Ushiku Daibutsu
牛久大仏
A 120m Buddha in Ibaraki, the world's tallest bronze Buddha statue according to Guinness. Ride a lift inside to a viewing floor 85m up at chest height.
Big enough to hold Nara's Great Buddha in its palm
Ushiku Daibutsu is a standing statue of Amida Nyorai (Amitabha, the Buddha worshipped in the Jodo and Jodo Shinshu schools of Pure Land Buddhism) in Ushiku city, Ibaraki Prefecture. It was completed in 1993 and is run by Higashi Honganji, the head temple of the Jodo Shinshu Higashi Honganji school.
It stands 120m tall, a figure chosen in honour of the "twelve lights" that Amida is said to radiate. The official website describes it as big enough for the Great Buddha of Todaiji temple in Nara to sit in its palm. In 1995 it entered Guinness World Records as the world's tallest bronze Buddha statue.
Going inside the Buddha
The inside of the statue is divided into five levels, which you visit as you make your way up. First comes the "World of Light", where a single ray of light shines into a darkness that stands for confusion and worldly desires. In the "World of Gratitude", with about 77 seats, you can try shakyo, copying out a Buddhist sutra by hand (extra charge).
The "Lotus Repository World" (Rengezo Sekai) is a space surrounded by about 3,400 small golden Buddha statues, where sutras are chanted every morning and evening. There is also the "Hall of Vulture Peak" (Ryojusen no Ma), where busshari, relics of the Buddha himself, are enshrined.
The viewing floor, reached by lift, is 85m above the ground, at the Buddha's chest. You can look out in every direction, and on a clear day you can even see Tokyo Skytree and Mount Fuji. Panels showing how the statue was built and a model of the Buddha's thumb are also on display.
The Pure Land garden and flower fields
At the Buddha's feet spreads a Pure Land-style garden laid out according to Sansui Hidensho, a Kamakura-period book on garden making. A Pure Land garden tries to express the Buddhist paradise of the Pure Land. If you pass through the garden's Hakkenmon Gate and turn round, you can pay your respects to two figures together: the Buddha (Shakyamuni) and the Daibutsu (Amida).
In flower fields covering about 10,000 square metres, cherry blossoms and moss phlox (shibazakura) bloom from around early to mid-April, poppies and other flowers in spring, and in autumn cosmos cover the whole field. At some times of year you can even pick flowers. The grounds also have a nakamise (a row of shops along a temple approach) selling souvenirs and food, and a corner where you can meet small animals on Sundays and public holidays.
Getting there
The nearest station is Ushiku on the JR Joban Line. From the east exit, a Kanto Railway bus takes about 20 to 30 minutes to the Ushiku Daibutsu stop. A taxi takes about 15 minutes from the east exit of Ushiku or Arakawaoki Station.
By car, it is only about 2km from the Ami-Higashi IC (interchange) on the Ken-O Expressway, and there is free parking. Admission fees and opening hours may change, so check the official website.
Tips
- The view from the viewing floor depends on the weather. If you want to see Skytree or Mount Fuji, pick a clear day when the air is crisp.
- Sutra copying costs extra. Allow plenty of time and you can enjoy quietly moving your brush inside the Buddha.
- Rather than only looking up at the Buddha from close by, view it from the garden or flower fields a little way off to really grasp its size.
Sources
Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.
