is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 644,668 in 309,238 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of . The total area of the city is . It is the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the ...

's 7th most populated city (after passing Kawaguchi, Hachioji and

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

), and second largest in Chiba Prefecture.

Geography

Funabashi is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture approximately 20 kilometers in either direction from the prefectural capital at

and downtown Tokyo. The central area forms a flat diluvial upland of the

Shimōsa Plateau The is a plateau on the Kantō Plain in central Honshu, Japan. The plateau covers most of northern Chiba Prefecture. The plateau was historically richly agricultural, but in the 20th century the western and central Shimōsa Plateau became one of ...

. The city sits at an elevation of 20 to 30 meters above sea level, and is relatively flat. The highest point is 32.3 meters in Narashino 3-chome, and the lowest point is 0.2 meters in Minatomachi 1-chome. Funabashi is crossed by the

Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the Kantō ...

, and the small

Ebi River The is a river in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of . Under the Japan Rivers Act of 1906 the river is designated as a Class 2 River. The Ebi originates near Takanechō district of Funabashi and fl ...

is located entirely within city limits. Funabashi formerly had wide, shallow beaches, but much of the coast has been industrialized and transformed by

reclaimed land Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lak ...

. The city extends for 13.86 kilometers east–west and 14.95 kilometers north–south.

Neighboring municipalities

Chiba Prefecture * Ichikawa *

Narashino is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 175,292 in 81,985 households and a population density of 8400 persons per km². The total area of the city is Geography Narashino is located in far northw ...

* Yachiyo *

Kamagaya is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,941 living in 50,485 households and a population density of 5200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kamagaya is located in the ...

Shiroi is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 63,190 in 26,204 households and a population density of 1800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The name of the city comes from the word for ...

Climate

Funabashi has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Funabashi is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Funabashi population statistics
/ref> the population of Funabashi has been increasing rapidly over the past century.

History

The name "Funabashi" is mentioned in the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

chronicle ''

Azuma Kagami is a Japanese historical chronicle. The medieval text chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō (the 6th shōgun) and his return to Kyoto in 12 ...

.'' However, the name itself is even more ancient, dating from before the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

and the

Yamatotakeru , originally , was a Japanese semi-legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty, son of Emperor Keikō, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan. His name written in kanji can vary, in the '' Nihon Shoki'' it is spelled 日本武尊 ...

mythology. Archaeologists have found stone tools from the

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC; although any date of human presence before 35,000 BC ...

period and

shell midden A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...

s from the

Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...

in the area, indicating continuous inhabitation for thousands of years. A number of

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

s and

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

s in the area claim to have been founded in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

. During the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

s, the area was controlled by the

Chiba clan The Chiba clan (千葉氏 ''Chiba-shi'') was a Japanese ''gōzoku'' and samurai family descending from the Taira clan. The clan was founded by Chiba Tsunetane, the son of Taira no Tadatsune. The Chiba governed in Shimōsa Province, and the clan w ...

. During the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the Chiba clan fought the

Satomi clan The was a Japanese samurai clan of the Sengoku period (1467–1573) and early Edo period (1603–1868). The clan ruled Awa Province as a ''Sengoku daimyō'' and was a major military power in the Kantō region during the wars of the Nanboku-c ...

to the south, and the

Late Hōjō clan Late may refer to: * LATE, an acronym which could stand for: ** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia ** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law ** Local average treatment effect, ...

to the west. After the defeat of the Chiba clan, the area came within the control of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

. Under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, the area prospered as a

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

on the river crossing of the

, and was largely retained as ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

'' under the direct control of the Shogunate and administered through a number of ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' However ...

''. The area was also a favored hunting grounds for the Shōgun. During the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, Funabashi was the location of a minor skirmish between Tokugawa loyalists under

Enomoto Takeaki Viscount was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the Mei ...

and the pro-Imperial forces of

Okayama Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Bizen Province in modern-day Okayama Prefecture.">DF_18_of_80">"Ikeda"_at_''Nobiliare_du_Japon'',_p._14_ DF_18_of_80/nowiki>_retrieved_2013-4-25. # .html"_;"title="DF_18_of_8 ...

and Satsuma Domain, during which most of the town burned down. After the abolition of the han system, the area eventually became part of Chiba Prefecture. Funabashi Town was one of several towns and villages created on April 1, 1889, under Inba District, Chiba, Inba District with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Tokyo and the presence of numerous military facilities in the area. On April 1, 1937, Funabashi was elevated to city status through merger with neighboring Katsushika Town and Yasakae, Hoden and Tsukada Villages. The new city was host to numerous military installations in World War II, and was bombed in the

air raids on Japan Air raids conducted by Allied forces on Japan during World War II caused extensive destruction to the country's cities and killed between 241,000 and 900,000 people. During the first years of the Pacific War these attacks were limited to the D ...

in 1945. The city developed rapidly in the postwar period, with the development of industries, public housing developments and port facilities. With the annexation of neighboring Ninomiya Town in 1953, the population exceeded 100,000. The population exceeded 300,000 in 1969 and 500,000 in 1982. Funabashi was designated a

core city In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city i ...

on April 1, 2005, with increased local autonomy from the central government. The population exceeded 600,000 in 2006.

Government

Funabashi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 50 members. Funabashi contributes seven members to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the

Chiba 4th district Chiba 4th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives of Japan, House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in the city of Funabashi, Chiba, Funabashi in Western Chiba prefecture, Chiba. As of 2016, 459,431 eligible ...

and the

Chiba 13th district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

Funabashi is a regional commercial center and, due to its numerous train connections, a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for nearby Chiba and Tokyo. Approximately 34.5% of the working population commutes to Tokyo, per the 2015 census.

Companies from Funabashi

Mugen Seiki is a Japanese manufacturer of high-end, premium radio-controlled cars based in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. Mugen means ''unlimited'', Seiki means ''machinery works''. Mugen Seiki currently manufactures a 1/8 scale buggy and truggy as well as a ...

- a remote control car manufacturer

Education

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...

branch campus * Funabashi has 54 public elementary schools and 27 public middle schools operated by the city government, and 11 public high schools operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private elementary school, one private middle school and four private high schools. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

–

Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations ...

* -

–

Keiyō Line The is a railway line connecting Tokyo and Chiba in Japan, paralleling the edge of Tokyo Bay. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line forms part of what JR East refers to as the around Tokyo, consisting of the Kei ...

* ->>-

– Chūō-Sōbu Line * - - - Keisei Logo

Keisei Electric Railway The (stylized as K'SEI since 2001) is a major private railway in Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo, Japan. The name ''Keisei'' is the combination of the kanji 京 from and 成 from , which the railway's main line connects. The combination uses diffe ...

Keisei Main Line {{Infobox rail line , name = Keisei Main Line , native_name = 京成本線 , native_name_lang = ja , color = 005aaa , logo = {{KSLS, KS, 50 , logo_width = , image = Keisei-Series3000-3042.jpg , image_width = 3 ...

* - - - - - - Shin-Keisei Logo

Shin-Keisei Electric Railway The is a private railway in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It connects Narashino and Matsudo. It is a subsidiary of Keisei Electric Railway. It has the following bus company subsidiaries. * Funabashi Shin-Keisei Bus * Matsudo Shin-Keisei Bus Lines ...

Shin-Keisei Line The is a railway line in Japan owned by the private railway company Shin-Keisei Electric Railway, a subsidiary of Keisei Electric Railway. The line runs between Matsudo Station in Matsudo, Chiba, and Keisei-Tsudanuma Station in Narashino, Chiba ...

* - - - - - - - - Hokuso railway logo

Hokusō Railway -

Hokusō Line The is a commuter rail line operated by the third-sector Hokusō Railway in Japan. It runs between Keisei-Takasago Station in Katsushika, Tokyo and Inba-Nihon-Idai Station in Inzai, Chiba. It is part of the primary Keisei route between centra ...

Tobu Railway is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longes ...

–

Tobu Noda Line is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longe ...

* - - - 25px

Tōyō Rapid Railway Toyo may refer to: Places *Tōyō, Kōchi, a town in Japan *Tōyo, Ehime, a former city in Japan * Toyo Province, a Japanese province divided in 683 * Tōyō, Kumamoto, a village located in Yatsuhiro District, Kumamoto, Japan * Tōyō, Tokyo, ...

Tōyō Rapid Line Toyo may refer to: Places *Tōyō, Kōchi, a town in Japan *Tōyo, Ehime, a former city in Japan *Toyo Province, a Japanese province divided in 683 *Tōyō, Kumamoto, a village located in Yatsuhiro District, Kumamoto, Japan *Tōyō, Tokyo, a ...

* - - - - Tokyo Metro logo

Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line The is a rapid transit line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. Its name translates to "''East-West Line"''. The line runs between Nakano in Nakano-ku, Tokyo and Nishi-Funabashi in Funabashi, Chiba Pr ...

* -

Highway

* * * * * * *

Sister city relations

* –

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

, United States, from November 7, 1986 * –

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

, Denmark from April 6, 1989 * –

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

, China from November 2, 1994

Local attractions

Notable structures

Funabashi Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while e ...

* Funabashi Sports Park Arena, playground of the

Chiba Jets Chiba Jets Funabashi ( ja, 千葉ジェッツふなばし) is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Funabashi, Chiba. The team joined the JBL Super League in 2005 and currently competes in the B.League. The 31,000sqm Lala Arena Toky ...

Nakayama Racecourse is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It has a capacity of 165,676. It was built in 1990. Physical attributes Nakayama Race Course has two grass courses, a dirt course, and a jump course. The turf's measures 184 ...

*LaLaPort shopping mall, one of the largest in Japan *

SSAWS SSAWS, pronounced and officially known as , was an indoor ski slope in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. The name was an acronym of "Spring Summer Autumn Winter Snow". Constructed by Mitsui at a cost of US$400 million, the ski slope opened on July 15, 1 ...

indoor ski slope (closed and demolished in 2003) *Japan's first large-format

IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...

store, built on the site of SSAWS

Notable places　

Funabashi Shrine is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 644,668 in 309,238 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . It is the Greater Tokyo Area's 7th most populated city (after p ...

* Ninomiya Jinja * Narashinohara *

Kūtei-kan is an exhibition institution in Ground Self-Defense Force Narashino Camp. Originally, the building was built for the Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of ...

* Meiji Tennō Chūhitsu no Tokoro no Hi * Gyōda Musen *Cherry blossoms on the

Nishonoseki stable Nishonoseki stable may refer to: * Nishonoseki stable (1911–2013) (1911–2013) was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables (''ichimon'') named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-e ...

Notable people from Funabashi

Funassyi is a fictional Japanese mascot character, unofficially representing the city of Funabashi, Chiba. It was created by a citizen of Funabashi with the objective of cheering up local residents and helping promote her hometown. It has subsequently app ...

, unofficial city mascot *

Hiroki Aiba is a Japanese actor associated with Grand-Arts. He debuted as an actor in 2005 as Shusuke Fuji in '' Musical: The Prince of Tennis'' and also reprised his role in the live-action film ''The Prince of Tennis''. Since then, he has appeared in oth ...

, dancer and singer *

Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for his ...

, professional wrestler *

Sayaka Ichii is a Japanese pop singer and former member for Japanese girl group Morning Musume. She is now a TV talent and planning to debut as an actress. History Morning Musume and Hello Project Joined the girl group Morning Musume in 1998. She, along wit ...

, musician * Atsushi Itō, actor *

Yuko Kavaguti Yuko Kavaguti (also: Kawaguchi; Japanese: , russian: link=no, Юко Кавагути, born 20 November 1981) is a retired pair skater who has represented Japan and Russia in international competition. In 2006, she began competing with Alexander ...

, figure skater *

Mai Kuraki (born October 28, 1982) is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. After releasing her US debut single " Baby I Like" in 1999, Kuraki signed with Giza Studio and released her Japanese debut single " Love, Day After Tomorro ...

, singer *

Fumie Kurotori (born August 6, 1975 in Funabashi, Chiba, Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Chiba) is a retired female medley swimming, medley swimmer from Japan, who represented her native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known f ...

, swimmer *

Mai Minokoshi is a professional Japanese tennis player. Her career record is 86 wins against 121 losses. Biography Minokoshi was born in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture on 16 April 1992.

, professional tennis player * Manabu Namiki, video game designer *

Yoshihiro Natsuka is a former Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team He is the current head coach J2 League club of Renofa Yamaguchi. Club career Natsuka was born in Funabashi on October 7, 1969. After graduating from high school, he j ...

, professional soccer player *

Katsuhiko Nishijima is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director known for panty- fanservice. Films *'' Project A-ko'' (1986), director *'' Project A-ko: Grey Side/Blue Side'' (1990), director *'' Honō no Tenkōsei'' (1991), Director, Animation Directo ...

, Anime director *

Michiko Nishiwaki is a Japanese actress, stunt woman, martial artist, fight choreographer, former female bodybuilder and powerlifter. She performed the high-risk stunts as a double for Lucy Liu in the film ''Charlie's Angels.'' Early life Michiko Nishiwaki was ...

, actress, stunt woman *

Yoshihiko Noda is a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 2011 to 2012. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and a member of the House of Representatives (lower house) in the Diet (national legislature). He was named to succeed Naoto K ...

, politician, former

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...

Hanako Oku is a pop singer famous in her native Japan for her piano ballads. She rose to fame after performing the end-title track for the Madhouse film '' The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'' in 2006. She was signed to a major record label the preceding yea ...

, musician *

Shunzo Ono is a former Japanese Association football, football player. Playing career Ono was born in Funabashi, Chiba, Funabashi on March 29, 1965. After graduating from Narashino High School, he joined Japan Soccer League side Kashima Antlers, Sumitomo ...

, professional soccer player *

Tamao Satō is a Japanese actress, voice actress, television personality and model from Funabashi, Chiba, perhaps best known for her role as Momo Maruo in the 1995 Super Sentai series ''Chōriki Sentai Ohranger'', as well as co-hosting ''O-Sama Brunch'', a T ...

, actress *

Takashi Sekizuka is a former Japanese football player and manager. Playing career Sekizuka was born in Funabashi on October 26, 1960. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined Honda in 1984. In 1984 season, he was selected Rookie of the Year awards and ...

, professional soccer player *

Mariko Shiga was an idol star and voice actress born in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. She attended and graduated from Funabashi Municipal High School before enrolling in the University of California, Riverside in 1989. While on a trip to Arizona in November of tha ...

, musician *

Rin Takanashi is a Japanese film and television actress. Career Takanashi starred in the 2007 film adaptation of the Japanese novel '' Goth'' as one of the lead characters, Yoru Morino. She starred in the 2009 Super Sentai series '' Samurai Sentai Shinkenger' ...

, film and television actress *

Keiko Terada is a Japanese rock singer. She was co-founder and lead singer of the successful Japanese female hard rock and heavy metal band Show-Ya from 1982 to 1991, before going solo. On her solo albums she expanded from hard rock and heavy metal to blu ...

, singer (

Show-Ya are a Japanese all-female heavy metal band formed in 1981. The group disbanded in 1998, but reformed with the original line-up in 2005 for the 20th anniversary of their first release. Their music is deeply rooted in classic rock and they have ...

) *

Akeno Watanabe is a Japanese voice actress and narrator affiliated with Office Osawa. Some of her notable voice roles include Robin Sena in ''Witch Hunter Robin'', Chachamaru Karakuri in ''Negima! Magister Negi Magi'', Halle Lidner in ''Death Note'', Rito ...

, voice actress *

Azusa Yamamoto (born April 24, 1981) is a Japanese Gravure idol, actress, and talent. She was named as one of the "7 most irresistibly cute Japanese idols" by the Thailand version of FHM magazine in 2010. The magazine also dubbed her "the cutest villain ever" ...

, gravure idol *

Tomohisa Yamashita , also widely known as , or Tomo, is a Japanese singer, actor, and TV host. Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates as a trainee in 1996 (age 11) and made his small acting debut for NHK's ''Shonentachi'' (1998) and has be ...

, musician *

Risa Yoshiki Risa Yoshiki is a Japanese gravure idol and singer. She has released two singles, seven DVDs, and appears regularly on TV and radio. Life and career Yoshiki was born in Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. She originally wanted to be a m ...

, model, actress, singer *

Arisa Hoshiki (born October 13, 1995) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, retired professional wrestler, and former shoot boxer. In professional wrestling, she worked in the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, where she was Wonder of Stardom Champion, the pr ...

, Former professional wrestler, singer under the alter ego Udon Sato *

Minori Matsushima was a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator that worked for Aoni Production. She was most known for the roles of Candice White Adley (''Candy Candy''), Hiyoko Isu (''The Song of Tentomushi''), Alexandria Meat (''Kinnikuman''), Sayaka Y ...

, voice Actress

Eponym

* In 2018, asteroid

25892 Funabashi __NOTOC__ Year 589 (Roman numerals, DLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 589 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Do ...

was named for the city

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Chiba Prefecture