260px, Shimodate Haguro Shrine is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 99,987 in 37,635 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 487 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 31.2%. The total area of the city is .

Geography

Located in southwestern Ibaraki Prefecture, Chikusei is located on the west side of

Mount Tsukuba is an mountain located at the northern-end of Tsukuba, Japan. It is one of the most famous mountains in Japan, particularly well known for its double peaks, and . Many people climb the so-called "purple mountain" every year for the panorami ...

and is bordered by

Tochigi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi). Tochigi ...

to the north. The

Kinugawa River , is a river on the main island of Honshu in Japan. It flows from the north to the south on the Kantō plain, merging with . At 176.7 km in length, it is the longest tributary of Tone-gawa. From ancient times, it has been known to cause flood ...

and the Kokaigawa River flow through the city. The city is located about 43 miles north of downtown Tokyo. Except for the hills with an altitude of about 200 meters connected to the Abukuma mountains at the northeastern end, almost the entire area is flat land with an elevation of about 66 to 197 feet or extremely gentle hills, and about 95% of the total area of the city is residential or cultivated.

rice paddies A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Aust ...

occupy about 40% of the total area of the city.

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture * Yūki * Shimotsuma *

Tsukuba is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 244,528 in 108,669 households and a population density of 862 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 20.3%. The total ar ...

* Sakuragawa * Yashiyo Tochigi Prefecture * Oyama * Mooka

Climate

Chikusei has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Chikusei is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Chikusei population statistics
/ref> the population of Chikusei peaked around 1990 and has steadily declined since.

History

During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, parts of the modern city of Chikusei were administered by

Shimodate Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Hitachi Province (modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Shimodate Castle in what is now the city of Chikusei, Ibaraki. It was ruled for much ...

, one of the feudal domains of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. With the creation of the modern municipalities system after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

on April 1, 1889, the town of

Shimodate was a Cities of Japan, city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 64,467 and the population density, density of 747.44 persons per km2. The total area was 86.25 km2. On March 28, 2005, Sh ...

was established within

Makabe District, Ibaraki was a district located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of the Chikusei merger, but with 2003 population data, the district had an estimated population of 26,699 and a density of 288 persons per km2. The total area was 92.62 km2. Towns and ...

). Shimodate was raised to city status on March 15, 1954. The city of Chikusei was established on March 28, 2005, from the merger of the city of Shimodate, and towns of Akeno,

Kyōwa was a after '' Kansei'' and before ''Bunka.'' This period spanned the years from February 1801 through February 1804.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kyōwa''" ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deu ...

and Sekijō (all from Makabe District).

Government

Chikusei has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 24 members. Chikusei contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Ibaraki 1st district Ibaraki 1st district (茨城県第1区, ''Ibaraki-ken dai-ikku'' or simply 茨城1区, ''Ibaraki-ikku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. It is located in the central region of Ibaraki ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

Chikusei has traditionally had strong agricultural economy, with noted products including ''koshihikari'' rice, nashi pears, small watermelons, cucumbers, strawberries, and tomatoes. Taking advantage of the location near the Tokyo metropolitan area and with abundant wide flat land, multiple

industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

s were created from the 1980s, forming a part of the Kanto inland industrial area. It is also within commuting range for to the cities of southern Tochigi Prefecture.

Education

Chikusei has 20 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. These is also one private middle school and one private high school.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

–

Mito Line The is a railway line connecting Oyama Station in Tochigi Prefecture and Tomobe Station in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The line is long and is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Joban Line E501 series and E531 ...

* - - -

Kantō Railway is a private railway company, which operates two lines in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan. The company is a subsidiary of Keisei Electric Railway and other companies. Additionally, the company has a bus department in Ibaraki Prefecture and Chiba ...

–

Jōsō Line The is a railway line in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kantō Railway is a private railway company, which operates two lines in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan. The company is a subsidiary of Keisei Elect ...

* - -

Mooka Railway The is a Japanese railway line connecting Shimodate Station, in Chikusei, Ibaraki and Motegi Station in Motegi, Tochigi. It is the only railway line operated by the . The third sector company took over the former JR East line in 1988. In additio ...

* - - -

Highway

* (nearest interchange is Mooka IC in neighboring Mooka)] * * *

Local attractions

*site of Seki Castle (national historic landmark) *site of Isa Castle *Funatama kofun *site of Kogeta Castle *site of Shimodate Castle *Shimodate Gion Festival

Noted people from Chikusei

Hazan Itaya Itaya Hazan ( ja, 板谷波山, 1872—1963) was a Japanese artist widely considered a pioneer of modern Japanese ceramics. Biography Itaya Hazan was born in Shimodate, Ibaraki, Shimodate, Ibaraki Prefecture, as Itaya Kashichi. His father was a ...

, ceramist * Norihiko Akagi, politician *

Shingo Katayama Shingo Katayama ( ja, 片山晋呉, born 31 January 1973) is a Japanese golfer. Early life and professional career Katayama was born in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture. He turned professional in 1995 and has played full-time on the Japan Golf To ...

, golfer *

Yōko Teppōzuka is a Japanese voice actress. She started acting in 1991 and she is affiliated with Aoni Production. Career She has been working as a stage actor in addition to her voice activity, as she was enrolled in a long time presided over by Nachi Nozawa ...

, voice actress

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Ibaraki Prefecture Chikusei