Hitachiōta, Ibaraki  Hitachiōta is located in northeastern Ibaraki Prefecture, bordered by Fukushima Prefecture to the north. The town of Ota was established with the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to city status on July 15, 1954. On December 1, 2004, the town of Kanasagō, and the villages of Satomi and Suifu (all from Kuji District) were merged into Hitachiōta, more than tripling its size and increasing its population by about 20,000. Hitachiōta has 14 elementary schools, eight middle schools, and three high schools.