Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,097.19 square kilometres (2,354.14 square miles). Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture to the northwest, Saitama Prefecture to the southwest, Chiba Prefecture to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the east.
Mito, the capital, is the largest city in Ibaraki Prefecture. Other major cities include Tsukuba, Hitachi, and Hitachinaka. Ibaraki Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the northeast of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area 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; and Mount Tsukuba, one of the most famous mountains in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture is also home to Kairaku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is an important center for the martial art of Aikido.
Sports are a major draw for domestic travel. Ibaraki, being a coastal area, is a high-volume destination for sunbathers and surfers from all over Japan, mainly the Greater Tokyo area. Its beaches are clean, and have surfable waves nearly all year round. Most towns set up an official beach patrol/lifeguard station for the summer holiday season of late July/early August. Hirai and Oritsu Beaches and Kashima Kaihin Park in Kashima, Ootake Beach in Hokota and Oarai Sun Beach in Oarai are all very popular summer destinations. Spectator sports are plentiful, with teams in Japan's top leagues of soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and the prefecture boasts dozens of quality golf courses for play or for watching Japan Tour events. If the timing is right, you can catch a pro wrestling show from Hitachi Pro Wrestling, a group that puts on events (usually free) throughout Ibaraki and neighboring prefectures year-round.
Shopping is also popular, especially for day-trippers from metro Tokyo where high cost of land makes large shopping centers impossible. Residents of Tochigi and Fukushima will drive to Ibaraki's two CostCo outlets in Hitachinaka and Tsukuba. The Aeon shopping mall chain is ubiquitous in Ibaraki with large malls in Mito and Tsuchiura with reasonably sized shopping centers also in Tsukuba and Shimotsuma. (Mito's Aeon Mall was once the largest shopping center in Japan while Shimotsuma's is famous as "JUSCO" from the cult movie Shimotsuma Monogatari.) In Tsukuba city are the Iias and Lala Garden shopping centers, with Iias close to rivaling the larger Aeon malls in size. Mito's Keisei department store is a destination for people seeking luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Tiffany. A large outlet mall is in Ami town, with view of the Ushiku Daibutsu. Hitachinaka city has the Fashion Cruise shopping center, adjacent to CostCo and to the Seaside Park. However, only the Mito shopping options are very easily accessed by train; other locations would need to be accessed by private car or by bus.
World-standard art and history museums are in Mito, Kasama, Kita-Ibaraki, and Tsukuba cities.
Ibaraki is a major producer of natto (fermented beans). It is healthy and the locals eat it often for breakfast on rice. Many foreigners (and Japanese) find it too stinky to eat, though some quite like it. Asking your opinion of natto is a common topic of small talk with strangers — don't be afraid of offending someone if you don't like it, as it will likely earn a laugh either way. It is often the first thing asked after someone, Japanese or foreign, mentions being in Mito or Ibaraki.
Ibaraki is famous in Japan for its chestnuts and melons.
Tsukuba, due to its position as an international education and research hub for technology and space exploration, has among the highest percentage of foreign residents in the country. As a result, it is possible to find good restaurants of many styles, including Mexican, Iranian, and African cuisine.
Most towns have their share of chain and family owned Izakaya; Hitachinaka City is famous for its microbrewed Nest Beer.
The local souvenirs ubiquitous in all parts of Japan are available in Ibaraki as well. Notable is Ibaraki's unofficial mascot character "Nebaaru-kun". Kame-Jirushi (亀印), headquartered in Mito city, is a popular maker of very good souvenir snacks and candies that are sold all over the prefecture.
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| address= | lat= | l | directi85 km and 1½ hr north of Tokyo | ph | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1156420 | lastedit=2023-12-28 | cOpened in 2010, this airport is in the city of Omitama, near the center of the prefecture and 40 minutes away from Mito by bus. The airport was planned as a low-cost alternative to the major airports of Tokyo. As of Dec 2023, the airport serves connections through budget airlines to 4 Japanese cities, Fuzhou, China and Taipei, Taiwan. The distance and time to the airport is considerable but keep in mind that transit via Ibaraki Airport may mean a savings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a flight, depending on the departure area and season. In addition, customs and immigration are lightning fast compared to a major airport. Also to be considered, if meeting someone in Japan who may be driving, Ibaraki Airport has very fast and completely free parking, even long-term. Airport staff is courteous with some English and Chinese language ability. Prepaid SIM cards are available for sale at the airport. There is a duty-free gift shop, a small ramen restaurant, and Korean chain convenience store on-site. The store staff are not able to make change or give directions or other advice; please use the information counter. }}
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Ibaraki is yearly ranked among Japanese nationals polled as the least attractive prefecture for tourism. Of course, there are fewer locations to "get away from it all" like would be possible in Okinawa, and fewer picturesque scenes of historical sites such as in Kyoto. However, there is a lot to offer visitors, domestic or foreign, who may have specific interest in the prefecture's strong points. Especially for people who are used to the heavy urbanization of the Tokyo area, the sports, nature, and shopping available in Ibaraki might be well worth the day trip for residents or tourists alike.
