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08309 ／おおあらいまち

Ibaraki Prefecture 東茨城郡

Oarai Town

A tomb hill held a foreign-ship lookout.

Hisagezuka Kofun, Isohama Tombs

Photo by Saigen Jiro (CC0)

01 ／ Tombs

From Himezuka in the late 3rd centuryto Kurumazuka in the late 4th.

The Isohama tombs begin in the late 3rd century with Himezuka (keyhole-shaped with a square front, 29 m long). They continue through later tombs to Hisagezuka (keyhole-shaped, 101 m) and end in the early Middle Kofun period with Kurumazuka (round, 88 m across).

Himezuka is 29 m long
Hisagezuka is 101 m long
Kurumazuka is 88 m across

02 ／ Archaeological material

A late Yayoi tomoe-shaped bronzecame out with Juodai-style pottery.

The Ipponmatsu site finds, 13 items, are a prefectural Important Tangible Cultural Property (archaeological material). The town's exhibition notice lists a late Yayoi tomoe-shaped bronze, with Juodai-style pottery, clay spindle whorls and pumice items found alongside.

13 items, prefecturally designated
Designated 17 November 2011
Late Yayoi period

03 ／ Magistrate's compound site

At the north end, overlooking Lake Hinuma,Moriyama Domain built a compound.

To govern its 34 villages in Hitachi, the Moriyama Matsudaira domain newly built a compound in 1702 at Matsukawa, Narita Village, a spot with a view over Lake Hinuma. Maps show seven buildings in all, and some foundation stones over 1 m across remain.

Built new in 1702
34 villages in Hitachi
Signboard set up March 2025

Oarai Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot April 2022)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））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

17 minutes from Mito Station by Kashima Rinkai Railway.

about 20,000 people
Rural district town

The town's only railway is Oarai Station on the Kashima Rinkai Railway's Oarai Kashima Line. The town advises 1 hour 10 minutes from Tokyo Station to Mito Station on the Joban Line's Limited Express Hitachi, then 17 minutes from Mito to Oarai Station on a local train.

People living here: 15,715people
Area: 23.89km²
Households: 6,596households
Rent (average for rentals): 37,617yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 10 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —4 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 2 municipalities.

Oarai Town in Japan36.313°N 140.575°E

Territory of Oarai Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

9.0km

Mito City, Hokota City

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Oarai Town isthis kind of town.

01Hisagezuka (Hitachi Kagamizuka) Kofun is a 101 m keyhole-shaped tomb, and the town records that the Isohama coastal-defense compound site overlaps it on the southern edge of the plateau
02The 1949 excavation of Hitachi Kagamizuka found about 4,000 items, including mirrors and stone imitations, with a 9 m clay chamber (the town's exhibition notice)
03The prefecturally designated Ipponmatsu site finds, 13 items, include a late Yayoi tomoe-shaped bronze

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Oarai Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes