|
Moderate climate and many sightseeing spots - Bay
area under large-scale development
Located at the
southeast of the Kanto Plain and adjacent to Tokyo, northern Chiba
lies in the Kanto Plain and in the center and south of the Boso-hanto
Peninsula. The gateway to Japan Narita Airport, the large-scale
convention center Makuhari Messe and many other new facilities have
been constructed in Chiba. The Bay Area along Tokyo Bay is one of the
busiest development zones with Tokyo Disneyland, Lalaporte Shopping
Mall and other large establishments.
The Boso-hanto Peninsula is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the
east, Tokyo Bay and Uraga Channel in the west. Thanks to the oceanic
climate that is warm even in winter, there are a number of attractions
that take advantage of the warmth, such as the Mother Bokujyo Ranch, a
vast picnic area with various animals and attractions, and Kamogawa
Sea-World, which is famous for performances by killer whales and
dolphins. In the southern Boso-hanto Peninsula which is particularly
warm, floriculture is a popular industry. Meadows blanketed with rape
flowers in spring are a symbolic sight of the southern Boso-hanto
Peninsula. There is Mt. Nokogiri-yama with thrilling sheer precipices
as well as the Kujukuri-hama Beach where sandy beach stretches over 55
kilometers. Chiba offers abundant charms of both the sea and the
mountains.
Getting there
Forty-three minutes from Tokyo Station to Chiba Station by the JR
Sobu Line
-
Kujukuri
Gently
extending long coastline - A place where you can actually feel the
roundness of the earth
The Kujukuri-hama Beach is a 66-kilometer-long coastline from
Osakabe-misaki Point in Iioka-cho Town to the south of Choshi City
to Taito-misaki Point in Misaki-machi Town, facing the magnificent
Pacific Ocean. The Kujukuri-hama Beach has a long, straight
coastline, which is rare in Japan where most of the coastlines are
irregular. There are no reefs, so it offers wonderful opportunities
for swimming in the sea as well as surfing and other marine sports.
At the northern end of the Kujukuri-hama Beach, there is Inubo-saki
Point, the easternmost peninsula in the Kanto Region. Inubo-saki
Point is a 20-meter-high marine abrasion platform. A promenade
stretches along the rocky beach where you can enjoy the sight of
rough waves and feel the dynamic blasts of wind off the ocean
directly.
Around Inubo-saki Point, there are a chalky lighthouse built in
1874, "Chikyu-no-maruku-mieru-oka", or Seeing-the-round-earth
Observatory, where you see the arched horizon, Inubo-saki Marine
Park that exhibits 2,500 fishes of 230 kinds, and the Togawa fishing
port where you can board a dolphin-watching boat from spring to
autumn. To the west of Inubo-saki Point at the southern coast of the
Choshi-hanto Peninsula, there is Byobu-ga-ura Cliff, a Dover in the
orient. It is an awesome scenic sight of 10-kilometer-long sheer
precipices with heights of 40 to 50 meters.
Getting there
Take a Limited Express of the JR Sobu Line for 1 hour and 50
minutes from Tokyo Station to Choshi Station. Transfer to the Choshi
Dentetsu Line for 20 minutes from Choshi Station to Inubo-saki
Station.
-
Narita
The gateway to the sky of the world - Another face of Narita -
temple town
Foreigners who come from other parts of the world by air usually
take their first step on Japanese soil at Tokyo Narita Airport,
whose official name is the New Tokyo International Airport, in the
city of Narita. Narita is in the northern part of Chiba and has
prospered as the main gateway to Japan. The airport was renovated in
1999 and the terminal building has shopping malls and restaurants
for travelers to enjoy their time before and after their flights.
Narita has another important role, the temple town of Narita-san
Shinsho-ji Temple which attracts more than 13 million worshippers a
year. Shinsho-ji Temple has always been much worshipped since it was
erected in 940 and there are many Buddhist statues in towers that
are characteristic of the mid-Edo Period in the 18th century. In
early summer, the Narita Gion-matsuri Festival is held. Goshintai,
or the Shinto object of worship, on a mikoshi (portable shrine) and
many decorated floats and carts parade through the city. It is an
exciting sight to watch.
Shiseki-koen Park preserves a group of kofun, or burial mounds.
Haniwa (clay figures) figurines and a skeleton model of a nauman
elephant excavated in Chiba are exhibited in the Chiba Prefectural
Boso Fudoki-no-oka Museum. More than 200 taiko drummers gather for
the Taiko-matsuri Festival, the biggest drum festival of the Kanto
area, in spring.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station to Narita Station, 1 hour 10 minutes by the
JR Sobu Honsen Line or JR Narita Line Rapid Train.
-
Makuhari
Enjoyable Convention City for Events and Baseball Games
Makuhari, in the northwestern part of Chiba, used to be a
tideland and was called Ukishima-no-eki, the Floating Station. It
underwent a renovation of streets and buildings in the late 1980's
to become the largest city complex in Japan as we see today.
Makuhari consists of districts such as business research, education
and culture, residence, park and town center. The center is Makuhari
Messe, the facility for international events and conventions. More
than 10 million people come to visit the biggest general convention
center in Asia, and therefore Makuhari is called the Convention
City. There are many different ways to enjoy Makuhari: shopping at
big malls, watching baseball games at Chiba Marine Stadium or
enjoying a relaxing time at a city hotel. Renowned companies of the
world such as Sharp, Canon and Seiko have their showrooms here to
introduce their most advanced technology.
Around the skyscrapers, there are the Japanese gardens of Mihama-en
and Makuhari Kaihin-koen Park along Makuhari Beach. Walking along
the promenade will offer a chance to feel the sun, sea breeze and
nature in this big city.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station to Kaihin-Makuhari Station, 30 minutes by JR
Keiyo Line Rapid Train.
-
Mt. Kano-zan and Mt.
Nokogiri-yama
The highest mountain in the Kazusa Region, overlooking Tokyo Bay -
The face of the mountain edged like a saw
Mt. Nokogiri-yama, Mt. Kiyosumi-yama and Mt. Kano-zan are called
Boso Sanzan or the Three Mountains of Boso. Mt. Kano-zan is located
at the western end of the Boso-hanto Peninsula in the central part
of Chiba. Being the highest mountain in the Kazusa Region (southern
Chiba), 380 meters above sea level, the observation spot at the top
commands a great view of Tokyo Bay. It is part of the Minami-Boso
Quasi-National Park.
The Mother Bokujo Ranch that has various facilities such as
orchards, fields and an animal farm for tourists and an amusement
park is near the mountaintop. Kuju-ku-tani, or Ninety-nine valleys,
is in this mountainous region where the performance of the
Hashigo-shishimai dance (ritual lion dance) is held in spring at
Shiratori-jinja Shrine, overlooking the valley.
Mt. Nokogiri-yama is 330 meters above sea level. It was known for
Boshu-seki stone from the 14th to the 18th century, and the sites of
the quarries left marks like the edge of a saw, or Nokogiri, on the
face of the mountain, from which the name derives. The whole
mountain is the precinct of Nihon-ji Temple at the top, accessible
by ropeway. The Great Buddha and Sen-gohyaku-rakan (1500 disciples
of Buddha), and Jigoku that looks deep into the valley from cliffs,
are the spots to visit.
Getting there
To Mt. Kano-zan, 1 hour and 20 minutes by JR Uchibo Line Limited
Express from Tokyo Station to Sanuki-machi Station. Take a bus from
Sanuki-machi Station to Mt. Kano-zan Terminus, 30 minutes. To Mt.
Nokogiri-yama, 1 hour 30 minutes by JR Line Limited Express from
Tokyo Station to Hama-kanaya Station.
-
Southern Boso
Moderate climate with warm ocean current -
Enjoy sights of flowers, a taste of fruits, beaches and hot springs
The Southern Boso (Minami-Boso) is a collective term for the
area in southern Chiba and the southern Boso-hanto Peninsula around
Tateyama, Chikura, Kamogawa and Katsuura, and is a part of the
Southern Boso Quasi-National Park. There are many sandy beaches
along Tokyo Bay in the west, while the Pacific Ocean side in the
east displays rocky beaches and precipitous cliffs created by
erosion of the sea. It is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and
thanks to the warm ocean current, the climate is moderate throughout
the year. There are Tateyama Family Park and other nature parks, and
Shirahama Flower Park as well as a number of other botanical gardens
and flower fields. The road from Tateyama to Chikura is called the
"Flower Line" and there is a ceaseless flow of visitors. Meadows
blanketed with rape flowers in spring are a symbolic sight of the
southern Boso.
There are also many orchards. Strawberries are especially famous and
visitors can enjoy strawberry picking for a long period from winter
to early summer. Visitors can also enjoy shellfish gathering in
spring, swimming in summer and fishing throughout the year along the
coast. There are an aquarium called Kamogawa Sea-World, an
underwater observatory with a depth of 8 meters in Katsuura, and
many other amusement spots. Southern Boso
also has a number of hot springs. Visitors can enjoy spa resorts,
thallasotherapy and a variety of other attractions at hot springs.
Getting there
Take a limited express of the JR Uchibo line for 2 hours from
Tokyo Station to Tateyama Station or for 2 hours and 10 minutes to
Chikura Station. Take the JR Sotobo Line for 1 hour and 30 minutes
from Tokyo Station to Katsuura Station or for 2 hours and 5 minutes
to Awa-Kamogawa Station.
-
Urayasu
Fishing village atmosphere still remains - Tokyo Disney Sea, the
newest theme park
Urayasu, in the northwestern part of Chiba, was once a
flourishing fishing village and the sea was rich in seafood such as
seaweed and small clams. Reclamation of the mouth of the Edo-gawa
River pouring into Tokyo Bay started in the late 1930's, which
turned this village into a new residential and commercial center.
However, the key to the development was the construction of Tokyo
Disneyland. The Maihama District, where Tokyo Disneyland is located,
opened a gigantic shopping mall, Expeari, in 2000. In 2001, a new
theme park called Disney Sea, having for its theme old and new tales
about the seas of the world, opened.
Near Sakai-gawa River that pours into Tokyo Bay, some of the old
fishermen's houses are open to the public. The oldest house was
built in 1869, and at Kyodo Shiryokan Museum, there is the
exhibition on the history of Urayasu. Shops selling traditional
yaki-hamaguri, or roasted clams, and nori, or dried seaweed, also
remind us of the olden days of this area.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station to Shin-Urayasu Station, 18 minutes by the JR
Keiyo Line. To Disneyland, 13 minutes by JR Keiyo Line Rapid Train
from Tokyo Station to Maihama Station.
-
Yoro-keikoku Valley
Rugged bluffs - Big waterfall of 30 meters height
Descending from Mt. Kiyosumi-yama, the clear upper Yoro-gawa
River joins with its tributary, the Kaburai-gawa River, in the
ruggedly bluffed Yoro-keikoku Valley in the southern part of Chiba.
Upstream, is Kobun-do, better known as Katto-no-ketsudo, which is a
path that was made 140 years ago but which collapsed in 1974, and
Osawamata-no-taki Falls, often called Maboroshi-no-taki, or the
Mirage Waterfalls. The best spot in this region is Awamata-no-taki
Falls, or Taka-taki Falls, located in the mountains about four
kilometers from Kobun-do, which is one of the biggest waterfalls in
Chiba. Its height of 30 meters and clear water running down the
stair-shaped rocks over a distance of 100 meters has earned it
praise for looking like silk cloth spread out.
On the west bank of the river, a walkway has been constructed for
1.7 kilometers where visitors can enjoy the sound of the stream as
they walk. Bathing in a hot spring inn is possible without staying
overnight. Take enough time to enjoy outdoor activities such as
fishing, barbecues and camping.
Getting there
From Tokyo Station, 45 minutes by JR Uchibo Line Limited Express
to Goi Station. From Goi Station, 1 hour by the Kominato Tetsudo
Line to Yoro-keikoku Station.
|
Chiba
Information
provided by Japan National Tourist Organization.
