The Tsukuba Botanical Garden — Attraction in Tsukuba

Absolutely incredible garden no matter when you visit. It's really massive and takes hours to explore everything. I think it's a great place to visit with your loved ones or go for the first date. Also, it's very friendly to kids. It doesn't look like a museum it's not boring and there are no major restrictions like "do not come close, do not touch" as in other botanical gardens. The park divided into different sectors each representing different kinds of plants like normal forest, coniferous forest, rainforest, pond and so on. In two large greenhouses you may see absolutely stunning plants, trees and flowers. For example, I didn't expect cactuses to be so huge.

There are a few recreational zones where you can have a little picnic, or just rest in shade when it's hot. Moreover, the garden wasn't crowded even on Saturday, actually, it was almost empty, so it's good for those who hate bumping into people and noise.

I think this place worth every yen you pay for the entrance (free entrance for students, even university students, which is unlikely in Japan).

P. S. Drinks and ice cream are available in vending machine around the main building...

I came on Nov 3 Culture Day and the entrance is free but normally it is around 320 yen. The staff are really kind and helpful. There are flyers and maps in Japanese, but multilingual guidebook and map can be found in the website so it's easy to navigate and understand. The information on the plants also has binomial nomenclature so I think it's still understandable. There are lots of plants grown in different habitats and you can see many interesting vegetations both outside and inside the greenhouse. It took us around 2 hours to see all of the areas and exhibitions. Beside that, there is also a mini museum with skeletons and fossils at the north side of the area which is quite a nice addition. I recommend to come early in the morning so that it's not too crowded or maybe during the weekdays. There are also benches around the area if you need a break, so I think kids will like it too. I think it would be nice to check this place out every season to see all the flowers bloom. Really recommend this place for both plant enthusiasts...

This botanical garden is not too wide but it has various plants inside. You can't go there by car because they don't provide parking lot, I like this environmental consideration. I went there as regular visitor and paid for 330¥ (sorry I don't remember well). The main building has a help desk, souvenir shop, vending machine, and common room for guest activity (especially for children). Getting more inside, I found endangered plant area which gave me important knowledge about japanese plant biodiversity. In the middle of the garden you'll find also greenhouse and museum. There's toilet too. And my favourite part is the water plant area. Overall, this place is so quiet and calm, very good for just relaxation or getting...