Kasama
笠間市36°21′ N 140°18′ ECityPop. 79,409Ibaraki and Tsukuba
Kasama suits riders who want a short, sharp climb and a craft-town afternoon west of Mito, and its sights spread out enough that you will want the town's share bikes or your own.
Photo tak1701d · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain and others, credited in the gallery
Kasama lies inland from Mito, and the local tourism association runs a busy calendar of craft fairs and exhibitions through the autumn. For riders the draw is Atago-yama, which the prefecture's cycling site calls the sacred climb of central Ibaraki. Its hill-climb race uses a 2.7 km course with 206 m of climbing from the Atago Tengu no Mori area.
The town's share-bike scheme, Kasama Cycling, came back into service in August 2026 after a pause, which makes a car-free visit easier.