:Mito, Ibaraki

Mito is located in central Ibaraki Prefecture. Mito Station is about 10 km inland from the Pacific Ocean which Naka River, flowing from the north to the east of the city, pours into. Immediately south is Lake Senba, a recreational area. A main street extends from Mito Station to the west, and residential areas to the south and the west in particular.

Ibaraki Prefecture

• Hitachinaka
• Ibaraki
• Kasama
• Naka
• Ōarai
• Shirosato

Mito has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mito is 13.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1353.8 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.0 °C.[https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/ibaraki/mito-5412/ Mito climate data]

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Mito (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1897−present)

|Jan record high C = 23.8

|Feb record high C = 24.3

|Mar record high C = 25.9

|Apr record high C = 31.0

|May record high C = 33.4

|Jun record high C = 34.5

|Jul record high C = 38.4

|Aug record high C = 38.4

|Sep record high C = 36.8

|Oct record high C = 33.1

|Nov record high C = 26.2

|Dec record high C = 25.0

|Jan record low C = -12.0

|Feb record low C = -12.7

|Mar record low C = -9.0

|Apr record low C = -3.5

|May record low C = -0.1

|Jun record low C = 7.3

|Jul record low C = 10.2

|Aug record low C = 12.7

|Sep record low C = 7.9

|Oct record low C = -0.5

|Nov record low C = -4.7

|Dec record low C = -8.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 54.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 53.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 102.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 116.7

|May precipitation mm = 144.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 135.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 141.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 116.9

|Sep precipitation mm = 186.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 185.4

|Nov precipitation mm = 79.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 49.6

|year precipitation mm = 1367.7

|Jan mean C = 3.3

|Feb mean C = 4.1

|Mar mean C = 7.4

|Apr mean C = 12.3

|May mean C = 17.0

|Jun mean C = 20.3

|Jul mean C = 24.2

|Aug mean C = 25.6

|Sep mean C = 22.1

|Oct mean C = 16.6

|Nov mean C = 10.8

|Dec mean C = 5.6

|year mean C = 14.1

|Jan high C = 9.2

|Feb high C = 9.8

|Mar high C = 13.0

|Apr high C = 17.8

|May high C = 22.0

|Jun high C = 24.5

|Jul high C = 28.5

|Aug high C = 30.0

|Sep high C = 26.4

|Oct high C = 21.2

|Nov high C = 16.3

|Dec high C = 11.4

|year high C = 19.2

|Jan low C = -1.8

|Feb low C = -1.2

|Mar low C = 2.1

|Apr low C = 7.0

|May low C = 12.5

|Jun low C = 17.0

|Jul low C = 21.0

|Aug low C = 22.2

|Sep low C = 18.6

|Oct low C = 12.5

|Nov low C = 5.9

|Dec low C = 0.5

|year low C = 9.7

|Jan humidity = 63

|Feb humidity = 63

|Mar humidity = 66

|Apr humidity = 70

|May humidity = 74

|Jun humidity = 81

|Jul humidity = 82

|Aug humidity = 81

|Sep humidity = 81

|Oct humidity = 79

|Nov humidity = 75

|Dec humidity = 68

|year humidity = 74

|Jan sun = 195.4

|Feb sun = 174.3

|Mar sun = 182.7

|Apr sun = 183.5

|May sun = 186.1

|Jun sun = 137.8

|Jul sun = 150.8

|Aug sun = 179.4

|Sep sun = 138.7

|Oct sun = 140.6

|Nov sun = 153.7

|Dec sun = 178.0

|year sun = 2000.8

|Jan snow cm = 4

|Feb snow cm = 6

|Mar snow cm = 1

|Apr snow cm = 0

|May snow cm = 0

|Jun snow cm = 0

|Jul snow cm = 0

|Aug snow cm = 0

|Sep snow cm = 0

|Oct snow cm = 0

|Nov snow cm = 0

|Dec snow cm = 1

|year snow cm = 12

|unit precipitation days = 0.5 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 5.5

|Feb precipitation days = 6.0

|Mar precipitation days = 10.5

|Apr precipitation days = 11.3

|May precipitation days = 12.2

|Jun precipitation days = 13.0

|Jul precipitation days = 12.5

|Aug precipitation days = 9.4

|Sep precipitation days = 11.8

|Oct precipitation days = 12.0

|Nov precipitation days = 8.0

|Dec precipitation days = 5.9

|year precipitation days = 118.1

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php?prec_no=40&block_no=47629&year=&month=&day=&view=

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = Japan Meteorological Agency

| access-date = May 19, 2021}}

}}

Per Japanese census data,[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-ibaraki.php Mito population statistics] the population of Mito has steadily increased over the past century.

{{Historical populations

| 1950 | 141,154

| 1960 | 162,160

| 1970 | 195,818

| 1980 | 239,742

| 1990 | 260,456

| 2000 | 261,562

| 2010 | 268,750

| 2020 | 270,685

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

{{morerefs-section|date=February 2017}}

The Yamato people settled in Mito around the 4th century CE. Around the end of the Heian period, Baba Sukemoto, a warlord of the Heike clan, moved to Mito and built a castle there. Mito Castle changed hands several times after that; coming under the control of the Satake clan won it in Sengoku period, but the Satake were forced to surrender it to Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 after the Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu's son Tokugawa Yorifusa was then given Mito Castle, becoming head of one of the three "gosanke" branches of the clan qualified to provide a new shōgun should the main family line fail. During this period, Mito was the seat of the so-called Mito School, a congregation of nativist scholars of Confucian persuasion led by Aizawa Seishisai, who during the 18th and 19th centuries advocated Western learning as a means not only to further Japanese technological development and international strength, but as means to prove Japanese uniqueness and superiority among nations. The Kōdōkan was the largest of the han schools. The capital of Edo was directly connected to Mito by the Mito Kaidō.[http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/chiba/limit/rekishi/03/index.htm Chiba Kokaidō Rekishi Sanpo]. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Accessed December 28, 2007. The Tokugawa ruled Mito until the Meiji Restoration.

The city of Mito was formed on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was one of the first 31 cities to be established in Japan. With a population of 25,000, it was designated as the prefectural capital of Ibaraki Prefecture. By 1900, the Jōban Line connected Mito to Tokyo, and by 1910, telephones and electric lighting were available throughout the city. More than three-quarters of the city was burned to the ground during the Mito air raid of August 2, 1945, just before the end of World War II.

The borders of Mito expanded in 1955 through 1958 through the annexation of the neighboring villages of Kamiono, Watari, Yoshida, Sakedo, Kawawada, Yanagawa, Kunita and Iitomi and Akatsuka. The village of Tsunezumi was annexed in 1992. In 2001, Mito was designated a special city with increased local autonomy. The neighboring town of Uchihara was annexed in 2005. The city suffered from severe damage in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami with 25,982 houses completely or partially destroyed; however, there were only two fatalities.

Mito was designated a core city, with further increases in local autonomy on April 4, 2020.

Mito has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members. Mito contributes six members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Ibaraki 1st district and the Ibaraki 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Mito is primarily a regional commercial center and administrative city as most industry in Ibaraki is concentrated around the nearby cities of Tsukuba and Hitachi. Mito has a modest but thriving tourism industry, centered on the Kairaku-en gardens and local museums dedicated to the Tokugawa family.

• Ibaraki University
• Tokiwa Junior College
• Tokiwa University
• Mito has 32 public elementary schools and 15 public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the national government. The city also has one private elementary school and two private middle schools. Mito has seven public high school operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education and seven private high schools, as well as one public and one private high school which offers only night and correspondence courses. The prefecture also operates six special education schools for the handicapped.
• Ibaraki Korean Primary, Middle and High School, a North Korean school, is in the city.

20px JR East - Mito Line / Jōban Line

• {{STN|Uchihara|x}} - {{STN|Akatsuka|x|Ibaraki}} - {{STN|Kairakuen|x}} - {{STN|Mito|x|Ibaraki}}

20px JR East – Suigun Line

• {{STN|Mito|x|Ibaraki}}

20px Kashima Rinkai Railway Ōarai Kashima Line

• {{STN|Mito|x|Ibaraki}} - {{STN|Higashi-Mito|x}} - {{STN|Tsunezumi|x}}

• {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E6|dab1=J}} – Mito Interchange
• {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E50|dab1=K}} – Mito Minami Interchange
• {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E50|dab1=HM}} – Mito-Oarai Interchange
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|6}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|50}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|51}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|118}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|123}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|124}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|245}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|349}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|400}}

• Ibaraki Shimbun
• Ibaraki Broadcast System

• Mito is the site of the Japanese garden Kairaku-en which is counted as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Constructed by Tokugawa Nariaki in 1842, the park is known nationwide for its ume trees. Many people come to the park in spring to view the blossoms, particularly during the Ume Festival. In summer, Mito also holds the Mito Koumon Festival.
• Art Tower Mito
• The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki
• Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History
• Kōdōkan School
• Lake Senba
• Mito Castle
• Mito Municipal Botanical Park
• Tokiwa Jinja

• Mito HollyHock, J. League
• Ibaraki Robots, B. League
• Malva FC, F. League

• {{flagicon|US}} Anaheim, California, United States, since December 21, 1976{{cite web |title=Ibaraki Prefecture |url=https://www.clair.or.jp/e/exchange/shimai/prefectures/detail/8 |website=Council of Local Authorities for International Relations |access-date=2 May 2024 }}
• {{flagicon|PRC}} Chongqing, China, friendship city since June 6, 2000
• {{flagicon|Japan}} Tsuruga, Japan, since October 10, 1964
• {{Flagicon|TWN}} Tainan, Taiwan, friendship city since November 22, 2024 {{cite web|author=水戸市役所 |date=2024-11-22 |title=-両市の発展につながる友好交流の促進に向け- 台南市と友好交流都市の締結に調印 |url=https://www.city.mito.lg.jp/page/88764.html |publisher=水戸市役所文化交流課交流係 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241122095132/https://www.city.mito.lg.jp/page/88764.html |archive-date= 2024-11-22|access-date=2024-12-03 |language=ja}}　

• Kinji Fukasaku, movie director
• Mayumi Gojo, singer
• Aritomo Gotō, IJN admiral
• Saya Hiyama, news anchor
• Shin’ichirō Ikebe, musician
• Mika Katsumura, actress
• Takashi Koizumi, movie director
• Takeo Kurita, IJN admiral
• Musōyama Masashi, sumo wrestler (Ōzeki)
• Mitoizumi Masayuki, sumo wrestler (Sekiwake)
• Megumi Nakajima, voice actress, singer
• Yutaka Nakajima, actor
• Satochi, musician and drummer of Mucc
• Sugiura Shigemine, World War 2 fighter pilot, worshiped now as a god in Tainan, Taiwan
• Teru Shimada, actor
• Hidenori Shoji, video game music composer
• Yuko Suzuhana, musician
• Azusa Tadokoro, voice actress, singer
• Yokoyama Taikan, artist
• Stomu Takeishi, musician
• Hitachiyama Taniemon, sumo wrestler (Yokozuna)
• Tatsuro, musician and singer of Mucc{{cite web|title=ロックバンドMUCC(ムック)が石岡市ふるさと大使と水戸大使にダブルで就任！|url=https://www.ishioka-kankou.com/sp/page/page000360.html|work=Ishioka City Tourism Association|language=Japanese|date=2017-05-01|access-date=2023-12-05}}
• Miyabiyama Tetsushi, sumo wrestler (Ōzeki)
• Nobuo Tobita, voice actor
• Nakamura Tsune, artist
• Ayase Ueda, footballer
• Hiroyuki Watanabe, actor
• Takashi Yagihashi, chef
• Huwie Ishizaki, singer-songwriter

File:Mito Art Tower.JPG|Art Tower Mito

File:MitoPlumFestival.jpg|Ume Festival at Kairaku-en Park

File:Daidarabou.JPG|Legend of Daidarabotchi

File:水戸・千波湖 - panoramio.jpg|LakeSenba & Duck

File:Senbacho, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture 310-0851, Japan - panoramio (4).jpg|Lake Senba & Mito city

File:View from Art Tower Mito south.jpg|Downtown of Mito city

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{wikivoyage|Mito}}

• [https://www.city.mito.lg.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}
• [http://www.tokugawa.gr.jp/en/ Public Interest Incorporated Foundation The Tokugawa Museum] {{in lang|en}}

{{Ibaraki}}

{{Metropolitan cities of Japan}}

{{Most populous cities in Japan}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Ibaraki Prefecture

Category:Populated places established in 1889

Category:1889 establishments in Japan