Ibaraki

Kashima Soccer Stadium is located in Kashima City in the southeastern part of Ibaraki Prefecture and is owned and operated by the prefecture. With a population of just over 60,000, Kashima City is not so big as far as cities in Japan go, but it is famous throughout Japan as the home of the strong professional soccer team Kashima Antlers. Kashima City developed into an industrial town in the 1960s, and the steel companies and chemical makers in the area, along with local governments, work together to support the activities of the Antlers.

World Cup Games to Be Held in Ibaraki
Argentina vs. Nigeria (June 2)
Germany vs. Ireland (June 5)
Italy vs. Croatia (June 8)

Fun Facts About the Stadium
Kashima Soccer Stadium was the first stadium in Japan to be used exclusively for soccer. It was built in 1993 and underwent major renovations in 2001 in order to be able to host World Cup games. The stadium is home to Kashima Antlers and is indispensable for Kashima, as soccer is a important part of the city's efforts to improve the quality of life for its citizens.

Famous Local Foods
Ankonabe (angler-fish stew) is eaten all over Japan, but the variety found in Ibaraki Prefecture is especially famous. The angler fish lives near the seabed and, to tell the truth, looks quite ugly. It can grow to more than one meter in length, its body is flat, and it has an unusually large mouth. But when its meat is cooked together in a pot with leeks, Chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and shirataki (noodles made of devil's tongue), the result is delicious. Natto (fermented soybeans) from the city of Mito is another of the area's famous foods, but natto has a very strong, distinctive odor, and most foreigners and even some Japanese cannot eat it.

Famous Sights
Kashima Shrine is said to have been built in 660 B.C. and is one of Japan's most venerated shrines. It houses a sword that is one of Japan's national treasures. It is said that if the sword, which was made some 1,200 years ago, is swung, the whole of Japan will become peaceful at once. Deer are kept on the grounds of the shrine, and it is from the antlers of these deer that the Kashima Antlers took their name.

Festivals
The Ofuna Festival (floating boat festival), held once every 12 years by Kashima Shrine, is especially famous in Japan. Long ago, Kashima played an important role in water transport in the Kanto region, as it was the gateway from the sea to the region's rivers. It is said that the festival was begun around the end of the fourth century as a way of bringing happiness and peace to the people. A boat made to look like the head of a dragon leads a number of other boats, and the flotilla at Kasumigaura, Japan's second-largest freshwater lake, looks like a scene from an old picture scroll. The festival will be held this year on September 2.