08228 ／ ばんどうし
Ibaraki PrefectureMasakado's shrine wears a thatched roof.
Kokuo Shrine, thatched halls01 ／ Tea
Nakayama Motonari, born into a village headman's family in Heta, met Tada Bunpei, a master of tea-making from Uji, in Edo in 1834 and invited him to his home to learn the craft. In the Meiji era he opened a tea-making school at his house, and a monument praising his work is a city-designated historical material.
02 ／ Kannon hall
The Kannon hall in Sakasai Castle Ruins Park is a hall that stood at a temple in the former city of Iwai, moved and rebuilt here. When it was dismantled, ridge tablets from 1588 and 1845 were found, and they survive. The hall is city-designated; the two-story turret and other structures in the park are reconstructions.
03 ／ Main sanctuary
The main sanctuary of Katori Shrine in Kutsukake is a one-bay nagare-zukuri building, decorated on all four sides with vividly colored carvings. No record confirming when it was built has been found; it is said to have been built in connection with the Iinuma new-field development. Parishioners built a protective outer roof in 1852, and it was restored in 1991-92.
Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.
Wide (about 6 km across)
Close (about 1.5 km across)
Now (shot May 2021)Shot 1974–78
Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））
Living here
The city has no railway station. From the west exit of Moriya Station on the Tsukuba Express, a Kanto Railway route bus takes 40 minutes on the fastest daily service to reach the stop in front of the Iwai post office. The area is 123.03 km², and its center lies on a flat upland called the Sashima Plateau.
−3.4% since 2015
57,516 → 52,265
111.7km² of it habitable
2024
2.8 people per household
2020
National average 60,630 yen
2023
5.5 per 10,000 people
2023
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
ACCESS
Travel times follow 坂東市公式『坂東市公共交通時刻表（2026年4月版）』（市公式『市へのアクセス（路線バスの時刻表等はこちら）』2026-04-28 更新からリンク。末尾に『本誌記載の内容は2026年4月現在』）の13ページ『守谷駅西口〜岩井バスターミナル・ミュージアムパーク茨城県自然博物館』（関東鉄道・急行坂東号／直行坂東号）。市公式にリンクされた単独のPDF（同じ表）とも一致 (checked 2026-10-22). They vary by time of day.
Shape
North to south
20.5km
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
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