It is about an hour northeast of Tokyo. It can be reached either by express train that takes about 45 minutes, or by bus that takes a longer time as the travel time depends on the traffic situation. Tsukuba is a very beautiful international community. It is also home to us, to our family.
Children love the place as well. There are parks all over as all developers are required to provide for parks within residential areas. And where there are parks, there are trees as well. With four seasons in a year, the trees change their colors in autumn which is about now, become bare in winter, then leaves start to show in spring and go full blast in summer!
Adults love this city as well. Being a science community, it is reputed to have the highest IQ among all communities throughout Japan. Public libraries are available with ample books, recent magazines and newspapers. Viewing areas as well as cultural events are lined up for the public to enjoy.
And the city has enough or even more space compared to other cities in Japan. With education and research as the main activities in the area, the landscape differs from most commercial and business areas. The banks, the shops, the malls are here as well but these do not dictate the character of the city!
The Ops ( the older people, the elderly) love the place as well. They have special buses for their group that run through various parts of the city. They do not have to climb bus steps, the fare is discounted as well for them. Health services are either subsidized or free, depending on their ages.
The physically challenged also have their special areas to make mobility easier and kinder for them. Even Tsukuba University has special ramps for them to take their wheelchairs through. Even the buses, called non-step buses, have ramps for them.
The Tsukuba mountain is a favorite place for visitors and residents as well. It provides a beautiful respite for those who wish to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It also provides a beautiful view of Tokyo with some of its tall buildings clearly outlined from a distance. The mountain is known for its frogs whose oil, they say , is medicinal. One can be daring enough to climb the mountain or one may prefer to reach the peak by paying for a cable car ride.
Tsukuba is home to the Filipinos, foreigners and Japanese who are here for research or degree programs at several universities and research centers in the area. Where you have a diversity of cultures and peoples, then expect a variety of food choices and restaurants!
Tsukuba is also home for those who want to have quiet time with their God as there are several churches in the area. Sundays and holidays find the Filipinos together with the rest of the international community gathered at the Tsukuba Catholic Church or the Prince of Peace. The Church is small by Philippine standards but it gets filled up with foreigners , particularly Filipinos and Latinos, especially during Christmas and Easter.
Tsukuba is near to Lake Kasumigaura where beautiful flowers proudly and happily bloom for their guests. One can still fish in the area but the waters have been polluted by the various industries in the surrounding areas.
Tsukuba, in a sense, reminds one of Los Baños with Laguna de Bay still beautiful but sadly polluted by the waste from the various industries and households around it. Los Baños is also a university town and has the beautiful Mt. Makiling beckoning to guests and nature lovers.
Japan is known as a highly sophisticated, techonologically advanced society. There are the bullet trains and the other types of trains that run through the whole country. The latest appliances are here. We were even delighted to see a rubber penguin slowly emerge, after two and a half days, out of an egg submerged in a glass of water!
Tsukuba, however, reminds all that Japan is more than just technology. Tsukuba is home to people from all over the world. It is home to nature, with trees and flowers and birds all throughout. Tsukuba is also a mirror of a well-managed spatial area, where people are prioritized over infrastructure and commerce. Thank God for Tsukuba, for cities built for human beings and nature.
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Email: cherry_thefreeman@yahoo.com