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Ibaraki Prefecture .mw-parser-output .noboldfont-weight:normal 茨城県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	茨城県
• Rōmaji	Ibaraki-ken
Flag Symbol
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Island	Honshu
Capital	Mito
Government
• Governor	Kazuhiko Ōigawa
Area
• Total	6,095.58 km2 (2,353.52 sq mi)
Area rank	23rd
Population (February 1, 2017)
• Total	2,903,925
• Rank	11th
• Density	476.40/km2 (1,233.9/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-08
Districts	7
Municipalities	44
Flower	Rose (Rosa)
Tree	Ume tree (Prunus mume)
Bird	Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Website	www.pref.ibaraki.jp

Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region.^[1] The capital is Mito.^[2]

History

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

Geography

Map of Ibaraki Prefecture
     City      Town

Mito

Tsukuba

Tsuchiura

Kashima

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^[update], 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 world wide company as well as a city name where the company was founded.

Pdddy field at Mt. Tsukuba foot

Lotus field and Joban Line

Sweet potato field

Ibaraki is an agricultural prefecture contributing more or less to Japanese dining tables. As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 25% of Japan's bell peppers and Chinese cabbage.^[4]

Demographics

Ibaraki's population is decreasing more rapidly than any other prefecture.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.

Prefectural Kashima Soccer Stadium

Football (soccer)

• 
  Kashima Antlers (Kashima)


• 
  Mito HollyHock (Mito)

Volleyball

• 
  Hitachi Sawa Rivale (Hitachinaka)

Rugby

• Kashima Rugby Football Club RFC

Baseball

• 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

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  A panoramic view of Kasumigaura and Tsuchiura, from　Mount Hokyo
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fukuroda waterfalls in Daigo
  

  
  

  
  


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  A view of Mount Tsukuba, from Tsukuba City
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  A view of Suigo Itako Iris Garden
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  A view of Rokkakudo and Pacific Ocean in Kitaibaraki
  

  
  

  
  


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  Torii of Oarai Coast
  

  
  

  
  


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  Nemophila in spring in Hitachi Seaside Park
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Kairaku-en
  

  
  

  
  

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 correct pronunciation is "Ibaraki". According to the author of "Not Ibaragi, Ibaraki",^[7] this is most likely due to a mishearing of the softening of the "k" sound in Ibaraki dialect.

See also

• Ibaraki gubernatorial election, 2005

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