Hey guys! I just got my placement letter which outlines that I will be in ibaraki-ken, so of course I jumped into a bit of research and was honestly a bit disappointed. I understand that preferences rarely seemed considered but as my preferences were all in chugoku, the main one as Okayama, I was a bit startled at the difference in location. I was intrigued at first because it is so close to Tokyo comparatively but then discovered it was rated the least attractive prefecture in Japan and I couldn’t seem to find many attractions expect from the giant Buddha and a few nice parks and was a bit disheartened.
I know I shouldn’t compare and know they might not have numerous attractions but could have better local lifestyle but I’m just don’t know how to feel.
Please correct if in my info is wrong but they also seem to have a lot of rain too ?? Idk
I wanted to see what current JETs life is like in ibaraki at the moment and what they do after school/on the weekends? Also how people liked the places that they placed which weren’t their original preferences?
I am still genuinely excited to just be in the program and live in Japan in general! I want to be excited about my prefecture and eager to join my new communities!
Thank you in advance ! ☺️
14 comments
I visited Ibaraki a few times and enjoyed my time there. Hitachi seaside park is a big draw and it’s nice if you want some space. We even saw a family who bought a full sized trampoline that could be packed away and transpoted easily, bringing one to the park so the family could spend the day jumping around.
There is a costco near the park too.
Fukushima is near by the it’s beautiful.
The secret to JET is to make the best of what you have. The local JET community will show you the ropes and show you around. You’re going to have the best time and make memories that you will never forget.
Chris Broad made a video about it and honestly it doesn’t look bad at all to me.
I’ve definitely seen worse places around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98p3ChrjkGk
I think you should try to be a little more positive!! There are so many people that didn’t get to go at all. Ibaraki is a great location, and I’m sure many people would have been enthralled to be placed there. Mito is a beautiful city with tons of wonderful places to visit, and the same goes with Hitachi and Hitachi-naka. With delicious natto and hitachi beef, as well as plums and sweet potatoes, there are a lot of wonderful foods there! Ibaraki has many varieties of plums that bloom in different colors so beautiful that they can compete with cherry blossoms. I think Ibaraki is one of the most wonderful places in all of Japan.
The giant Buddha isn’t all there is to Ibaraki! How about Hitachi Seaside Park, which is known for its flowers, traditional buildings, and even its theme park!
It also has one of the top 3 waterfalls in all of Japan.
Even better, there is Kairakuen, which is one of the top 3 Japanese gardens in the country!! The view from the historical Kobuntei inside of the park is amazing!!
If you are interested in Japanese history, I really liked the Koudoukan, which was the largest school in Japan at the time of its construction. Also, the Mito City Museum and Ibaraki Prefectural History Museum was really good.
The Tokugawa Museum in Ibaraki displayed some of the most amazing artifacts I have ever seen…
There are also ancient burial mounds (Kofun) that can be visited, but I think they require reservations.
Basically, Ibaraki is awesome, and I’m sure you’re going to have an amazing experience. There is no shortage of fun things to do. If you are into izakaya and bars, I would recommend the north side of Ibaraki Station, nearby Mito Toshogu Shrine. I wish you the best of luck! Let me know if you have any questions.
You can always visit Chugoku, and I hope you do!
Hey, I live in Saga. Last near we got the new top spot as the most unattractive place in Japan.
I love it so much here and there is no where I would rather have been placed. There are so many things to do here, events, festivals, food, and all sorts. Don’t let that ranking get you down. There is so much to do in Japan no matter where you are.
While it might sound romantic to be placed in somewhere like Kyoto with tons of globally famous tourist sights, what is going to make your time here is not that. It’s the people you’re going to meet and the everyday new experiences you’re going to have.
You have a lot to look forward to!
Hi! Ibaraki Prefecture JET here and I’m actually leaving, so you just might be my replacement, haha (although, there’s at least 15 of us leaving, so it’s hard to say).
When I got my initial placement email, my reaction was literally, “Where TF is Ibaraki?” And I said that as someone who had done tons of research about Japan for prior vacations! I was much like you and my initial reaction was one of disappointment.
Honestly, though, my placement has been great. My schools have been awesome and welcoming. My JTEs are fair with my workload and I have a weird amount of freedom with my class time. The BOE is on top of things and are pretty responsive to questions or concerns. We get 20 days of nenkyuu plus 3 days of special summer vacation.
I’m in southern Ibaraki so I’m actually quite close to Tokyo. It’s super convenient and I’ve gone to Tokyo plenty of times, sometimes just because I feel like it. But when Tokyo feels too crowded and overwhelming, I just head back home to my nice, quiet prefecture that foreign tourists don’t know about, haha.
Ibaraki itself is primarily rural but it does have some significant cities, such as Tsukuba (home to the famous Mt. Tsukuba, Tsukuba University, and JAXA, meaning it’s also pretty international), Mito (home to the famous Kairakuen), and Tsuchiura (right on Lake Kasumigaura). Speaking of Tsuchiura, it is home to one of Japan’s biggest and most famous fireworks competitions every November. I went last year and it was absolutely amazing.
For cultural stuff, Kasama is famous for pottery and Yuki is famous for a type of silk weave called Yuki tsumugi, prized for its sturdiness and used in kimono.
In terms of nature, Daigo, to the north, is home to one of the top 3 waterfalls in Japan. Ryujin Gorge is home to the longest suspension bridge on the mainland and you can bungee jump from it if you’re brave (I’m not lol)! Oarai has a lovely seaside shrine that people enjoy going to for New Year to see the first sunrise through the torii gate (and if you’re an anime fan, it’s the location for the anime Girls und Panzer). Speaking of which, some of the JETs who live on the coast say the beaches are lovely.
Ibaraki is famous for its plum blossoms, which bloom every February. Kairakuen is particularly famed for them, but Mt. Tsukuba also has a beautiful plum blossom orchard. For cherry blossoms, wild cherry trees bloom in Sakuragawa. Hitachi Seaside Park has the kochia garden, which is green in the summer, then transitions to yellow and then red in autumn. In the spring, they replace the kochia with the sky blue nemophila – in fact, Hitachi Seaside Park is Japan’s most famous spot for seeing nemophila. Currently, the Itako iris festival is happening.
Ibaraki is one of Japan’s major agricultural prefectures, so if you enjoy eating/cooking, you’re in for a treat! The produce here is really fresh! Ibaraki is famous for natto, lotus root, melons, and sweet potatoes.
On top of that, we’re surrounded by other lovely places. Tochigi is to the west and Fukushima to the north – both beautiful! And of course, Chiba and Tokyo are to the south. Every prefecture has something great to offer.
As for rain, I don’t think we get any more than other prefectures, although I could be wrong. We do get our fair share of earthquakes, though, so do be aware of that. The vast majority of them are minor, however, and the locals barely react to them (honestly, I’m at that point, too).
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out 🙂
Ex Ibaraki jet here. I thought this too when I got mine.
Its. Fucking. Beautiful. I loved it there.
I was Inaka as hell but always had plenty to do and explore and Tokyo was easy to get to for a long weekend. You’ll get the full expanse of weather, beaches, onsens, shrines, festivals ect. A true and diverse experience of japanese life.
Only downside was you’re in an area more prone to earthquakes…. and the bugs. 😂
I would go back in a heartbeat.
Current Ibaraki JET! I was also confused looking online especially seeing all the headlines saying we’re the “least attractive prefecture” in Japan (but tbh we wear that badge with honor)
The best way someone described all of that to me is that everything we’re known for another prefecture can claim as well. We still have some amazing sights and beautiful places to visit. Mountains (Mt Tsukuba) for climbing, beaches and even a torii on the water, one of the great gardens of Japan with a hundreds of plum blossoms, a flower park, beautiful standing Buddha and more.
Depending on where you’re placed you could be as close to an hr away from Tokyo. I go to Tokyo at least 2-3 times a month.
Ibaraki has more to offer than google will tell you. When you get your city you’ll be connected with other JETs in the area that can help you settle in as well.
We need more information than the prefecture name. Try the closest big city.
Each prefecture changes wildly from area to area.
I visit Ibaraki all the time! It is close to the city and great if you want to get out to nature. Shrines, parks, water… plus natto!
Ibaraki is great and there are nice places to visit it’s just that, full disclosure, it’s inconvenient to get around without a car. If you really want to explore ibaraki then get a car or make a friend that has one and is also willing to drive you everywhere Hah. There are only 2 main train lines that takes you from Tokyo to Mito and the one from Tokyo to Tsukuba. But, not to worry, ibaraki is surrounded by beautiful prefectures and other places so you will have a good time here I promise you. Your experience is what you make of it.
Edit: we also have a famous Japanese YouTuber that lives in ibaraki. A funny guy called sushi ramen riku. He does pretty crazy videos. You should check him out. Even Joey the anime man did a video on him.
It is a huge prefecture. Look up the city, not the prefecture. And it’s convenient for access to Narita or Tokyo, so even if you hate your city, you can travel to wherever you like easily enough.
[deleted]
Ibaraki is lovely in parts. It just gets dumped on because the parts near Tokyo are soulless suburbs for families who don’t want to (or can’t) afford closer to Tokyo.
Hey I’m a incoming Ibaraki JET too! Even though I don’t have my specific placement yet, I had the similar thought as yourself when I read the Prefecture area in the email, as in, where tf is this? Thought it was going to be some distant island. However, after seeing how close it is to Tokyo (which was my preference) and taking into account the reduced costs of living , I’m really looking forward to my upcoming time there. As people have indicated it seems that local spots are not as well documented like the rest of Japan on things like Instagram. When I first visited Japan, few people knew or posted about Japan and that is why it is still my favourite trip out there, hopefully have similar experience with Ibaraki. Mind me asking which consulate you are with? If current or Ex JETs from Ibaraki or anywhere else could provide any advice please feel free to message.