PM. Perhaps because it was Golden Week, we were directed to a parking lot quite far away (even though the closer one was empty when we quickly dropped our bags off earlier…). Please be careful with your timing!
Dining & Food: 4.0 / 5.0
Both dinner and breakfast are served buffet-style. And I have to say, it was far more delicious than I anticipated—I was highly satisfied! As the reviews suggested, they line up an abundant variety of dishes using local ingredients, just like in the photos. My personal massive hit was the “Dried Natto” at the salad bar. I already love natto, but sprinkling it on a salad added an amazing crunchy texture, and I got completely hooked. You have to try it. Kamenoi Hotel’s signature late-night “Yonaki Soba” (Dandan noodles) was also delicious!
Recommended Nearby Spots & Lunch
The Tsukuba and Kasumigaura areas are packed with sightseeing spots. Here are a few recommendations to drop by on your way.
Sightseeing
① Ushiku Daibutsu (https://daibutu.net/)
At 120 meters tall, this is one of the world’s largest bronze Buddha statues. The sheer scale is mind-blowing even from a distance, but the best part is that you can actually go *inside* the Buddha! An elevator takes you up to an observation deck 85 meters high, offering a sweeping panorama where you can see Mt. Fuji and the Tokyo Skytree on a clear day.
Inside, the floors have mystical atmospheres, including a space for sutra copying and a solemn room lined with thousands of golden Buddha statues. The vast grounds also feature a petting zoo with small animals, making it a great spot where even toddlers won’t get bored.
② Lake Kasumigaura
This is the second largest lake in Japan. It used to be a sea inlet but was closed off by floodgates to become a freshwater lake. Because there are no high mountains immediately surrounding it, you get an incredibly open, expansive waterfront view with Mount Tsukuba in the distance.
Taking a leisurely sightseeing boat ride or cycling along the “Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring-Ring Road” is very popular here. Fun fact: this area ranks #1 in Japan for lotus root (renkon) cultivation and carp farming!
(*Note: Depending on the season, like summer, the bugs around the lake can be intense, so don’t forget your insect repellent!*)
Recommended Lunch Spots
① Hitachi Beef Sansuiken (Inside Hotel Nikko Tsukuba)
If you want to splurge a bit and eat some incredible meat, this is the place. You can savor Ibaraki’s proud brand of beef, “Hitachi Beef.” It was a very elegant and refined restaurant.
② magari by NOVAL
A stylish cafe-restaurant serving up delicious, authentic Italian food. It has a welcoming atmosphere even if you’re bringing kids.
Honestly, as parents, we were absolutely blown away by how good the food was here. You could *never* eat this level of quality at these prices in central Tokyo. If you’re heading to Tsukuba, I cannot recommend this place enough.
I’ll paste a few photos here. Just looking at them makes me want to eat there again (I’m genuinely considering driving to Tsukuba just for this meal).
Drive-Through
The Moriya drive-through is famous around here.
Summary
A quick drive from central Tokyo, yet offering a genuine “vacation” feel, plus the chance to expose the kids to nature and science—this Tsukuba trip perfectly brought every “parent’s ideal weekend” to life.
While the hotel itself shows some signs of age, it hits all the right marks where it counts: a delicious buffet and a breathtaking open-air infinity bath. If you’re tired of traveling long distances but still want a fulfilling family getaway close to home, I wholeheartedly recommend this hotel!
In Japanese
Book Your Stay at Kamenoi Hotel Tsukubasan Here
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