Ami is a town in southern Ibaraki on the western shore of Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan, a broad, shallow sheet of water fringed with reeds, lotus fields and fishing villages. The land around it is flat to gently rolling, with fields, woods and scattered settlements, and Mount Tsukuba rises to the north-west, the only real mountain for miles.
Ami has a sobering place in Japanese history. During the Second World War, the Imperial Navy trained young pilots here, at the Kasumigaura naval air base and the Yokaren preparatory flight school, and many of them later died in the Pacific, some in kamikaze attacks. The Yokaren Peace Memorial Museum in Ami tells their story with letters, photographs and personal belongings, and it is a quiet, moving place.
Just to the south, in Ushiku, stands one of the largest statues in the world: the Ushiku Daibutsu, a bronze Buddha well over a hundred metres tall, rising above the surrounding fields. It is visible for miles, and you can take a lift up inside it to a viewing platform. Seeing it appear on the horizon as you ride is a surreal experience.
As a high point, the term is relative: the land is low, and the views are of the lake and the plain. But the lakeside roads offer long views over the water, especially beautiful at sunset. Riding is flat and relaxed, with little traffic away from the main roads. Fuel and food are available in Ami and the surrounding towns. The lotus fields around the lake, in bloom in summer, are a lovely sight.