Tsukubamirai, Ibaraki

Tsukubamirai (つくばみらい市, Tsukubamirai-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2020, the city had an estimated population of 51,035 in 20,030 households and a population density of 645 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 26.3%. The total area of the city is 79.16 square kilometres (30.56 sq mi).

Tsukubamirai つくばみらい市
City
Tsukubamirai city hall
Flag Seal
Location of Tsukubamirai in Ibaraki Prefecture
Tsukubamirai
Coordinates: 35°57′47″N 140°2′13.3″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Ibaraki
Government
• Mayor	Odagawa Hiroshi (since May 2018)
Area
• Total	79.16 km2 (30.56 sq mi)
Population  (October 2020)
• Total	51,035
• Density	640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Sakura
- Flower	Brassica napus
- Bird	Eurasian skylark
Phone number	0297-58-2111
Address	195 Fukuda, Tsukubamirai-shi, Ibaraki-ken 300-2395
Website	Official website

Sakura at Fukuoka Dam Park

Geography

Tsukubamirai is located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, in the low-lying marshy flatlands south of Lake Kasumigaura. It is about 40 kilometers from central Tokyo. The elevation of the city is about 5 to 25 meters above sea level. The Kinugawa River and Kokaigawa rivers flow through the city. The eastern and western parts are hilly.

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture

• Jōsō
• Moriya
• Ryūgasaki
• Toride
• Tsukuba

Climate

Tsukubamirai has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Tsukubamirai is 14.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1299 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsukubamirai has increased over the past 50 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	25,226	—
1960	22,756	−9.8%
1970	21,072	−7.4%
1980	32,917	+56.2%
1990	38,537	+17.1%
2000	40,532	+5.2%
2010	44,461	+9.7%
2020	49,872	+12.2%

History

The area of Tsubakimarai was a rural region of Tsukuba District of Hitachi Province noted as a major rice-growing region, with the exception of a small portion in the south, which belonged to Kitasōma District of Shimōsa Province. The villages of Nagasaki and Kokinu, which were located north of the Tone River in Kitasōma District were transferred to the newly created Ibaraki Prefecture in 1875 and the region was organized into 11 villages with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

The city of Tsukubamirai was established on March 27, 2006, from the merger of the town of Ina, and the village of Yawara (both from Tsukuba District).

Government

Tsukubamirai has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members. Tsukubamirai contributes one members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Tsukubamirai was a purely agricultural area until large scale housing development began after the 1960s, and by the 1980s, with the opening of the Joban Expressway and several industrial parks, the area increasingly became a commuter town for the Tokyo Metropolis. This tend intensified after 2005 with the opening of the Tsukuba Express

Education

Tsukubamirai has ten 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

Kantō Railway - Jōsō Line

• Kokinu

Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company - Tsukuba Express

• Miraidaira

Highway

• Jōban Expressway – Yawara Interchange
• National Route 294
• National Route 354

Local attractions

• Fukuoka Dam
• Itabashi Fudouson temple
• Mamiya Rinzo Museum
• Tatsunami Sumo Stable
• Warp Station Edo

External links

Media related to Tsukubamirai, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)