Tsukuba

Tsukuba (つくば市, Tsukuba-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of January 1, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 256,526 people living in 121,001 households. The city covers an area of 283.72 square kilometres (109.54 sq mi) with a population density of 900 persons per km².

One of the most well-known features of Tsukuba is the Tsukuba Science City (筑波研究学園都市, Tsukuba Kenkyū Gakuen Toshi), a planned science park that was developed in the 1960s. This area is famous for its many research institutes and universities, making it an important center for science and technology in Japan. The city also has a significant number of residents aged over 65, with about 20.3% of the population falling into that age group.

Geography

Tsukuba is in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, about 50 kilometers from central Tokyo and 40 kilometers from Narita International Airport. The city is named after Mount Tsukuba, which is in the northern part of the city. Most of Tsukuba is part of the Kantō Plain and sits about 20 to 30 meters above sea level.

The city has many parks and green spaces for people to enjoy. Some parks have tennis courts and paths for walking and jogging. Dōhō Park has a baseball field, soccer field, gym, and a heated indoor pool. Matsumi Park features an observation deck and a garden with flowers and a small pond. Rivers such as the Kokai and Sakura flow through the area, and the Ushiku Lagoon is located in the far south of the city.

Tsukuba experiences warm summers and cool winters with little snow. The average temperature is about 14.3 °C (57.7 °F) throughout the year, with the warmest month being August at around 25.9 °C (78.6 °F) and the coolest month being January at around 3.1 °C (37.6 °F). September is typically the wettest month, with average yearly rainfall of 1,326.0 mm (52.20 in).

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture

• Chikusei
• Ishioka
• Jōsō
• Ryūgasaki
• Sakuragawa
• Shimotsuma
• Tsuchiura
• Tsukubamirai
• Ushiku

Demographics

Tsukuba's population has grown quickly since 1980. The city has many people, with lots of families living there.

History

Mount Tsukuba has been a special place for people to visit since ancient times. During old Japan, parts of what is now Tsukuba were taken care of by a noble family.

In the 1960s, leaders decided to build up this area. They started making a special center for learning and science, including the University of Tsukuba and many research labs, in the 1970s. By the 1980s, Tsukuba Science City was fully built. In 1985, a big world fair was held there, showing amazing things like a very tall Ferris wheel.

Over time, several small towns joined together to form the city of Tsukuba. By the year 2000, the city had many important research places, including the University of Tsukuba and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. Thousands of students and researchers from many countries live and work there.

Tsukuba has become a key place for important scientific work, with many discoveries in areas like materials science and environmental studies. In 2007, the city was given special status, giving it more control over its own matters.

In 2012, a very strong tornado hit Tsukuba, causing damage and affecting many people.

Government

Tsukuba has a mayor and a council that help run the city. The mayor is chosen by the people, and there are 28 members on the city council. Tsukuba also sends five members to help make decisions for Ibaraki Prefecture. In national politics, Tsukuba is part of the Ibaraki 6th district in the lower house of Japan's Diet.

mayor-council unicameral Ibaraki 6th district lower house Diet of Japan

Economy

The local economy of Tsukuba was traditionally based on growing rice, and it still has the largest area of rice fields in Ibaraki Prefecture. After the creation of Tsukuba Science City, many government and private research institutes were established there, which brought many factories and supporting businesses to the area.

Companies headquartered in Tsukuba

• Cyberdyne Inc.
• Intel Japan (1980-2016)
• SoftEther Corporation
• V.M. Technology (1986-1997)

Manufacturing

• Komori Corporation has its main manufacturing plant in Tsukuba.

Education

Tsukuba has many places for learning, including big schools for older students and schools for younger children. Some of these schools are run by the city, while others are run by the local government or private groups.

There are also special schools for students with different needs and international schools for children from other countries. One example is the Tsukuba International School.

Transportation

Railway

Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company – Tsukuba Express

• Stations in Tsukuba: Midorino - Bampaku-kinenkōen - Kenkyū-gakuen - Tsukuba

Tsukuba Kankō Railway

• Mount Tsukuba Cable Car

• Mount Tsukuba Ropeway

Highway

• Jōban Expressway – Yatabe Interchange, Tsukuba Junction, Yatabe-Higashi Parking Area, Sakura-Tsuchiura Interchange
• Ken-Ō Expressway – Tsukuba-Chuo Interchange, Tsukuba Junction, Tsukuba-Ushiku Interchange
• National Route 6
• National Route 125
• National Route 354
• National Route 408
• National Route 468 – (Ken-Ō Expressway, is signed as National Route 468 as well as C4.)

Media

Tsukuba has a local cable service called Academic Newtown Community Cable Service (ACCS). There is also a radio station named Tsukuba Community Broadcast Inc., known as Radio Tsukuba.

Local attractions

Tsukuba Science City

Tsukuba Science City is a special place in Tsukuba for learning and discovering new things about science. It started in 1963 when leaders in Japan wanted a new place for research because Tokyo was too crowded. They chose the area around Mount Tsukuba to build this science city. Over the years, many researchers and their families moved there. At first, life was very different from Tokyo, with dirt roads and open fields.

In 1985, Tsukuba held a big event called the International Science and Technology Exposition. This event showed the wonders of science and technology to millions of visitors from Japan and other countries. The city continues to grow as a center for science and learning.

Museums

Tsukuba has many interesting museums, including:

• Cyberdyne Studio - about robotic technologies
• Geological Museum
• JAXA Tsukuba Space Center
• KEK Exhibition Hall
• Science Museum of Map and Survey
• Tsukuba Botanical Garden
• Tsukuba Expo Center – Planetarium

Other attractions

Other places to visit in Tsukuba include:

• Hirasawa Kanga ruins archaeological site (National Historic Site)
• Kanamura Wake Ikazuchi Shrine
• Mount Tsukuba
• Site of Oda Castle (National Historic Site)
• Tsukubasan Shrine

Sister cities

Tsukuba has several sister cities around the world. These include Irvine, California and Milpitas, California in the United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts also in the United States, Grenoble in France, Bochum in Germany, and Shenzhen in China, which is a friendship city. These partnerships began in different years, starting from 1984.

Notable people from Tsukuba

Tsukuba is the hometown of many famous people. Leo Esaki and Hideki Shirakawa both won Nobel Prizes. Other well-known individuals from Tsukuba include Susumu Hirasawa, a musician, Ai Mori, a rock climber, and Hiroki Yamada, a baseball player.