Tsumugi, a sheen-like cotton, is used for a wide variety of beautiful products, such as kimonos, neckties and purses.
Ibaraki's capital city, Mito, seems to have a proud heritage, having established itself during the Japanese feudal period as home to a thriving community of scholars, craftsmen and artisans.
Once the regional base for the ruling Tokugawa clan, Mito is your regular Japanese commercial centre these days.
But links with the past are still there, such as one of Japan's three most celebrated landscape gardens, known as Kairakuen and established in 1842.
Fans of Japanese technology may find Ibaraki interesting too as it claims to be at the forefront of Japanese science and research.