Ibaraki Prefecture

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.

Map of Ibaraki Prefecture
     City      Town

Mito

Tsukuba

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]

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.

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]

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

Tsuchiura

Kashima

Paddy field at Mt. Tsukuba foot

Lotus field and Joban Line

Sweet potato field

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.

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.

The sports teams listed below are based in Ibaraki.

Prefectural Kashima Soccer Stadium

• 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

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.

• 2005 Ibaraki gubernatorial election

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

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)