Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Kantō Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Ushiku (牛久市, Ushiku-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2020, the city had an estimated population density of 1437 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 29.5%. The total area of the city is 58.92 square km (22.75 sq mi).

Geography Ushiku is located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, in the low-lying marshy flatlands south of Lake Kasumigaura. It is about 50 km from central Tokyo.

Surrounding municipalities Ibaraki Prefecture ◦ Tsuchiura; ◦ Tsukuba; ◦ Ryūgasaki; ◦ Inashiki; ◦ Ami.

Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Ushiku has grown nearly ninefold over the past 100 years, with especially rapid growth taking place in the late 20th century.

History The area of Ushiku developed as a castle town around Ushiku Domain, a minor feudal holding under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. The village of Ushiku was created after the Meiji restoration with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On January 1, 1954 it was elevated to town status and to city status on June 1, 1986.

On January 31, 2020, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit 6 km west of the town. The official time of the earthquake was 17:07:47 (UTC).

Government Ushiku has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Ushiku contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy Ushiku is a local commercial centre and has a small industrial park. It is also a bedroom community for Tokyo Metropolis. However, the local economy remains based on agriculture, primarily rice cultivation.

Education Ushiku has eight public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. The city also has one private combined middle/high school.

Transport: Rail JR East – Jōban Line • Ushiku - Hitachino-Ushiku.

Transport: Road • Ken-Ō Expressway • National Route 6 • National Route 408.

Local attractions • Ushiku Daibutsu, one of the world's tallest statues • Chateau Kamiya, a wine chateau started in 1901 • Ushikunuma, a scenic lake that is said to be the birthplace of the mythical kappa beast. • Higashi Nihon Immigration Center, Japan's largest detention centre for the incarceration of immigrants.