CONNECT Magazine Japan #109 December 2021

#47 : Ibaraki The Most Underrated Prefecture Noelle Uba (Ibaraki) Every year, Japan’s Brand Research Institute releases a survey asking respondents to rank all 47 prefectures based on different attributes such as nature, local products and living comfort, all gathered as points tallied up for general “attractiveness.” This year, Ibaraki has once again found itself at the bottom of this list for the eighth year.

I’ve lived in Ibaraki for a little over two years now and it’s become such a special place to me, so it was a bit disheartening to see it ranked as the “least attractive” prefecture. However, I think this result just shows that there are too many people who are uninformed about all the wonderful things Ibaraki has to offer!

Along the eastern coast, Ibaraki is located in the Kanto region, about an hour north of Tokyo. Ibaraki is accessible by various train lines and highways, so it is possible to explore the prefecture with or without a car. Whether you want to take a day trip or spend some time exploring the prefecture, here are some ideas to get you started on your discovery of all the regions of the most underrated prefecture in Japan!

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