is a prefecture of

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 ...

located in the Kantō region of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

. 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 is a 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 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to th ...

to the northwest, Saitama Prefecture to the southwest,

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 the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

to the east.

Mito Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...

, the capital, is the largest city in Ibaraki Prefecture. Other major cities include Tsukuba, Hitachi, and

Hitachinaka 250px, Hitachinaka city hall is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 154,663 in 64,900 households and a population density of 1547 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 w ...

. Ibaraki Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the northeast 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 ...

, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

in the world. Ibaraki Prefecture features Lake Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan; the Tone River, Japan's second-longest river and largest

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

; and Mount Tsukuba, one of the most famous mountains in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture is also home to

Kairaku-en is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Overview Kairaku-en was built in the year 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki, ''daimyō'' of ...

, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is an important center for the martial art of Aikido.

History

Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province. In 1871, the name of the province became Ibaraki, and in 1875 it became its current size, by annexing some districts belonging to the extinct Shimōsa Province. KamitakatsuKaizuka

Paleolithic

In Japanese Paleolithic, humans are believed to have started living in the present-day prefecture area before and after the deposition of the volcanic ash layer from the

Aira Caldera Aira Caldera is a gigantic volcanic caldera that is located on the southern end of Kyushu, Japan. It is believed to have been formed about 30,000 years ago with a succession of pyroclastic surges. It is currently the place of residence to over 9 ...

about 24,000 years ago. At the bottom of this layer are local tools of polished stone and burnt pebbles.

Asuka Period

During the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after ...

the provinces of Hitachi and

Fusa Fusa () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It existed from 1856 until its dissolution in 2020. It was located east of the city of Bergen in the Midhordland region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the ...

were created. Later Fusa was divided, among them, the Shimōsa Province.

Muromachi Period

At the beginning of the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by ...

, in the 14th century, Kitabatake Chikafusa made of the Oda Castle his field headquarters for over a year, and wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki (Chronicles of the Authentic Lineages of the Divine Emperors), while he was at castle. Ushibori in the Hitachi province

Edo Period

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 ...

, one of the three houses or clans originating from Tokugawa Ieyasu (Gosanke 御三家, three houses), settled in the

Mito Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Mito Tokugawa family or Mito Clan. Mito Domain, was a Japanese domain of the Edo period it was associated with Hitachi Province. In 1657 the Mitogaku school was created, when Tokugawa Mitsukuni, head of the Mito Domain, commissioned the compilation of the ''

Dai Nihonshi The ''Dai Nihonshi'' (大日本史), literally ''History of Great Japan'', is a book on the history of Japan. It was begun in the 17th century, during the Edo period, by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the head of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family. Aft ...

''.

Meiji Period

In Meiji era, during 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 ...

, the political map changes, the old provinces are converted or merged, to create the current prefectures, in this case the Ibaraki Prefecture.

Geography

Ibaraki Prefecture is the northeastern part of the Kantō region, stretching between

and the

and bounded on the north and south by Fukushima Prefecture and

. 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 and is part of Kantō Plain.

Natural Parks

, 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. Also, Ibaraki has one Prefectural Geopark. The Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park, also includes the northeast area of Chiba Prefecture.

Mountains

The northern third of the prefecture is mountainous and in the center is the Tsukuba Mountains (筑波山地). Its main mountains are: mount Yamizo with an elevation of 1022 m on the border with Fukushima and Tochigi prefectures ( tripoint), mount Takasasa with 922 m, mount Tsukuba with two peaks Nyotai-San at 877 m and Nantai-San at 871 m, mount Osho at 804 m, mount Hanazono at 798 m, and mount Kaba at 709 m.

Water system

The main rivers that flow through the prefecture include the Tone, Naka (Ibaraki), and Kuji rivers, all of which flow into the

. Before the seventeenth century, the lower reaches of the Tone were different from its current layout, and the Tone ran south and emptied into

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...

, and tributaries such as the Watarase and Kinu rivers had independent water systems. The main tributaries of the Tone River basin are the Kinu River and Kokai River, which flow from north to south in the western part of the prefecture. The Shintone and Sakura rivers flow into Lake Nishiura. The Edo River flows into Tokyo Bay; its source currently rises as an arm of the Tone River. In the past, the course of the Edo River was different, its source was corrected and diverted to the Tone River in the 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect the city of

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

(now Tokyo) from flooding. The Tone River, in addition to the Edo River, is part of the southern border of Ibaraki Prefecture with Chiba Prefecture, and the Watarase River, Tone River, Gongendō River, and Naka River (Saitama) in the southwestern border of Ibaraki with Saitama Prefecture. The Watarase River has become a small boundary of the southern border between Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. From ancient times to the beginning of the Edo period, the lower reaches of the Tone River did not exist and the mouth of the Tone was in Tokyo Bay. On the plain was the

Katori Sea The refers to the vanished inland sea formerly located in the eastern part of the ancient Kantō Plain connected to the Pacific Ocean, between the prefectures of Ibaraki and Chiba in Japan. Inland sea In the Jōmon period part of the Kant ...

, which existed in ancient times, the Lake Kasumigaura and other lagoons in present-day Chiba prefecture are remnants of that sea. Katori Sea was connected to the Kashima-nada (Pacific Ocean). Lake Kasumigaura is currently divided into three lakes: Nishiura, Kitaura, Sotonasakaura. In addition, in the prefecture there are freshwater lagoons such as Hinuma, Senba, and Ushiku. Fukuoka Dam, is a dam that spans the Kokai River in Tsukubamirai, it is one of the three largest dams in the Kantō region. Ryūjin Dam in Hitachiōta, is a beautiful dam on the Ryūjin River with a large pedestrian suspension bridge above the dam lake.

Cities

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

(capital city of the prefecture) * Bandō * Chikusei * Hitachi *

* Hitachiōmiya * Hitachiōta * Hokota *

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 ...

* Ishioka *

Itako , also known as or , are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums in Japan. Training involves severe ascetic practices, after which the woman is said to be able to communicate with Japanese Shinto spirits, ''kami'', and the spirits of ...

* Jōsō *

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 ...

* Kasama * Kashima * Kasumigaura * Kitaibaraki * Koga * Moriya * Naka * Namegata * Omitama * Ryūgasaki *

Sakuragawa 260px, Cherry Blossoms of Sakuragawa is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,072 in 13,721 households and a population density of 217 persons per km². The percentage of the population ag ...

* Shimotsuma * Takahagi * Toride * Tsuchiura * Tsukuba * Tsukubamirai * Ushiku * Yūki

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

, 10 towns and 2 villages in 7 districts: * Higashiibaraki District **

Ibaraki Ibaraki may refer to any of the following places in Japan: * Ibaraki Prefecture, one of the 47 prefectures of Japan **Ibaraki, Ibaraki, a town in Ibaraki Prefecture **Ibaraki Airport, an airport in Omitama, Ibaraki **Ibaraki dialect, the dialect sp ...

** Ōarai ** Shirosato * Inashiki District ** Ami **

Kawachi Kawachi ( or ) may refer to: Places * Kawachi Province, one of the old provinces of Japan * Kawachi, Kumamoto, a former town in Kumamoto Prefecture * Kawachi, Osaka, a former city in Osaka Prefecture * Kawachi, Ibaraki, a town in Ibaraki Prefect ...

Miho is a feminine Japanese given name and a masculine Croatian name. It can have many different meanings in Japanese depending on the kanji used. Possible Japanese writings Miho can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *実穂, ...

* Kitasōma District ** Tone * Kuji District ** Daigo * Naka District ** Tōkai * Sashima District ** Goka ** Sakai *

Yūki District is a district located in Ibaraki 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 ...

** Yachiyo

Mergers

Economy

Ibaraki's economy is based on energy production (particularly nuclear energy), chemical and precision machining industries, research institutes, and tourism. Agriculture, fishing, and livestock are also important sectors in the prefecture. Ibaraki's vast flat terrain make it highly suitable for industrial development. This complements its proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area, giving it a high reputation as an industrial base. The prefecture is also home to Tsukuba, Japan's most extensive research and academic city, and the birthplace of Hitachi, Ltd.

Sweet potato field in Namegata, Ibaraki 06

Agriculture

With extensive flat lands, abundant water, and suitable climate, Ibaraki is among the prefectures with the highest agricultural production in Japan. It plays an important role in supplying food to the Tokyo metropolitan area. Its main products include melons, pears, peppers, various varieties of rice and sugar cane, as well as flowers and ornamental plants. It also supplies other food crops to the rest of the country. As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 25% of Japan's bell peppers and Chinese cabbage.

Fishing

It is one of the prefectures with the highest fish production in the country; in the Pacific Ocean, Lake Kasumigaura, other lagoons and rivers, various species of fish are obtained.

Cattle

The Hitachigyū cattle (常陸牛 - ひたちぎゅう - Hitachi-gyū, Hitachi-ushi), which is a prefectural bovine breed, is noteworthy in livestock. The name comes from the kanji 常陸 (Hitachi), the name of the ancient Hitachi Province and 牛 (ushi or gyū, beef). Background. In 1833 Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭) established the breeding of black cattle in the present Migawa-chō (見川町) of the city of Mito. Originally it remained mainly in the northern part of the prefecture, but later it spread throughout the prefecture. Cyberdyne Inc Building day photo01

Industrial centers

* Hitachi area. Grouping of industries, such as electrical, electronic and machinery. More than 1,300 companies; many of them hired by the Hitachi company, which was founded in Sukegawa ( Hitachi City) in 1910. * Tōkai area. Atomic Energy Research Organization Grouping. J-PARC, Proton Accelerator Research Complex. * Tsukuba area. 32 institutes for education and research. Manipulation of matter at the level of atoms (nanotechnology). Robotic security center for support in daily life. Space center. * Kashima area. Grouping of materials industries, such as steel and petrochemicals, around 160 companies.

Demographics

Ibaraki's population is decreasing more rapidly than any other prefecture.

Culture

Ibaraki is known for nattō, or fermented soybeans, in

, watermelons in Kyōwa (recently merged into Chikusei), and chestnuts in the Nishiibaraki region. Ibaraki is famous for the martial art of Aikido founded by Morihei Ueshiba, 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. Kasama is famous for

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

( Kasama Inari Shrine), Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, house museum of the calligrapher and ceramist Kitaōji Rosanjin, Kasama Nichidō Museum of Art, residence of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the martial art Aikidō. The capital

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. Kashima Shrine (Jingū) Ibaraki's cultural heritage. Mito Tōshō-gū, is the memorial shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Mito. Seizansō was the retirement villa of Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Mito Municipal Botanical Park, is a botanical garden in Mito. Park Ibaraki Nature Museum in Bandō. There are castle ruins in many cities, including Mito Castle, Yūki Castle, Kasama Castle, Tsuchiura Castle, Oda Castle. Hitachi Fūryūmono, a puppet float theater festival, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Makabe Hina Doll Festival - Hinamatsuri - (Sakuragawa City). Yūki-tsumugi (silk weaving technique) Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Kasama ware, Makabe Stone Lamp, Kagami Crystal Glass Factory, old glass factory in Ryūgasaki City.

Education

University

*Ami ** Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences *Hitachi ** Ibaraki Christian University Kodokan, Mito, 2020

*Mito ** Ibaraki University **

Tokiwa University is a private university in Mito, Ibaraki, 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, wh ...

*Ryūgasaki ** Ryūtsū Keizai University *Toride ** Tokyo University of the Arts *Tsuchiura ** Tsukuba International University *Tsukuba **

Tsukuba University is a public research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is a top 10 Designated National University, and was ranked Type A by the Japanese government as part of the Top Global University Project. The university has 28 college ...

Tsukuba Gakuin University is a private university in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. History Founded as a junior women's college in 1990, the , was raised to a four-year college in 1996, and renamed the . In 2005 it became coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known ...

** Tsukuba University of Technology

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Ibaraki. Kashima Stadium 1

Football (soccer)

* Kashima Antlers ( Kashima) * Mito HollyHock (

) * Tsukuba FC ( Tsukuba)

Volleyball

Hitachi Rivale is a women's volleyball team based in Hitachinaka city, Ibaraki, Japan. It plays in V.League 1. The owner is Hitachi Automotive Systems. History *It was founded in November 1980 as Hitachi Sawa Rivale. *It was promoted to the V.League in 1998 ...

(Women's) (

)

Rugby

* Stags - Kashima Rugby Football Club RFC (Kashima)

American football

* Tsukuba University (Tsukuba)

Baseball

* Ibaraki Astro Planets ( Yūki) ( Baseball Challenge League) * Ibaraki Golden Golds (Regional club) (Tsukuba)

Wrestling

* Hitachi Pro Wrestling (Regional group) ( Hitachi)

Basketball

Ibaraki Robots The is a professional basketball team that competes in the Eastern Conference of the First Division of the Japanese B.League. Roster Notable players *Toarlyn Fitzpatrick *Chukwudiebere Maduabum * Yusuke Okada * Juan Pattillo * ...

(Mito)

Motorsport race

* Tsukuba Circuit ( Shimotsuma)

Tourism

* Kairaku-en (garden) * Mount Tsukuba * Lake Kasumigaura * Kashima Shrine * Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History * Tsukuba Science City *

Ushiku Daibutsu is a statue located in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Completed in 1993, it stands a total of tall, including the base and 10m lotus platform. The statue held the record for the tallest statue from 1993 to 2008. , it is one of the top fiv ...

* Ōarai Aquarium * Fukuroda Falls File:Hobikibune 05.JPG, Hobikibune (Sailboat) on Lake Kasumigaura File:Fukuroda Falls 44.jpg, Fukuroda Falls in Daigo File:Mount Tsukuba 2.jpg, A view of Mount Tsukuba, from Tsukuba City File:Suigo Itako Ayame Garden 07.jpg, A view of Suigō

Iris Garden File:Rokkakudo seen from the sea (Kitaibaraki City) 2020.jpg, A view of Rokkakudō and Pacific Ocean in Kitaibaraki File:Oarai Coast 09.jpg, Torii of Ōarai Coast File:Miharashino Oka (Hitachi Seaside Park) 17.jpg, Nemophila in spring in

Hitachi Seaside Park is a public park in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan. Overview Covering an area of 190 hectares, the park features blooming flowers around the year. The park has become known for its baby blue-eyes flowers, with the blooming of 4.5 million of the tr ...

File:Kairakuen (7125549463).jpg,

File:Kashima-jingu romon gate.jpg, Kashima Shrine File:20100216 acaworld01.jpg, Ōarai Aquarium

Transportation and access

Railways

* East Japan Railway Company **

Jōban Line The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...

Utsunomiya Line The Utsunomiya Line ( ja, 宇都宮線, ) is the name given to a 163.5 kilometer section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company ...

(

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fuku ...

) ** Mito Line ** Suigun Line ** Kashima Line *

Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company The is a third-sector railway operating company in Japan. It was established on 15 March 1991 to construct the 58.3 km Tsukuba Express (then known as the ''Jōban Shinsen'') commuter railway line from in Tokyo to in Ibaraki Prefecture ...

** Tsukuba Express *

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 P ...

** Jōsō Line ** Ryūgasaki Line *

Kashima Rinkai Railway The is a railway company in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The Public-Private Partnerships In Japan, third sector company is abbreviated as KRT. It was founded in 1969 to transport freight to and from the coastal industrial area of Kashima, Ibaraki, ...

** Ōarai Kashima Line ** Kashima Rinkō Line *Hitachinaka Seaside Railway **

Minato Line The is a 14.3 km Japanese railway line operated by the third-sector railway operator between and , all within Hitachinaka, Ibaraki. It is the only railway line operated by the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. The line was formerly operated b ...

*Mooka Railway ** Mooka Line

Cable cars

*Tsukuba Kankō Railway ** Mount Tsukuba Cable Car ** Mount Tsukuba Ropeway

Roads

Expressways

* Jōban Expressway *

Ken-Ō Expressway The , or , is a partially completed ticket system toll expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by the Central Nippon Expressway Company and East Nippon Expressway Company. In conjunction with the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and the Bayshore Rout ...

* Kita-Kantō Expressway * Higashi-Kantō Expressway

National highways

Ibaraki Prefecture with the following national routes: * National Route 4 (around Koga area) * National Route 6 ( Nihonbashi of

-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- Gyōda-

Kumagaya is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kumagaya is one of the large ...

) * National Route 245 * National Route 293 * National Route 294 * National Route 349 * National Route 354 * National Route 355 * National Route 400 (Mito- Nakagawa- Nikko- Minamiaizu- Nishiaizu * National Route 408 * National Route 461

Prefectural routes

Ibaraki Prefecture with more than 300 prefectural routes.

Ports

* Port of Ibaraki ::*Port of Hitachi ::*Port of Hitachinaka ::*Port of Ōarai - Ferry route to

Tomakomai is a city and port in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture, and the fourth largest city in Hokkaido. As of 29 February 2012, it had an estimated population of 174,216, with 83,836 house ...

, Muroran of Hokkaidō * Port of Kashima

Airports

* Ibaraki Airport * Ryūgasaki Airfield * Tsukuba Heliport * Ōtone Airstrip is an airfield located on the Tone River in

Pronunciation

The prefecture is often alternatively pronounced "Ibara''gi'' by those who speak the regional dialect known as Ibaraki-ben. However, the standard pronunciation is "Ibara''ki''. According to the author of "Not Ibara''gi'', Ibara''ki'',いばらぎじゃなくていばらき
'Ibaragi ja Nakute Ibaraki''/ref> this is most likely due to a mishearing of the softening of the "k" sound in Ibaraki dialect.

Sister regions

Ibaraki is twinned with: *

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''
Cambridge: Harvard University Press. . .

External links

Ibaraki Prefecture Official Website

{{Coord, 36, 14, N, 140, 17, E, scale:500000, display=title Kantō region Prefectures of Japan