Ibaraki City, Japan

"City of Roses"

Some Ibaraki City Facts

Location: Osaka prefecture, near Nara and Kyoto, on Honshu Island, the largest of Japan's four main islands.
Population: Over 250,000
City Flower: Rose
City Tree: Oak
City Emblem: Adopted on August 31, 1947. The design is based on the kanji (Chinese character) "ibara", meaning rose, surrounding a dove, which symbolizes peace.

Ibaraki City, a suburb of Osaka, is located in the Kansai district and heart of old imperial Japan, near Nara and Kyoto. Ibaraki was incorporated as a city in 1948 and now has a population of over 250,000.

Under the progressive leadership of its mayor, business and civic leaders, the city formed the International Friendship Association, which together with MISCA, created the sister city alliance with Minneapolis in 1980. Ibaraki is also sister city to Anqing, China.

While many of its citizens commute to work in nearby Osaka, Ibaraki is home to several large Japanese manufacturing plants, notably Matsushita and Toshiba.

One of Ibaraki's most famous citizens is Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972), Japan's first recipient of the 1968 Nobel Prize for literature. Kawabata's famous works include Snow Country, and Thousand Cranes.