Tokyo lies about 60 km to the south, and Tsukuba science city borders Tsuchiura to the west.

Ibaraki Prefecture Tsuchiura has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall.

Hunter-gatherers inhabited the coastal area of the Pacific Ocean (now Lake Kasumigaura) forming large shell middens, examples of which can be seen at the Kamitakatsu archeological site.

During the Nara period the area was organized under the Taihō Code with what is now Tsuchiura occupying four districts of Hitachi Province.

In 939, during the Heian period, Taira no Masakado led an uprising against the central government by attacking the provincial capital at Ishioka, a few kilometers to the north of Tsuchiura.

With the creation of modern municipalities after the Meiji Restoration on April 1, 1889, the town of Tsuchiura was established within Ibaraki Prefecture.

Tsuchiura's political system is similar to that of other cities in Japan, as the Local Autonomy Law makes all municipalities uniform in powers and organization.

Tsuchiura was formerly the center of commerce in southern Ibaraki Prefecture due to its good rail connections and location on Lake Kasumigaura.