A glass café floating on the sea & the world’s most beautiful train station with breathtaking ocean views

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

Located in Ibaraki Prefecture, about an hour’s drive from Tokyo, a city that was voted the most boring in Japan for four consecutive years by Japanese locals, this area actually boasts quite a few worthwhile attractions. Ibaraki’s Hitachi Station is hailed as the world’s most beautiful train station, and its “Sea Birds Cafe” is like a café floating on the sea, featuring a fully transparent glass curtain wall and unbeatable ocean views of the Pacific Ocean, attracting tourists from around the globe to visit and take photos.

Hitachi Station was designed by contemporary Japanese female architect Kazuyo Sejima, known for her use of white and transparency. The main structure of the station is built with large transparent glass windows, allowing plenty of natural light during the day and creating a bright interior space while offering views of the Pacific Ocean.