What do you MOST associate with Ibaraki?

8 Answers

Best Answer

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  genkidesu

  on Nov 13

  Hard to pick! I would say Hitachi Seaside Park is one of them, since there are so many iconic views from the hillside there, like the nemophila and kochia. The Daibutsu, too, which I thought was so cool when we visited there. I guess another thing that also comes to mind is that it's often on the least visited prefectures list, which is a bummer as I think it's a region with a lot to offer, and good proximity to Tokyo as well.

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  TonetoEdo

  on Nov 13

  The dialect! My friends, former boyfriend, and some neighbours retain a distinct Ibaraki burr. They have a much flatter pronunciation, with no tone distinctions like in the Tokyo dialect. One favourite expression is いいだっぺ。It's good. Another is when you're ticked off - ごじゃっペ - Nonsense!

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  TonetoEdo

  on Nov 13

  One more sight I associate with Ibaraki is Tsukuba-san. On clear-weather days during my commute to work, I look up to see if I can catch a view of Mount Tsukuba. It's one of my favourite hiking spots. I ought to tell you more about Mount Tsukuba. On clear days, you can see both the Pacific Ocean and Mount Fuji. A tease - https://www.city-cost.com/reviews/wZPJV-Giant_Japanese_Yew_Outdoor_Tsukuba_shi?vid=1

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  helloalissa

  on Nov 13

  The first thing that comes to mind is that everyone mispronounces it "IbaraGi" and local people get angry and say, "it's IbaraKi!" I lived there the first year I lived in Japan! Unfortunately I didn't explore the prefecture much as I worked in Saitama. I also didn't pick up the dialect at all or get Ibaraki Day off from work.

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  BigfamJapan

  on Nov 14

  @genkidesu Hitachi Seaside Park! Of course, why didn't I think of that! Daibutsu was the one that came to my mind instantly and then Kashima Jinja and thus Kashima Antlers!

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  BigfamJapan

  on Nov 14

  @TonetoEdo I was living in Ibaraki when I met my husband and he was amused that I used "dappe" frequently!

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  BigfamJapan

  on Nov 14

  @helloalissa haha! Yes, Ibaragi. I only noticed that when I left Ibaraki, and if it came up in conversation that I lived in Ibaraki, they would say "oh you lived in IbaraGi"! It's the same now with a town in Saitama called KawaJima, and it is definitely "Jima", but Japanese people from outside the area correct me like I'm making a mistake "do you mean KawaSHima?", 'nope, KawaJIMA'. In fairness, they aren't entirely to blame because the highway people made a huge mistake when they opened the KawaJima interchange; the sign in English said 'KawaSHima' for about a year! They finally fixed it, but KawaSHima stuck for some.

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  TonetoEdo

  on Nov 14

  @BigfamJapan I use the dialect for fun. "Igube" for "Ikou", Let's go. It always gets a chuckle from Ibaraki people when I use the dialect sentence endings. I can't sustain a conversation in the dialect, though.

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