Chiba (prefecture)



Chiba Prefecture (千葉県 Chiba-Ken) is located directly east of Tokyo, and bordered by Ibaraki Prefecture to the north. A large part of the prefecture is made up of the Bōsō Peninsula (房総半島 Bōsō-hantō), which shields Tokyo bay from the Pacific Ocean.

Understand
Much of the western/northwestern part of Chiba is relatively uninspired urbanity and bedtowns for Tokyo, but once you get past the city and watch the sharp descent into rural countryside of sprawling rice fields, rolling hills, and striking coastlines, you will realize why Chiba has been variously called "Edo's Breadbasket" and "Tokyo's Secret Backyard".

The area is relatively poorly known, even among Japanese people, but is nonetheless a great place to get away from Tokyo and explore a Japan a bit off the beaten track.

Many parts of Chiba can be visited on a day trip from Tokyo. The Pacific coast is dotted with many traditional fishing villages, and young surfers from Tokyo are attracted by the waves. The inner coast is less picturesque, but the cliffs of Nokogiriyama are a popular tourist attraction.

Tourist Information Site
Visit Chiba is the prefecture's official multilingual guide site.

Cities

 * — eponymous capital of the prefecture, which doesn't bear much resemblance to William Gibson's depictions but has a few points of interest.
 * - This city is a bedroom community. Transportation to Tokyo is convenient.
 * — noted for its dramatic sea coast on the Pacific Ocean,and its lighthouse.
 * — a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo.
 * — a residential city that us home to a wild bird observatory and a zoological & botanical garden.
 * — a suburban shopping haven.
 * — home of famous Katori-Jingu Shrine, the historic streets of Sawara, and the bi-annual Sawara Matsuri festival.
 * — an old fishing town on the southwestern pacific Boso ("Sotobo") coast. Famous for its Katsuura Hinamatsuri Doll Festival and katsuo tuna catch.
 * — connected by the Tokyo Bay Aqualine bridge-tunnel to Kawasaki, it hosts a number of factory outlet shopping malls.
 * — a city in northwestern Chiba, bordering Edo River and Tokyo. Residence of the Tokugawa Akitake, the beloved brother of Japan's last shogun.
 * — hometo the Yatsu-higata tidal flat, a protected wetlands for migratory birds.
 * — a small city rich in historical treasures that is often overshadowed by its huge airport. Home to Narita-san Shinshouji Temple and Boso-no-Mura.
 * — a bedroom city for Tokyo and Chiba, home to the Kikkoman soy sauce empire.
 * — a small town that is a popular spot with surfers and holiday beachgoers.
 * — a small town on the Pacific coast famous for strawberries and surfing.
 * — a small city with important museums, historical houses and a famous tulip festival
 * — home to Tokyo Disney Resort.
 * — a small city next to Chiba City that is famous for its production of peanuts.

Other destinations

 * — town with a museum of Aeronautical Science.
 * — the tip at the south of Chiba, a great area to relax and enjoy the beach.
 * — the first "Magic Kingdom" park built outside the U.S., and Tokyo DisneySea, an ocean-themed park exclusive to Japan.

Get in
While JR trains run the entire coast of Chiba, the inner coast is just a 30-minute ferry ride from Kurihama, south of Yokohama. 1997 saw the completion of the Tokyo Wan Aqua Line bridge and tunnel, which burrows under and rises across Tokyo Bay between Kisarazu (Chiba prefecture) and Kawasaki (on the Tokyo side). The tunnel is not economical at ¥4000 for a passenger car, unless you have an ETC card which brings the price down to ¥1500. You can take highway buses through the tunnel and over the bridge from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Haneda Airport, Kawasaki and Yokohama stations for up to ¥1500 one way to Kisarazu.

By train


The center of the JR network in Chiba is, unsurprisingly, JR Chiba Station. But be careful when taking trains to the Boso Peninsula, as there are two different ways trains can get to Awa-Kamogawa, the final stop. The Uchibō Line (内房線), or "Inner Boso Line", follows the western coast (Tokyo Bay side) through Kisarazu, while the Sotobō or "Outer Boso" Line (外房線) cuts across the peninsula and then goes down the east coast (Pacific Ocean side) via Katsuura. Additionally, trains to Choshi can turn north at Sakura to go via Narita (the Narita Line), or go south via Naruto along the Sobu Main Line.

To summarize all that, here are the platforms to take at Chiba station:

See






The lower Boso peninsula has several artificial attractions that are popular for family excursions but probably of limited appeal to other travelers:



Also, don't miss:
 * Narita Shinshouji Temple and surrounding traditional shopping streets
 * National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura
 * Tokyo Disney Resort

Eat

 * Fresh fish, e.g. at Banya (fisherman's resthouse on the beach), or in the local specialties Namerou (raw blue-back fish minced with miso) and Oraga-don (seafood on rice).
 * Peanuts
 * Two cities in Chiba prefecture are called City of Soy sauce: Noda (Kikkoman, Kinoene, etc.), and Choshi (Yamasa, Higeta, etc.)

Go next

 * Ibaraki Prefecture
 * Saitama Prefecture
 * Tokyo
 * Kanagawa Prefecture