Ibaraki, Osaka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ibaraki 茨木市
Special city
Ibaraki City Hall
Flag Emblem
Ibaraki Location in Japan
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Osaka
Area
• Total	76.49 km2 (29.53 sq mi)
Population  (31 March 2023)
• Total	280,562
• Density	3,667.96/km2 (9,500.0/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	3-8-13 Ekimae, Ibaraki-shi, Ōsaka-fu 567-8505
Symbols Flower Rose Tree Oak

Ibaraki (its Japanese name is 茨木市, pronounced Ibaraki-shi) is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of March 31, 2023, about 285,224 people lived there in 132,300 homes.

The city covers an area of 76.49 square kilometers. It is a suburban city located near Osaka City. Ibaraki is also part of the larger Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area.

Geography of Ibaraki

Ibaraki is in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It sits on the northern bank of the Yodo River. To the north, it shares a border with Kameoka City in Kyoto Prefecture.

The city is long and narrow from north to south. The northern area has many mountains. In the south, you'll find the Mishima Plain, which is part of the Osaka Plain. This is where the main city area is located. The eastern edge of the Senri Hills also stretches into the city.

Neighboring Cities and Towns

Ibaraki is surrounded by several other cities and towns:

• In Osaka Prefecture:
  • Suita
  • Takatsuki
  • Minoh
  • Settsu
  • Toyono
• In Kyoto Prefecture:
  • Kameoka

Climate in Ibaraki

Ibaraki has a Humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm summers and cool winters. There is usually little to no snowfall.

The average yearly temperature in Ibaraki is 14.2 degrees Celsius. The city gets about 1475 millimeters of rain each year. September is typically the wettest month. Temperatures are highest in August, around 26.2 degrees Celsius. They are lowest in January, at about 2.8 degrees Celsius.

Population Changes in Ibaraki

The number of people living in Ibaraki has grown steadily over the last 100 years. This information comes from Japanese census data.

History of Ibaraki

The area where Ibaraki city now stands has a very long history. It was home to large settlements during the Yayoi period (around 300 BC to 300 AD). Later, in the Kofun period (around 300 AD to 538 AD), large burial mounds were built here.

One important burial mound is the Ota Chausuyama Kofun. The Imperial Household Agency believes this is the tomb of Emperor Keitai. In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), a samurai named Kusunoki Masashige built Ibaraki Castle. A castle town (jōkamachi) grew around it, which became the center of the modern city.

During the Sengoku period (1467-1615), a Christian lord named Takayama Ukon ruled the area. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), the area was directly controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate. This was because of its important location on the Sanyōdō highway.

The village of Ibaraki was officially created on April 1, 1889. It became part of Mishima District, Osaka on April 1, 1896. Ibaraki was made a town on October 14, 1898. It became a city on January 1, 1948. On April 1, 2001, Ibaraki was named a Special city. This gave it more local control over its own affairs.

Economy of Ibaraki

Ibaraki is an important business center for northern Osaka. It also serves as a hub for distributing goods. Many people who work in the larger Osaka metropolitan area live in Ibaraki. This makes it a "commuter town." The city also has many different types of industries that are growing.

Education in Ibaraki

Ibaraki has many schools and universities for students of all ages.

Colleges and Universities

• Aino University
• Otemon Gakuin University
• Baika Women's University
• Osaka Yukioka College of Health Science
• Osaka Health Science University Ibaraki campus
• Ritsumeikan University - Osaka-Ibaraki campus

Primary and Secondary Education

The city government runs 32 public elementary schools and 14 public middle schools. The Osaka Prefectural Department of Education operates six public high schools. There are also private schools in Ibaraki.

• Public High Schools:
  • Osaka Ibaraki High School (茨木高等学校)
  • Kasugaoka High School (春日丘高等学校)
  • Osaka Ibaraki Nishi High School (茨木西高等学校)
  • Hokusetsu Tsubasa High School (北摂つばさ高等学校)
  • Ibaraki Engineering High School (茨木工科高等学校)
  • Osaka Prefectural Fukui Senior High School (福井高等学校)

• Private Junior and Senior High Schools:
  • Otemon Junior & Senior High School (追手門学院中学校・高等学校)
  • Kansai Ohkura Junior and Senior High School (関西大倉中学校・高等学校)
  • Waseda Setsuryo Junior High School-High School (早稲田摂陵中学校・高等学校)
  • Korea International School (a Korean international junior and senior high school)

• Private Senior High Schools:
  • Koyodai High School (向陽台高等学校)
  • Aino High School (藍野高等学校)

Transportation in Ibaraki

Ibaraki has several railway lines and major highways, making it easy to travel to and from the city.

Railway Lines

• JR West – JR Kyōto Line
  • Ibaraki - JR-Sōjiji
• Hankyu Railway Hankyu Kyoto Line
  • Minami-Ibaraki - Ibaraki-shi - Sōjiji
• Osaka Monorail - Main Line
  • Unobe - Minami-Ibaraki - Sawaragi
• Osaka Monorail - Saito Line
  • Handai-byōin-mae - Toyokawa - Saito-nishi

Highways

• Meishin Expressway
• National Route 171

Sister and Friendship Cities

Ibaraki has special relationships with other cities around the world and in Japan. These relationships help promote cultural exchange and friendship.

• Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States – This sister city agreement started in 1980.
• Anqing, Anhui, China – This friendship city agreement started in 1985.
• Shōdoshima, Kagawa, Japan – This sister city agreement began in 1988 (with the former Uchinomi town).
• Taketa, Ōita, Japan – This historical and cultural sister city agreement started in 2013.

Local Attractions

Ibaraki has several interesting places to visit:

• Church of the Light
• Abuyama Kofun, a National Historic Site
• Kōriyama-shuku Honjin

Notable People from Ibaraki, Osaka

Many famous people have come from Ibaraki, Osaka. Here are a few:

• Ryota Hama, a professional wrestler and former sumo wrestler
• Satoshi Ishii, a judoka and mixed martial artist
• Kusunoki Masashige, a Japanese samurai from the Kamakura period
• Taiga Matsuo, a professional baseball player
• Yasumichi Morita, an interior designer
• Katagiri Katsumoto, a Japanese warlord from the Azuchi–Momoyama period
• Hiroyuki Onoue, a Japanese actor
• Subaru Shibutani, a Japanese singer, actor, and lyricist
• Yu Shimasaki, a former football player
• Chisato Moritaka, a Japanese pop singer and songwriter
• Tatsuo Kamon, a Japanese singer-songwriter
• Takaharu Nishino, a football player
• Mizuki Ichimaru, a football player
• Manabu Ikeda, a former football player
• Sayaka Yamamoto, a Japanese singer and songwriter
• Atsushi Kimura, a former football player
• Shinichi Terada, a football player
• Takuto Hayashi, a football player
• Kenji Matsuda, a Japanese actor
• Teruo Sugihara, a professional golfer
• Yuta Nakatsuka, a Japanese dancer and actor
• Takuya Kurosawa, a Japanese racing driver
• Kazuhiro Tanaka, a Japanese drifting driver

See also

In Spanish: Ibaraki (Osaka) para niños