The new prefectural office

from the 5/99 paper Ibaraki Report

Well, this article is now 8 years old, but I figured it could be interesting to re-issue it on this website. -Aurélien

Built at a cost of approximately 80 billion yen ($666 million US at the time of printing), the new prefectural building is an atavistic monument to the bubble days of the late 1980s Japan. It was, in fact, originally conceived in 1986, when a 28-member strong committee was established to look into the feasibility of such a place. It did take a while to finally see the light of day, and along the way nation-wide economic problems caused a few cuts to its originally proposed budget. Finally, though, in January of 1996, construction on a new administrative building, prefectural assembly hall, and police headquarters began. The finished product doesn't look as if many financial corners have been cut, with swift (though often crowded) elevators which whisk you to the 25th floor viewing lounge, wide hallways and offices which are usually radiant with natural sunlight, and a spacious and attractive architecture. Offices at the old prefectural buildings were cramped and packed with both people and filing cabinets, opposing groups waging an eternal turf war. The new offices are open, with no walls between divisions, plenty of space to walk around, nice views of Mito, and filing areas cleverly concealed within the walls. Best of all, the offices are smoke-free; now every non-smoking employee can be blissfully oxygenated.

Since the new office opened at the beginning of April, things have been a little chaotic. Divisions from the old office were moving into the new spaces on a strict schedule, and at the same time the new building was opened to a flood of visitors. Half the elevators were commandeered by the moving crews, and the carpeting was covered with foam sheets and wood panels to prevent any damage during those first few hectic days. Now, however, everything has settled, and it's business as usual.

As a prefectural employee, I had the opportunity to tour areas of the prefectural office normally off limits to most visitors. One of the areas I was most impressed with was the disaster prevention section, which to a computer nut like me was amazing. One room is filled with a variety of terminals that can coordinate relief efforts with the entire nation, one room has a SunSparc Server, and still another room is filled with wall-sized television screens that can broadcast all normal and satellite feeds. Knowing that such a high-powered information facility is there to circumvent any and all disasters in Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma, I can't help but feel a little safer.

There is plenty for the public to see. The observation area on the 25th floor allows for views of Mito and its environs towards all points of the compass; this is the tallest building in the prefecture, after all. There are exhibits about Ibaraki and its history, about the old and new prefectural buildings, about Mito. There is a post office, a bank, a cafeteria, and two convenience stores.

There are coffee shops on the 11th and 25th floors. There are even recreational and exercise facilities available for the employees of the prefectural office in the separate building on the grounds. Contained within are a huge gymnasium with a basketball court, a weight training room, kendō and kyūdō dōjō, and showers and locker rooms. Who would want to do any work here?

And what are they going to do with the old kenchō, located near Mito station in the Sannomaru section of town? Rumor has it that they're considering converting part of it into a library, part into a museum, and part into a new passport center for Japanese citizens. Welfare and continuing education facilities are also being set up there. In fact, a whole new section of the prefectural government has been organized to deal with what will be done with the old office complex.

The new prefectural government office complex is located in southern Mito, in Kasahara-chō. It is open every day, and the public is free to visit. Buses run regularly from Mito station to the new office, and if you drive, there's a good chance you'll be able to park in one of the spacious lots or parking decks.

	Main administrative complex	Prefectural assembly hall	Police headquarters
Total area	6800 m²	4400 m²	2700 m²
Total floor area	81,000 m²	16,200 m²	24,900 m²
Number of floors	27 (incl. 2 underground)	5	11 (incl. 1 underground)
Height	116 m	39 m	49 m
Building materials	Tile and granite on a steel girder frame