Ibaraki, Japan's Least Attractive Prefecture

I was on the train riding from Tokyo station to my new home in Ibaraki when I first heard “Oh yeah, we were voted least attractive prefecture again this year” from the person riding with me. This certainly set off alarm bells in my head. What do you mean the place I just uprooted my whole life to go to was the worst in Japan? 

Let’s zoom out a little bit first. From what I understand, starting in 2009, each year they put out an annual survey measuring the attractiveness of each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. People aged 20 - 70 are asked to rank each prefecture on a 5 point scale. 2023’s survey, according to the Japan News, received around 34,000 answers. 

Ibaraki, my new home for another year and a half, ranked dead last. This was the 12th time it ranked last since the start of the survey, usually duking it out with the Saga prefecture for the booby prize. Head of the pack was Hokkaido, Japan’s second largest island and northernmost prefecture, which won 1st for the 15th year in a row.

I could argue that 34,000 out of the 125.7 million (2021) living in Japan is too small of a sample size, or maybe these people hadn’t even been to Ibaraki before. Though, that would also signify this exact problem, there may not be that much of a reason to come here.

When I applied for the JET programme, I listed my top 3 prefectures to live in, and Ibaraki wasn’t in my top 3 either. I had gone with Tokyo (of course), Kanagawa (south of Tokyo by the water), and Osaka (which I’ve now been to) as my choices. When I was told I would be in Ibaraki, I was pretty happy with that. I would be only an hour and a half away from Tokyo. 

Now, when you’re on the train going there for the first time and someone tells you it’s reputation is “least attractive in Japan”, it kinda takes the wind out of your sails. When I asked about what to do/see in Ibaraki, I got a few quick answers, Hitachi Seaside Park, Mt. Tsukuba, Mito city, then lots of ums and ahs. Ibaraki isn’t exactly known for having a ton of tourism spots it would seem.

Hitachi Seaside Park

The town where I now live and work, Bando city, is a pretty small, rural town. The closest train station is about 25 minutes from me in the nearby prefecture of Chiba. Many of the teachers that I work with at the local high school don’t live in Bando city, and instead live in towns around the area. 

One of my friends (up to two now), wanted to visit me over the weekend. I tried to warn them it would be a long trek from the suburbs of Tokyo. They said that was fine, so I offered to pick them up from the station on the day. 

Flash forward to the day off, and they realized, oh, it was further than they thought. I had tried to warn them, but reassured them that whenever they arrived was fine. As they got closer to the station, I let them know I would start driving over to pick them up. Once again, they were surprised. “Drive? I thought we would just walk to your place?” We could walk, sure, but it would take us a few hours. 

Once I picked them up, they remarked they had no clue where they were. Around that station was more suburban, but I joked it was all downhill from here. As we drove back towards my small town, they told me the scenery was making them nostalgic. They were here as a student from Indonesia, and I guess the rural rice fields were reminding them of home. 

More or less the view around my small town

My small town is surrounded by plenty of farms, and the scenery on my way to the various schools I work at is often one big field after the next. The scenery here in Ibaraki is a lot flatter than I’m used to back home in Vancouver. Being able to see so far into the distance without many notable landmarks is still a very weird experience. 

Honestly, the scenery is actually quite beautiful. I think Japan is quite the lovely place, and I really don’t mind the sights in my area.  Though coming from the suburbs of Vancouver to a rural area in Japan was quite the sudden shift. 

What really drilled it home for me, was the first time I wanted to order food. I was feeling lazy after a week of work, and I just wanted food to appear on my doorstep. I opened up Uber eats on my phone, and prepared to scroll through restaurants until I found something that tickled my fancy. Instead, I was greeted with a single option. Dominos. 

I knew when I applied to the JET programme that they really could end up sending me anywhere. I tried to prepare for that possibility as best I could, while still holding out hope of ending up in Tokyo. When I heard I got Ibaraki, so close to Tokyo, I was pretty excited. 

I hadn’t dreamed that an area so close to the capital city could be so rural. I just assumed it was like Vancouver where it was densely populated around the city, then slowly dropped off. In my head I would be living in a place like Abbotsford. Instead I’d say Bando city’s closest BC analog is probably Vernon. Bando is much closer to Tokyo than Vernon is to Vancouver, but I think it’s a decent enough comparison.

I lived in Surrey for much of my life, which had a population of 518,467 (2017). Compared to Bando’s population of 51,577 (2020), it was practically a metropolis. My options in Japan for community, food, and activities are much smaller as a result. 

I’ve yet to really explore Ibaraki, since I wanted to check out the bigger tourist spots first before going on some more local adventures. Though I do want to check out Hitachi Seaside Park, or maybe climb Mt. Tsukuba. Also if the summers are as hot as they’re depicted in anime, I’m sure I’ll want to go to Oarai Sun Beach on the coast.

Oarai Sun Beach

I’m sure rural life has its charms, but as someone raised in the city (or at least the suburbs) I find myself missing the convenience and options that come with a bigger city. On the other hand though, I’m living in the cheapest, and biggest apartment I’ve ever had, living all on my own! I’ve paid more for a smaller, worse place back home that I shared with 2 roommates. Rural life certainly seems to be cheaper if nothing else. 

Bando city probably isn’t all that rural in the grand scheme of things, but coming from the suburbs, it’s been quite the shift. Thankfully, I can still journey into Tokyo on the weekends to get a taste of that city life. When the crowds become too much or the hustle and bustle of Tokyo seems too overwhelming, I can escape back into my small town. 

One of the downsides to small town living though, is that I run into my students fairly often on weekends. I don’t mind a quick greeting or acknowledgement, but if I’m heading over to the local 7-11 to grab an adult beverage or have a smoke, it’s a little awkward running into students I’m supposed to be a role model for. 

If I was given the chance to switch my placement for a bigger city, I’d probably jump at the chance. That’s not to say I dislike my life here, it’s just different than what I’m used to, which was the whole point of this experience after all. 

Being able to easily visit Tokyo has been quite the saving grace though, and if it was more difficult to escape to the big city I doubt I would have extended my contract until 2025. Getting a taste of both the more rural life and the biggest city in Japan gives me a better idea of Japan as a whole. 

Maybe my time here will warm me up to the idea of living further from a major city. Or maybe when I get home I’ll still dream of getting a small, overpriced apartment in the heart of Vancouver. Whatever ends up shaking out, I’m actually pretty glad I ended up in Japan’s least attractive prefecture.