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 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, Tochigi Prefecture ...
,
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 n ...
. , 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 usi ...
of 27,577 in 10,849 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 RosenberPopu ...
of 386 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 32.9%.
The total area of the city is . It is known for its annual
iris festival (Itako Ayame Matsuri). Much of the city is within the borders of the
Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park.
Geography
Itako is located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, bordered by
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to t ...
to the south, and sandwiched between
Lake Kasumigaura to the west and
Lake Kitaura to the east. The
Tone River
The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the Kantō ...
also flows through the city, which has been noted since 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 character ...
for its network of canals. The city is approximately 80 kilometers north of
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
.
Surrounding municipalities
Ibaraki Prefecture
*
Kashima
*
Inashiki
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,127 in 14,733 households and a population density of 191 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 37.1%. The total area o ...
*
Kamisu
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 95,384 in 40,759 households and a population density of 649 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 23.6%. The total area o ...
*
Namegata
Chiba Prefecture
*
Katori
Climate
Itako 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 freez ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Itako is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1455 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.3 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Itako population statistics
/ref> the population of Itako peaked around the year 2000 and has declined slightly since.
History
The town of Itako was established within Namegata District with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Itako merged with the neighboring villages of Tsuwa, Nobukata and Ouhara on February 11, 1955. It was raised to city status on April 1, 2001, by absorbing the town of Ushibori.
Government
Itako 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 multi ...
city council of 16 members. Itako contributes one member to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 2nd district
, the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...
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 paral ...
.
Economy
Education
Itako has six public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education.
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 ar ...
– Kashima Line
The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Katori Station with Kashima Soccer Stadium Station by crossing and then following the Tone River, at the border between Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefectur ...
* –
Bus
* Suigō-Itako Bus Terminal
Highway
* – Itako IC
*
*
Local attractions
*Suigo Itako Iris Gardens
*Junikyo Bridges
*Kongenyama park
*Nihonmatsu-dera Buddhist temple
*Inariyama Park
*Chōshō-ji Buddhist temple
*Suigo Hokusai Park
*Road Station Itako
*Suigo Dragonfly Park
Notable people from Itako
* Kenji Koyano, professional football player
* Keita Sugimoto, professional football player
* Tatsuya Kawahara, professional football player
* Mitsuo Yanagimachi, movie director
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Cities in Ibaraki Prefecture
Populated places established in 1955
1955 establishments in Japan
Itako, Ibaraki