| Chiba Prefecture ((ja)千葉 県, Chiba-ken) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Kantō |
| Regional capital | Chiba |
| Area | 5 156,15 km² |
| Population | 6 275 916 hab. () |
| Density | 1 217,17 inhab./km² |
| Spindle | UTC 09:00, Japan Standard Time |
| Location | |
&groups=aller,circuler,voir,faire,acheter,manger,sortir,loger,ville,destination,diplomatie,masque,around,buy,city,do,drink,eat,go,listing,other,see,sleep,vicinity,view,black,blue,brown,chocolate,forestgreen,gold,gray,grey,lime,maroon,mediumaquamarine,navy,red,royalblue,silver,steelblue,teal,fuchsia) 35 ° 32 ′ 32 ″ N 139 ° 57 ′ 58 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
| Touristic site | |
Chiba is a prefecture japanese, located in the region of Kantō, located in the region of Kantō, sure Honshū the largest island in Japan.
Understand
Chiba Prefecture lies directly east of Tokyo and is bordered by the prefecture ofIbaraki North. The Bōsō peninsula (房 総 半島Bōsō-hantō) occupies a large part of the prefecture and separates Tokyo Bay from the Pacific Ocean.
Much of the western / northwestern part of Chiba is unattractive Tokyo cityscapes and dormitory suburbs. But once you pass the town and dive into the countryside of rice paddies, gentle hills, and striking coastlines, you'll understand why Chiba received nicknames like the 'Edo Bread Basket', the ' Japan's golf mecca ”and the“ Tokyo Secret Garden ”.
This area is relatively unknown, even to Japanese, but it is nonetheless a great place to escape from Tokyo and explore a bit of Japan off the beaten track.
Many Chiba destinations can be visited in a day from Tokyo. The Pacific coast is dotted with many traditional fishing villages, and young surfers from Tokyo are drawn to the waves. The interior coast is good picturesque, but the cliffs of Nokogiriyama are a popular tourist attraction.
Regions
Cities
- 1 Chiba (千葉) – The capital of the eponymous prefecture, which doesn't quite look like William Gibson's description but has a few interesting places.
- 2 Ichikawa (市 川) – A small town located immediately separated from Tokyo by the Edo River.
- 3 Kashiwa (柏) – A suburban shopping paradise.
- 4 Katori (香 取) – Home to the famous Katori-Jinju Shrine, historic streets of Sawara and the biennial Sawara Matsuri festival.
- 5 Katsuura (勝浦) – Former fishing village on the Pacific coast southwest of Bōsō ("Sotobō"). Famous for its Katsuura Hinamatsuri Doll Festival and katsuo tuna fishing
- 6 Kisarazu (木 更 津) – The largest city within the coast of Bōsō ("Uchibō"), and connected by the Tokyo Bay Aqualine bridge-tunnel to Kawasaki at Kanagawa.
- 7 Matsudo (松 戸) – A town northwest of Chiba, along the Edo River and Tokyo. Residence of Tokugawa Akitake, the beloved brother of Japan's last shogun.
- 8 Narita (成 田) – A small town rich in historical treasures which is often overshadowed by its gigantic airport. There are Narita-san Shinshou-ji and Boso-no-Mura temples.
- 9 Onjuku (御 宿) – Small town bordering Katsuura southwest of the Bōsō coast ("Sotobō").
- 10 Sanmu (山 武) – Small town on the Pacific Ocean coast famous for its raspberries and surfing.
- 11 Tsudanuma (津 田 沼) – A residential area in West Chiba, and to a large extent a dormitory suburb of Tokyo.
- 12 Yachimata (八 街) – A small town adjacent to Chiba, famous for its peanut production.
- 13 Noda (野 田) – Dormitory town of Tokyo and Chiba, home of the Kikkoman Empire (soy sauce producer).
- 14 Urayasu (浦 安) – Tokyo disney resort
Other destinations
- Bōsō Peninsula (総 半島) – The southern tip of Chiba.
- Tokyo disneyland – Also located in the prefecture.
To go
While JR trains run all over the Chiba coast, the interior coast is just 30 min by ferry from Kurihama, south of Yokohama. 1997 saw the completion of the Tokyo Wan Aqua bridge-tunnel, which buries itself and spans Tokyo Bay between Kisarazu (Chiba prefecture) and Kawasaki (on the Tokyo side). The tunnel is not economical (4 000 JPY) for a car unless you have an electronic toll card reducing the price to 1 500 JPY. You can take the coaches passing through the tunnel and over the bridge from Tokyo, Shinagawa, Haneda Airport, Kawasaki and Yokohama stations (at most 1 500 JPY one way) to Kisarazu.
By train
The center of the JR network in the prefecture is, unsurprisingly, JR Chiba Station. But be careful when you take the train to the Bōsō peninsula, since there are two ways that trains go to Awa-Kamogawa, the terminus. The Uchibō Line (内 房 線, "Inner Bōsō Line"), follows the west coast (along Tokyo Bay) in Going through Kisarazu. The Sotobō line (外 房 線, "outer line of Bōsō") passes through the peninsula and then descends to the east coast (the coast on the Pacific Ocean) by Katsuura. In addition, trains for Chōshi can turn to Sakura either to the north, passing through Narita (Narita line), either to the south, passing through Naruto along the Sōbu Main Line.
To summarize all this, here are the platforms to take at Chiba station:
| Destination | Line | Dock |
|---|---|---|
| Ichikawa (Shinjuku) | Sōbu Chūō | 1, 2 |
| Kisarazu, Tateyama | Uchibo Line | 3, 4 |
| Mobara, Katsuura | Sotobo Line | 5, 6 |
| Tōgane | Tōgane Line | 5, 6 |
| Chōshi | Sōbu Main Line | 7, 8 |
| Narita | Narita Line, N'EX | 9, 10 |
See
- 1 Nokogiriyama (鋸 山)
return cable car to temple: 1 530 JPY. – Nokogiriyama, whose name means "mountain-saw", is a group of Buddhist temples cut out of the cliff. A cable car will take you to the top where on a clear day you can have a spectacular 180 ° panorama over Chiba, Tokyo and Yohohama to the north, the Mount Fuji to the west and Izu Oshima and Niijima to the south. Even in poor weather, Yokosuka should be visible across Tokyo Bay. The most advantageous point of view is Jigoku-nozoki (地獄 覗 き, “stealthy gaze on hell”), a small platform of rock protruding from the cliff. In the other direction, you can see the low mountains of the interior of the Bōsō Peninsula. From the summit, trails descend into the land through the woods towards Nihonji (日本 寺). The temple, built in 715, includes a stone Buddha statue which with a total height of 31,05 m, is in fact one of the biggest in Japan.
From the Tokyo area, you can reach Nogokiriyama by taking the Tokyo Bay ferry from Kurihama (south of Yokohama) for 1 000 JPY. There are buses going from 1 JR and Keikyū stations in Kurihama (at 03 min on foot from each other) at 2 Tokyo-Wan ferry terminal , or you can make the trip on foot (20 min). On the Chiba side, the ferry terminal is approximately 1 km north-west of the cable car station, and the 3 Hamakanaya station is halfway. Most people take the cable car (500 JPY to go, 930 JPY round trip) but good hikers should go through the pleasant forest, which is 50 min before arriving at the cliff where you can see the caves from below (very impressive), and allows you to reach the top after a steep ascent. You might even spot a few old excavation machines. Be aware that if you choose to do the entire descent of the mountain (to the south) on foot, it will be a long walk to the nearest station, the 4 JR Hota station , infrequent trains. If you have a car, you can take the toll road which is the same place as the cable car, but starts further south. The entire area at the top of the rocks is a temple with an entrance fee of 600 JPY. The cable car station has a small museum explaining the excavation of the rock.
return cable car to temple: 
- 2 Kujūkuri Beach (九 十九 里 浜, kujūkuri-hama) – This beach is, for many travelers, the first glimpses of Japan: it is the long coast that one sees from the plane when crossing the Pacific to Narita. The name means "99 ri rib", where the "ri" is an ancient unit of length of about 654 m. The coast is in fact about 60 km. There are many towns along the coast, from Iioka in the north to Ichinomiya in the south.
The lower part of the Bōsō Peninsula has several man-made attractions that are popular excursions for families, but which will be of limited appeal to other travelers:
- 3 Kamogawa Sea World (鴨 川 シ ー ワ ー ル ド) – A marine zoological park.
- 4 Mother farm (マ ザ ー 牧場) (in the commune of Futtsu (富 津)) Price on site / purchased in advance in a combini: adults: 1 500 JPY/1 350 JPY; children: 800 JPY/ 700 JPY; Free on rainy days but not everything is free inside. – A farm where children can pet cows, alpacas and other animals. In the Pig Race, the children guide their pig to the finish line as fast as possible.
- 5 Tokyo German Village (東京 ド イ ツ 村 tōkyō doitsu mura) – A theme park with reconstructed half-timbered houses and sausage dishes.
Also don't miss:
- The Shinshō-ji temple at Narita and the traditional shopping streets around.
- The National Museum of Japanese History at Sakura
- Tokyo disney resort
Make
- Surf (Pacific coast of Chiba; Uchibo and Sotobo train line; car) – Chiba is known as the surfing mecca of Japan. The World Tour competitions were held in Katsuura and other locations on the Kujyukuri coast. If you are traveling by train, one of the most convenient stops is Kamogawa. The beach is right at 03 min from the train station, with surf shops and loads of hotels. By car, explore the coast. Typhoon season is the best.
Buy
Eat
- Fresh fish (eg in Banya) or one of the local specialties: namerou and the oraga-don.
- The peanuts.
- Two towns in the prefecture are called the soy sauce town because of the brands that sit there:Noda (Kikkoman, Kinoene, etc ...) and Chōshi (Yamasa, Higeta, etc ...)
Have a drink / Go out
Housing
Around
- Ibaraki Prefecture
- Saitama Prefecture
- Tokyo – The country's capital and megalopolis.
- Yamanashi Prefecture
- Nagano Prefecture
