Ibaraki Prefecture

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Ibaraki Prefecture 茨城県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	茨城県
• Rōmaji	Ibaraki-ken
Flag Symbol
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Island	Honshu
Capital	Mito
Subdivisions	Districts: 7, Municipalities: 44
Government
• Governor	Kazuhiko Ōigawa
Area
• Total	6,097.19 km2 (2,354.14 sq mi)
Area rank	24th
Population  (June 1, 2019)
• Total	2,871,199
• Rank	11th
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-08
Website	www.pref.ibaraki.jp
Symbols Bird Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) Flower Rose (Rosa) Tree Ume tree (Prunus mume)

Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu.^[1] Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,097.19 square kilometres (2,354.14 square miles). Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture to the northwest, Saitama Prefecture to the southwest, and Chiba Prefecture to the south.

Mito is the capital and largest city of Ibaraki Prefecture, with other major cities including Hitachi, Hitachinaka, and Tsukuba.^[2] Ibaraki Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the northeast of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Ibaraki Prefecture features Lake Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan, and Mount Tsukuba, one of the most famous mountains in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture is home to Kairaku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is an important center for the martial art of Aikido.

History[]

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Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province. In 1871, the name of the province became Ibaraki.

In 1928, Nisshō Inoue, the founder of the far-right militant organization Ketsumeidan (血盟団, League of Blood), relocated to Ōarai, Ibaraki, where he established Risshō Gokokudō (立正護国堂, Righteous National Defense Temple), which served as a youth training center advocating a militarist revolution in Japan.

Geography[]

Ibaraki Prefecture is the northeastern part of the Kantō region, stretching between Tochigi Prefecture and the Pacific Ocean and bounded on the north and south by Fukushima Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. It also has a border on the southwest with Saitama Prefecture. The northernmost part of the prefecture is mountainous, but most of the prefecture is a flat plain with many lakes.

As of 1 April 2012, 15% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park and nine Prefectural Natural Parks.^[3]

Cities[]

Thirty-two (32) cities are located in Ibaraki Prefecture:

Towns and villages[]

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers[]

Economy[]

Ibaraki's industries include energy production, particularly nuclear energy, as well as chemical and precision machining industries. Hitachi is a worldwide company as well as a city name where the company was founded.

Ibaraki is an agricultural prefecture, producing food crops that are used throughout the country. As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 25% of Japan's bell peppers and Chinese cabbage.^[4]

Demographics[]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1890	1,025,497	—
1903	1,200,475	+1.22%
1913	1,328,329	+1.02%
1920	1,350,400	+0.24%
1925	1,409,092	+0.85%
1930	1,487,097	+1.08%
1935	1,548,991	+0.82%
1940	1,620,000	+0.90%
1945	1,944,344	+3.72%
1950	2,039,418	+0.96%
1955	2,064,037	+0.24%
1960	2,047,024	−0.17%
1965	2,056,154	+0.09%
1970	2,143,551	+0.84%
1975	2,342,198	+1.79%
1980	2,558,007	+1.78%
1985	2,725,005	+1.27%
1990	2,845,382	+0.87%
1995	2,955,530	+0.76%
2000	2,985,676	+0.20%
2005	2,975,167	−0.07%
2010	2,969,770	−0.04%
2015	2,917,857	−0.35%
source:[5]

Ibaraki's population is decreasing more rapidly than any other prefecture.^[6]

Culture[]

Ibaraki is known for nattō, or fermented soybeans, in Mito, watermelons in Kyōwa (recently merged into Chikusei), and chestnuts in the Nishiibaraki region.

Ibaraki is famous for the martial art of Aikido founded by Ueshiba Morihei, also known as Osensei. Ueshiba spent the latter part of his life in the town of Iwama, now part of Kasama, and the Aiki Shrine and dojo he created still remain.^[7]

There are castle ruins in many cities, including Mito, Kasama, and Yūki.

Kasama is famous for Shinto, art culture and pottery.^{[citation needed]}

The capital Mito is home to Kairakuen, one of Japan's three most celebrated gardens, and famous for its over 3,000 Japanese plum trees of over 100 varieties.

Education[]

University[]

• Ami
  • Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences
• Hitachi
  • Ibaraki Christian University
• Mito
  • Ibaraki University
  • Tokiwa University
• Tsuchiura
  • Tsukuba International University
• Tsukuba
  • Tsukuba University
  • Tsukuba Gakuin University
  • National University Corporation Tsukuba University of Technology
• Ryugasaki
  • Ryutsu Keizai University

Sports[]

The sports teams listed below are based in Ibaraki.

Football (soccer)[]

• Kashima Antlers (Kashima)
• Mito HollyHock (Mito)

Volleyball[]

• Hitachi Sawa Rivale (Hitachinaka)

Rugby[]

Baseball[]

• Ibaraki Astro Planets (Baseball Challenge League)
• Ibaraki Golden Golds (Regional club)

Wrestling[]

• Hitachi Pro Wrestling (Regional group)

Basketball[]

• Cyberdyne Ibaraki Robots

Tourism[]

• Kairaku-en
• Mount Tsukuba
• Kashima Shrine
• Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History

• 

  A panoramic view of Kasumigaura and Tsuchiura, from Mount Hokyo

• 

  Fukuroda Falls in Daigo

• 

  A view of Mount Tsukuba, from Tsukuba City

• 

  A view of Suigo Itako Iris Garden

• 

  A view of Rokkakudo and Pacific Ocean in Kitaibaraki

• 

  Torii of Oarai Coast

• 

  Nemophila in spring in Hitachi Seaside Park

• 

  Kairaku-en

• 

  Kashima Shrine

Transportation and access[]

Railways[]

• East Japan Railway Company
  • Jōban Line
  • Utsunomiya Line (Tōhoku Main Line)
  • Mito Line
  • Suigun Line
  • Kashima Line
• Tsukuba Express
• Kantō Railway
  • Jōsō Line
  • Ryūgasaki Line
• Kashima Rinkai Railway
  • Ōarai Kashima Line
  • Kashima Rinkō Line
• Minato Line (Hitachinaka Seaside Railway)
• Mooka Line (Mooka Railway)

Cable cars[]

• Mount Tsukuba Cable Car
• Mount Tsukuba Ropeway

Roads[]

Expressways[]

• Jōban Expressway
• Ken-Ō Expressway
• North Kanto Expressway
• East Kanto Expressway

National highways[]

• National Route 4 (around Koga area)
• National Route 6 (Nihonbashi of Tokyo-Toride-Tsuchiura-Mito-Hitachi-Iwaki-Sendai)
• National Route 50
• National Route 51 (Mito-Kashima-Itako-Narita-Chiba)
• National Route 118
• National Route 123
• National Route 124
• National Route 125 (Katori-Tsuchiura-Tsukuba-Koga-Gyoda-Kumagaya)
• National Route 245
• National Route 293
• National Route 294
• National Route 349
• National Route 354
• National Route 355
• National Route 400 (Mito-Nakagawa-Nikko-South Aizu-West Aizu
• National Route 408
• National Route 461

Ports[]

• Port of Ibaraki

• Hitachi Port
• Hitachinaka Port
• Oarai Port - Ferry route to Tomakomai, Muroran of Hokkaido

• Kashima Port

Airports[]

• Ibaraki Airport

Pronunciation[]

The prefecture is often alternatively pronounced "Ibaragi" by those who speak the regional dialect known as Ibaraki-ben. However, the standard pronunciation is "Ibaraki". According to the author of "Not Ibaragi, Ibaraki",^[8] this is most likely due to a mishearing of the softening of the "k" sound in Ibaraki dialect.

See also[]

• 2005 Ibaraki gubernatorial election

Notes[]

References[]

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5. OCLC 58053128.

External links[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ibaraki.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ibaraki prefecture.

• Ibaraki Prefecture Official Website (in Japanese)
• Ibaraki Prefecture Official Website (in English)

Coordinates: 36°14′N 140°17′E / 36.233°N 140.283°E / 36.233; 140.283