Coordinates: 36°5′0.5″N 140°4′35.2″E Tsukuba, Ibaraki T sukuba (つくば市 Tsukuba-shi) is a city located in Ibaraki Tsukuba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an つくば市 estimated population of 223,151, and a population density of 7 87 persons per km². Its total area is 283.7 2 square Special city kilometres (109.54 square miles). It is known as the location of the T sukuba Science City (筑波研究学園都市 Tsukuba Kenkyū Gakuen Toshi), a planned science park developed in the 1960s. Contents View of Mount Tsukuba and Tsukuba Geography Center Surrounding municipalities History Economy Companies headquartered in Tsukuba Education Flag Seal Higher education Primary and secondary education Transportation Railway Highway Media Local attractions History Tsukuba Science City Museums Other attractions Sister city relations Noted people from Tsukuba See also References External links Geography Location of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Tsukuba is located to the south of Mount Tsukuba, from which it takes its name. Surrounding municipalities Ibaraki Prefecture Tsukubamirai Jōsō Shimotsuma Chikusei Sakuragawa Ishioka Tsuchiura Tsukuba Ushiku Ryūgasaki History Mount Tsukuba has been a place of pilgrimage since at least Coordinates: 36°5′0.5″N the Heian period. During the Edo period, parts of what later 140°4′35.2″E became the city of Tsukuba were administered by a junior Country Japan branch of the Hosokawa clan at Y atabe Domain, one of the Region Kantō feudal domains of the Tokugawa shogunate. With the Prefecture Ibaraki Prefecture creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Area Restoration on April 1, 1889, the town Y atabe was • Total 283.72 km2 (109.54 sq mi) established within Tsukuba District, Ibaraki). On November Population (September 2015) 30, 1987 the town of Y atabe merged with the neighboring • Total 223,151 towns of Ōho and Toyosato and the village of Sakura to • Density 787/km2 (2,040/sq mi) create the city of Tsukuba. The neighboring town of Time zone Japan Standard Time Tsukuba merged with the city of Tsukuba on January 1, (UTC+9) 1988, followed by the town of Kukizaki on November 1, - Tree Japanese zelkova 2002. - Flower Hoshizaki-yukinoshita (Saxifraga stolonifera Curtis f. On April 1, 2007 Tsukuba was designated a Special city with aptera (Makino) H.Hara) increased autonomy. - Bird Ural owl Address 2530-2 Karima, Tsukuba- Following the Fukushima I nuclear accidents in 2011, shi, Ibaraki-ken 305-8555 evacuees from the accident zone reported that municipal Website www.city.tsukuba.ibaraki.jp officials in Tsukuba refused to allow them access to shelters (http://www.city.tsukuba.ib in the city unless they presented certificates from the araki.jp) Fukushima government declaring that the evacuees were "radiation free".[1] On May 6, 2012, Tsukuba was struck by a tornado that caused heavy damage to numerous structures and left approximately 20,000 residents without electricity. The storm killed one 14- year-old boy and injured 45 people. The tornado was rated an F- 3 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, making it the most powerful tornado to ever hit Japan. Some spots had F-4 damage.[2] Tsukuba City Hall Economy Companies headquartered in Tsukuba Intel Japan (1980-2016) Cyberdyne Inc. SoftEther Corporation TonQ Corporation Education One of the buildings at the University Higher education of Tsukuba University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba Campus National University Corporation Tsukuba University of Technology Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Tsukuba Campus Tsukuba Gakuin University Primary and secondary education Tsukuba has 37 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, two combined middle school/high schools and six high schools, along with one special education school. In addition, it has an international school, Tsukuba International School, and a Tsukuba Express Brazilian school, the Instituto Educare (former Escola Pingo de Gente).[3] Transportation Railway Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company – Tsukuba Express Midorino - Bampaku-kinenkōen - Kenkyū-gakuen - Tsukuba Mount Tsukuba Cable Car Mount Tsukuba Ropeway Mount Tsukuba Highway Jōban Expressway – Yatabe IC, Tsukuba JCT, Yatabe-Higashi PA, Sakura-Tsuchiura IC Ken-Ō Expressway – Tsukuba-Chuo IC, Tsukuba JCT, Tsukuba-Ushiku IC Japan National Route 6 Japan National Route 125 Japan National Route 354 Japan National Route 408 Japan National Route 468 Media Tsukuba Community Broadcast Inc. – Radio Tsukuba Academic Newtown Community Cable Service (ACCS) Local attractions History Beginning in the 1960s, the area was designated for development. Construction of the city centre, the University of Tsukuba and 46 public basic scientific research laboratories began in the 197 0s. Tsukuba Science City became operational in the 1980s. The Expo '85 world's fair was held in the area of Tsukuba Science City, which at the time was still divided administratively between several small towns and villages. Attractions at the event included the 85-metre (27 9 ft) Technocosmos, which at that time was the world's tallest Ferris wheel.[4] By 2000, the city's 60 national research institutes and two national universities had been grouped into five zones: higher education and training, construction research, physical science and engineering research, biological and agricultural research, and common (public) facilities. These zones were surrounded by more than 240 private research facilities. Among the most prominent institutions are the University of Tsukuba (197 3; formerly Tokyo University of Education); the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK); the Electrotechnical Laboratory; the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory; and the National Institute of Materials and Chemical Research. The city has an international flair, with about 7 ,500 foreign students and researchers from as many as 133 countries living in Tsukuba at any one time. Over the past several decades, nearly half of Japan's public research and development budget has been spent in Tsukuba. Important scientific breakthroughs by its researchers include the identification and specification of the molecular structure of superconducting materials, the development of organic optical films that alter their electrical conductivity in response to changing light, and the creation of extreme low-pressure vacuum chambers. Tsukuba has become one of the world's key sites for government- industry collaborations in basic research. Earthquake safety, environmental degradation, studies of roadways, fermentation science, microbiology, and plant genetics are some of the broad research topics having close public-private partnerships. Tsukuba Science City Tsukuba Science City represents one of the world's largest coordinated attempts to accelerate the rate of and improve the quality of scientific discovery. The city was closely modeled on other planned cities and science developments, including Brasilia, Novosibirsk's Akademgorodok, Bethesda, and Palo Alto. Nevertheless, it should not be called Japan's Silicon Valley, simply because the public sector dominates research and development. Japan's metropolises also dominate over Tsukuba in terms of corporate headquarters. There is no formal attempt currently to turn Tsukuba into a Silicon Valley style research center. This may be contrasted with formal government support of tech clustering in Taoyuan-Hsinchu in Taiwan (as of 2016),[5] and Shenzhen's long list of corporates. Museums See also | Tsukuba Science Bus Tours (https://www.i-step.org/tour/english.html) Science Museum of Map and Survey Tsukuba Expo Center (https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1454/) JAXA Tsukuba Space Center (http://global.jaxa.jp/about/centers/tksc/index.html) KEK Communication Plaza (https://www.kek.jp/en/PublicRelations/Visit/CommunicationPlaza/) Tsukuba Botanical Garden (http://www.tbg.kahaku.go.jp/english/index.php) Other attractions Mount Tsukuba Hirasawa Kangai archaeological site (National Historic Site) Site of Oda Castle (National Historic Site) Kanamura Wake Ikazuchi Shrine Sister city relations - Irvine, California, USA, since 1989 - Milpitas, California, USA, since 1996 - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA,[6][7] since 1984 - Grenoble, France, since 2013 Shenzhen, China (friendship city)[8][9][10] Noted people from Tsukuba Leo Esaki, Nobel Prize winner[11] Susumu Hirasawa, progressive-electronic musician has a studio in Tsukuba[12] Mitsuhiro Ishida, mixed martial artist Yasuaki Kurata, actor Hideki Shirakawa, Nobel Prize winner[13] Haruka Sunada, volleyball player Minanogawa Tōzō, sumo wrestler Hiroki Yamada, baseball player See also List of technology centers List of research parks References 1. Jiji Press, "Tsukuba asked evacuees for radiation papers", Japan Times, 20 April 2011, p. 2. 2. "Tornado in Tsukuba rated as strongest ever : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)" (http://w ww.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120609002501.htm). Retrieved 2012-06-10. 3. "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão (http://www.brasemb.or.jp/portugues/community/school.php)" (Archive (https://www.webcitation.org/6cDpylpTE)). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015. 4. James W. Dearing (1995). Growing a Japanese Science City: Communication in Scientific Research. London: Routledge. 5. http://focustaiwan.tw/news/ast/201606130027.aspx 6. "A Message from the Peace Commission: Information on Cambridge's Sister Cities," (http://www.cambridgema. gov/deptann.cfm?story_id=1597) February 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-12. 7. Richard Thompson. "Looking to strengthen family