石岡の歴史ある街並み散策 ～常陸の国の歴史が息づく街～ ／ Strolling through the historic streets of Ishioka-shi, Ibaraki

Ishioka City is a central city in the southern region of Ibaraki Prefecture and a historic town where the provincial capital of Hitachi Province was located during the Nara period. During the Edo period, it flourished as Fuchu-juku on the old Mito Highway, developing as a castle town and post town with a thriving commercial sector. In 1929, it was struck by an unprecedented fire, destroying about a quarter of the central urban area. However, subsequent reconstruction led to the construction of many shops in the signboard architecture style, particularly around the Nakamachi shopping street. Many of these shops still remain today, creating a unique urban landscape with a Showa-era retro atmosphere. This walk will begin at JR Ishioka Station, proceed west along the station front street to Nakamachi Street (the old Mito Highway), and walk along Nakamachi Street, where many signboard architecture buildings remain. Afterward, we will visit Soja Shrine and Ishioka Jinya Gate, and then head towards Ishioka Elementary School, where the remains of the Hitachi Province provincial capital are located. We hope this video, which takes you through the retro Showa-era shopping street of Ishioka and its historical shrines and ruins, gives you a sense of the history of Hitachi Province. Ishioka City is a core city in the southern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, with a rich history as it was the provincial capital of Hitachi Province during the Nara period. During the Edo period, it flourished as Fuchu-juku on the old Mito Kaido, and commerce developed as a castle town and post town. In 1929, it suffered an unprecedented great fire that destroyed about a quarter of the central downtown area, but through subsequent reconstruction, many storefronts in the Kanbankenchiku style were built, especially around Nakamachi Shopping Street. Many of these stores still remain today, creating a unique cityscape with a Showa retro atmosphere. For this walk, we’ll start from JR Ishioka Station, head west along the station street to Nakamachi Street (the old Mito Kaido), and walk along Nakamachi Street, where many buildings in the Kanbankenchiku style remains. After that, we’ll stop by Soja-gu Shrine and the Ishioka Jinya Gate, and aim for Ishioka Elementary School, where the remains of the provincial capital of Hitachi still exist. We hope you can feel the history of Hitachi Province through this video, which takes you through Ishioka's Showa retro shopping streets and its historic shrines and ruins.