prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
of
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 ...
located in the
Kantō region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...
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
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...
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 ...
is the capital and largest city of Chiba Prefecture, with other major cities including
Funabashi
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 ...
Kashiwa
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 433,436 in 194,216 households and a population density of 3800 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
The name of the city is written with a si ...
. Chiba Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the east of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
in the world. Chiba Prefecture largely consists of the Bōsō Peninsula, which encloses the eastern side of Tokyo Bay and separates it from Kanagawa Prefecture. Chiba Prefecture is home to
Narita International Airport
Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...
The name of Chiba Prefecture in Japanese is formed from two kanji characters. The first, , means "thousand" and the second, means "leaves". The name first appears as an ancient '' kuni no miyatsuko'', or regional command office, as the . The name was adopted by a branch of the Taira clan, which moved to the area in present-day Chiba City in the late Heian period. The branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan, and held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi-Momoyama period. The name "Chiba" was chosen for the prefecture at the time its creation in
1873
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar.
** The California Penal Code goes into effect.
* January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...
by the , an early Meiji-period body of prefectural governors that met to decide the structure of local and regional administration in Japan.
The compound word , which refers to the Tokyo-Chiba region, is formed from the second character in Tokyo (), and the second character in Chiba (), which can also be pronounced "kei" and "yō" respectively. This compound is used in terms such as the Keiyō Line,
Keiyō Road
The is a limited access Tokyo-Chiba toll road in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.
Naming
Keiyō is a kanji acronym of two characters, each representing the two major urban areas connected by the route. The firs ...
Chiba Prefecture was settled in prehistoric times, as evidenced by 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 ...
remains in every part of the region. The prefecture holds the largest ''kaizuka'' sea shell mounds in Japan, evidence of a large population in the prefecture that relied on the rich marine products of the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay.
Kofun
are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』 ...
burial mounds are found across the prefecture, with the largest group being in Futtsu along Tokyo Bay.
Asuka and Nara periods
In the Asuka period (538 – 710), under the Taika Reform of 645, the administrative structure of present-day Chiba Prefecture changed significantly. The historical province of
Fusa Province
was an ancient province of Japan, in the area of Shimōsa ("Lower Fusa") and Kazusa ("Upper Fusa") provinces. At the time of the establishment of Kazusa Province, it also included the southern tip of the Bōsō Peninsula that would later be s ...
, which may have covered much of Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, was divided into two provinces: Shimōsa Province (also called Shimofusa) in the north and Kazusa Province in the southern area. Awa Province at the south of Chiba Prefecture, was separated from Kazusa Prefecture in 718. These administrative units existed until they were abolished and merged into Chiba Prefecture after the Meiji restoration. The central government established a ''kokubunji'' provincial temple in each province.
Heian period
The imperial court gradually extended its authority over the three provinces in the Nara (710 – 794) and Heian (794 – 1185) periods.
Shōen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4'').
Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, ...
feudal estates were established across the three provinces, and the region became an important source of tax revenue, sending agricultural and other products to the capital in Kyoto. As the Heian period progressed, however, the kokushi provincial governors came to exert military power independent of the central government in Kyoto. The Chiba clan broke entirely with the imperial court and was instrumental in the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate.
Modern period
Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of
Kisarazu Prefecture
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 136,023 in 63,431 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Kisarazu is located in the midwest ...
and
Inba Prefecture INBA or Inba may refer to:
; Chile
* Internado Nacional Barros Arana, a secondary school
; India
* ''Inba'' (film), a 2008 Tamil-language film
; Japan
* Inba, Chiba, a village
* Inba District, Chiba
* Lake Inba, a lake in Chiba Prefecture
; Mex ...
. The
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...
caused widespread destruction in Chiba Prefecture, most notably in the southernmost part of the Bōsō Peninsula, where 1,300 residents were killed. Areas of the prefecture adjacent to Tokyo saw much damage, and mob violence against Koreans and other ethnic minorities occurred in the chaos after the earthquake in Funabashi, Ichikawa, and other areas. Koreans in several neighborhoods of Yachiyo were killed, and a tower was erected in 1972 near
Yachiyodai Station
is a passenger railway station in the city of Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keisei Electric Railway.
Lines
Yachiyodai Station is served by the Keisei Main Line, and is located 36.6 km from the Tokyo termin ...
to memorialize those killed in the incident. The
militarization
Militarization, or militarisation, is the process by which a society organizes itself for military conflict and violence. It is related to militarism, which is an ideology that reflects the level of militarization of a state. The process of milit ...
of Chiba Prefecture dates to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Coastal fortifications were built along Tokyo Bay as far south as Tateyama to protect the capital of the
Japanese Empire
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
from attack. In the 1930s the north and central areas of the prefecture became a center of large-scale military production, and military bases and fortifications were constructed in most coastal areas of the prefecture. After the United States took control of
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
the northern part of the prefecture, most notably the city of Chiba and Chōshi, was
firebombed
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs.
In popular usage, any act in which an incendiary ...
. Much of the industrialized north of the prefecture was destroyed.
Operation Coronet During World War II, two operations in the Pacific theater were called Operation Coronet.
* An early planning name for Operation Chronicle, which was executed in June 1943
* Part of Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of Japan in March 1946, ...
, one of two parts of
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, th ...
, was the planned land invasion of Tokyo in March 1946 by the United States. Coronet planned Kujūkuri Beach as one of two initial landing bases, the other being Hiratsuka via Sagami Bay. The
U.S. First Army
First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Kore ...
would enter at Kujūkuri, sweep across the Bōsō Peninsula, and meet the
U.S. Eighth Army
The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which is the commanding formation of all United States Army forces in South Korea. It commands U.S. and South Korean units and is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys,Japan surrendered after the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...
.
During the
Occupation of Japan
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
(1945–1952) Chiba Prefecture was controlled by American forces from the second floor of the prefectural capitol building in the city of Chiba. Numerous other cities in the prefecture, including Chōshi to the north and Tateyama to the south, were used as bases of the occupation. The rich agriculture areas across the prefecture protected the region somewhat from the level of food shortage and starvation immediately following the war. The immediate post-war period was characterized by carefully planned industrial expansion in the north of the prefecture and the significant increase of agricultural production after land reforms across the prefecture. The Keiyō Industrial Zone brought together smaller industrial areas along the entirety of the western coast of Chiba Prefecture, and the industrial zone became and remains an important center of heavy industrial production and large-scale port facilities in Japan. Cities to the northeast of the prefecture in close proximity to Tokyo were connected by rail to the capitol, and became and remain bedroom communities to Tokyo.
Narita International Airport
Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...
began operation in 1978 in Narita after much protest to replace the overcrowded Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport). The majority of international air traffic enters Japan via Chiba Prefecture. The cultivation of rice and vegetables to feed the
Greater Tokyo Metropolitan 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 pre ...
expanded greatly and became a source of income to the northeast and central areas of the prefecture. The expansion of agriculture in the central and southern regions of the prefecture was in contrast to the depopulation of these areas as a significant part of the population moved to the northeast of the prefecture as a result of the urbanization of Japan, a process that continues into the 21st century.
The
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster, which caused the affected areas as far south as Chiba Prefecture. While the loss of life and damage to housing and industry was far less than in the Tōhoku region, 20 people were killed in Chiba Prefecture, mostly from the tsunami that hit Asahi to the northeast of the prefecture and caused 13 deaths. An oil refinery fire broke out at the
Cosmo Oil
is a Japanese petrochemical company. It is Japan's third-biggest refiner by sales after JX Holdings and Idemitsu Kosan.
History
Cosmo traces its corporate roots to Maruzen Petroleum (丸善石油株式会社), a company established in 1931, alt ...
Chiba Refinery in Ichihara and was widely covered in the news media following the triple disaster. Large
liquefied petroleum gas
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas) is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, propylene, butylene, isobutane and n-butane.
LPG is used as a fuel gas in heating appliances, cooking e ...
(LPG) tanks burned from March 11–21, 2011.
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction occurs when a cohesionless saturated or partially saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress such as shaking during an earthquake or other sudden change in stress condition, in ...
in areas of reclaimed land across the northern and western areas of Chiba Prefecture caused damage, primarily to housing.Chiba City,
Funabashi
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 ...
, Narashino, and especially Urayasu were greatly affected. As a result of permanent damage to housing stock due to soil liquefaction and evidence of radioactive materials caused by Fukushima radiation, the population of Chiba Prefecture fell for the first time since 1920.
Saitama Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...
to the west at the Edo River, the Pacific Ocean to the east and Tokyo Bay around its southern boundary. Most of Chiba lies on the hilly
Boso Peninsula Boso may refer to:
People
* Boso of Provence (850–887), Frankish nobleman and king
* Boso the Elder (c. 800–855), a Frank from the Bosonid dynasty
*Boso, Margrave of Tuscany (885–936), Italian nobleman
* Boso II of Arles (d. 967), Frankish co ...
, a rice farming region: the east coast, known as the
Kujūkuri Plain
260px, Kujūkuri Sardine Museum
is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,343 in 7,092 households and a population density of 650 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Kujūkuri owes ...
, is an especially productive area. The most populous zone, in the northwest of the prefecture, is part of the
Kantō region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...
that extends into the urban agglomeration of Tokyo and Saitama. The Kuroshio Current flows near Chiba, which keeps it relatively warm in winter and cooler in summer than neighbouring Tokyo.
National and prefectural parks
With the exception of the large-scale Keiyō Industrial Zone in the northeast, the entirety of the coast of Chiba Prefecture is protected as two quasi-national parks and one prefectural natural park under the national park system of Japan. As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks.
* Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park encompasses a large area of the Tone River basin and the area around
Mount Tsukuba
is an mountain located at the northern-end of Tsukuba, Japan. It is one of the most famous mountains in Japan, particularly well known for its double peaks, and . Many people climb the so-called "purple mountain" every year for the panorami ...
in Ibaraki Prefecture. The park was established in 1953 to protect not only the environment of the area, but also its unique cultural heritage. The mouth of the Tone River and to Cape Inubō and
Byōbugaura
is an inlet on the northeast coast of 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 ...
in northeastern Chiba Prefecture make up the southern part of the park.
*
Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park
is a quasi-national park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape (category V) according to the IUCN. The park includes numerous widely separated portions of the coastal areas of southern Bōsō Peninsula, r ...
was established in 1953 to protect much of the southern coastal areas of Chiba Prefecture from Cape Futtsu on Tokyo Bay to Cape Inubō in northeastern Chiba Prefecture. The park spans across nine administrative districts in the prefecture. Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park was established to protect not only the environment of coastal areas, but also the unique cultural assets of associated with these areas, notably the temples associated with
Nichiren
Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period.
Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of B ...
.
Chiba Prefecture has designated and maintains eight prefectural natural parks to protect both natural and cultural areas, namely the Inba Tega, Kasamori Tsurumai,
Kujūkuri
260px, Kujūkuri Sardine Museum
is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,343 in 7,092 households and a population density of 650 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Kujūkuri owes ...
, Mineokasankei, Ōtone, Takagoyama, Tomisan, and Yōrō Keikoku Okukiyosumi Prefectural Natural Parks. Cities, towns, and villages in the prefecture also have designated and protected parklands. These parks are maintained for environmental protection as well as providing local recreational facilities.
Municipalities
Since 2010, Chiba consists of 54 municipalities and since 2013, they are 37 cities, 16
towns
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and one village.
File:View from Chiba Port-Tower Northwest.jpg, Chiba City
File:Edo river near Ichikawa.JPG, Ichikawa
File:North view near Narita Station.JPG, Narita
File:20090730鴨川市.jpg, Kamogawa
File:007 Katori, Japan - 香取市.JPG, Katori
File:SH3J0304.jpg, Katsuura
Mergers
With the introduction of modern municipalities (cities/towns/villages) in 1889, Chiba's districts were subdivided into 43 towns and 315 villages. The first city was created in 1921 when Chiba Town from Chiba District became district-independent as Chiba City. The postwar/1950s Great Shōwa mergers reduced the number of municipalities in Chiba to 101 by 1960, including 14 cities by then. The early 3rd millennium Great Heisei mergers created the current 54 municipalities by 2010.
List of governors of Chiba Prefecture (from 1947)
* Tamenosuke Kawaguchi (川口為之助) - from 21 April 1947 to 25 October 1950
* Hitoshi Shibata (柴田 等) - from 15 December 1950 to 2 November 1962
* Hisaaki Kano (加納久朗) - from 3 November 1962 to 21 February 1963
* Taketo Tomonoo (友納武人) - from 17 April 1963 to 16 April 1975
* Kiichi Kawakami (川上紀一) - from 17 April 1975 to 27 February 1981
* Takeshi Numata (沼田 武) - from 5 April 1981 to 4 April 2001
*
Akiko Domoto Akiko can refer to:
* ''Akiko'' (comic book), an American comic book
* ''Akiko'' (film), a 1961 Italian comedy film
* Akiko (Amiga), a custom chip used in the Amiga CD32 games console
* Akiko (given name)
is a feminine Japanese given name.
Po ...
(堂本暁子) - from 5 April 2001 to 4 April 2009
*
Kensaku Morita
is a Japanese politician, actor and singer. He was elected as the Governor of Chiba Prefecture in March 2009 to April 2021『』からリンクする知事選挙「開票結果」(Excelファイル)千葉県選挙管理委員会による知 ...
(森田健作) - from 5 April 2009 to 4 April 2021
* Toshihito Kumagai (熊谷俊人) - from 5 April 2021 to present
Economy
Industry
Chiba Prefecture is home to one of Japan's largest industrial areas. Prior to World War II manufacturing in the prefecture was centered on the brewing industry, specifically the production of
soy sauce
Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
, sake and mirin sweet cooking sake. The manufacturing sector expanded greatly after the war. The prefecture was chosen as the site for a major Kawasaki Steel factory in 1950. In the same period the prefectural government embarked on a large-scale
land reclamation
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 land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...
program to
dredge
Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...
large plots of waterfront property. The large-scale construction of factories, warehouses, and
dock
A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...
s on this reclaimed land around the Tokyo Bay area ultimately formed the Keiyō Industrial Zone. Chiba Prefecture is now 6th in Japan in industrial output with the bulk of the industry focused on the petroleum, chemical, and
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and
machine industries
The machine industry or machinery industry is a subsector of the industry, that produces and maintains machines for consumers, the industry, and most other companies in the economy.
This machine industry traditionally belongs to the heavy industr ...
. Together, these industries account for forty-five percent of the prefecture's exports. In recent years, the government has funded more than eighty industrial parks to bring development further inland as well.
Agriculture
The prefecture also boasts Japan's overall second-highest agricultural output. Among all the prefectures, only
Hokkaidō
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
produces more agricultural products, and Chiba leads Hokkaidō in vegetable production. Peanuts are considered a specialty product of Chiba: 78 per cent of the country's peanuts are produced in the prefecture.
Chiba Prefecture leads the nation in the production of several vegetables, including
carrot
The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...
s;
cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...
; daikonradish; ''negi'', the ubiquitous Japanese cultivar of the Welsh onion; loquat; nashi, the Japanese cultivar of the pear, which has a two hundred-year history of cultivation in the prefecture; tomatoes; and
spinach
Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...
It is the nation's second largest producer of
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
seaweed
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
, specifically '' nori'', is harvested in large quantities from Tokyo Bay.
Demographics
Chiba's population is one of the wealthiest in Japan due to the prefecture's strong commercial and industrial sectors. Per capita GDP is ¥3.1 million, the fifth-highest in the country. 70% of the population is employed in the service sector, with 25% in industry and 5% in agriculture.
Climate
Chiba Prefecture 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° ...
( Koppen ''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters. The ''tsuyu'' rainy season occurs for approximately 50 days from June to July. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, the average of annual temperature is . The average high is , and the average low is .
Tokyo Dental College
is a private university in the city of Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1890, and it was chartered as a university in 1946.
It is the only institution specializing exclusively in the teaching of dentistry in ...
Toho University
is a university in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.
History
The two brothers Yutaka Nukada and Susumu Nukada founded the Imperial Women's Medical College in Ōmori, Tokyo, the location of the present-day Faculty of Medicine, with their own money in 1925 a ...
- Narashino Campus
** Nihon University - Funabashi Campus
*Matsudo
**Nihon University - Matsudo Campus
**
Ryutsu Keizai University
is a Japanese private university in Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki. It was founded in 1965. The school has secondary campuses in Matsudo, Chiba and also in Kashiwa, Chiba.
See also
* Ryutsu Keizai University F.C., affiliated football club.
*List of univer ...
Wayo Women's University
is a private women's college in Ichikawa, Chiba
240px, Ichikawa City Hall
is a city in western Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 491,716 in 251,142 households and a population density of 8559 persons per km2. ...
*Kashiwa
** University of Tokyo - Kashiwa Campus
**Chiba University - Kashiwanoha Campus
**
Kaichi International University
is a private university in Kashiwa, 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 Ja ...
**
Nishogakusha University
is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, 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 Japa ...
- Kasiwa Campus
**
Reitaku University
is a private university in Kashiwa, 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 ...
*Narashino
** Chiba Institute of Technology
**Nihon University - Narashino and Mimomi Campus
*Ichihara
**Heisei Teikyo University - Ichihara Campus
*Yachiyo
**
Shumei University
is a private university in Japan. The main campus is located in Yachiyo, Chiba, and the headquarters is located in Nakano, Tokyo. The university was founded as the Yachiyo International University in 1988.
Overview
Founded as the Yachiyo Intern ...
**
Tokyo Seitoku University
is a private university in Kita, Tokyo, 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, whil ...
*Sakura
**
Keiai University
is a private university in the city of Inage-ku, Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, established in 1966. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1921. The university has attached junior college, high schools and kindergarten
Kindergarten i ...
Edogawa University
is a private university in Nagareyama, Chiba, Japan, established in 1990. The school has two divisions, a College of Sociology and a College of Media and Mass Communication.
Academics
College of Sociology
* Department of Psychology and Hu ...
**
Toyo Gakuen University
, also known by the acronym TGU, founded in 1926, is a small private college located in the greater Tokyo area of Japan. The university has two campuses. The original campus, which presently houses the School of Business Administration, is located ...
Ryotokuji University
is a private university in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, established in 2006. Its facilities include 126 classrooms, a library, four gymnasiums, and an administration area for staff and reception.
External links
*
Educational institutions es ...
*Abiko
**
Chuo Gakuin University
is a private university in Abiko, Chiba, Japan, established in 1966. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1904.
Alumni
* Tatsuya Kawajiri, professional Mixed Martial Artist in the UFC's Featherweight Division
* Mikio Shimoji
is a ...
**
Kawamura Gakuen Woman's University
, or KGWU, is a private university in Abiko, Chiba, Japan, established in 1988. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1924.
Alumni
* Kyōko Hasegawa, an actress, fashion model
External links
Official website
Educational institut ...
*Kisarazu
**
Seiwa University
is a private university in Kisarazu, 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, w ...
Chiba Prefectural Board of Education
Chiba Prefectural Board of Education is a department of the Chiba Prefecture in Japan.
The board supervises elementary and middle schools operated by other school districts and directly operates public high schools.
Schools directly operated by ...
oversees municipal school districts in the prefecture. The board also directly operates the prefecture's public high schools.
Culture
Museums
Chiba Prefecture is home to one national-level museum and several prefectural and local museums. The National Museum of Japanese History is located in Sakura and focuses on the history, archaeology, and folk culture of Japan. The Chiba prefectural museums consist of a main museum, the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba in the central Chuō-ku ward of Chiba City, and six branch museums throughout the prefecture. The
Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art
opened in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan in 1974. The focus of the collection is the work of local artists and of artists with connections to Chiba, and it includes paintings by Asai Chū, John Everett Millais, Millais, Jean-Baptist ...
is in Chiba City. The
Chiba Prefectural Boso-no-mura
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 t ...
in Sakae focuses on the local culture of the late Edo period, and the
Chiba Prefectural Otone Museum
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 t ...
Coastal Branch of Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...
in Katsuura focuses on the marine environment of the Pacific Ocean coast. Numerous other municipalities in the prefecture also host museums.
Libraries and archives
The
Chiba Prefectural Library
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 t ...
consists of three libraries. The Chiba Prefectural Central Library is located in the central Chuō-ku ward of Chiba City directly southwest of Chiba Castle and in close proximity to the City of Chiba offices. The Central Library houses a general collection as well as the central research collection for the prefecture. The
Chiba Prefectural West Library is located in Matsudo next to the
Matsudo Museum
260px, Matsudo City Hall
is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 498,575 in 242,981 households and a population density of 8100 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Matsudo is lo ...
, and houses a research collection focused on natural history and the fine arts. The Chiba Prefectural East Library is located in Asahi, and houses a research collection focused on the literature and history of the prefecture. The
Chiba Prefectural Archives
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 t ...
are located across the
Miyako River
Miyako may refer to:
Places in Japan
*Miyako, Iwate, a city in Iwate Prefecture
*Miyako Islands
**Miyako Island
**Miyakojima, Okinawa, a city of the Miyako Islands
*Miyako, Fukuoka, a town in Fukuoka Prefecture
*''Miyako'' and ''Kyō no Miyako'', ...
from the City of Chiba offices. The archive maintains a collection of rare books and materials from across the prefecture, as well as materials related to the administration of Chiba Prefecture. Each municipality in the prefecture maintains a local libraries, and many shrines and temples maintain archival collections related to their institutions.
Cuisine
The traditional diet of Chiba Prefecture is not fundamentally different than that of the rest of Japan. Chiba Prefecture produces prolific quantities of rice across all areas in the prefecture, vegetables in the northern area of the prefecture, and fish, seafood, and shellfish along the coastal areas of the prefecture. Chōshi has been a major center of worldwide
soy sauce
Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
production since the Edo period, and the prefecture remains the top producer in Japan. Kikkoman is headquartered in Noda in northwestern Chiba Prefecture. These are all important components of Japanese cuisine.
Certain local products, however, are grown in abundance and have resulted in several dishes unique to the areas. Peanuts, grown in great quantities in the prefecture, appear fresh in markets in the prefecture and are eaten boiled as a snack. Miso paste mixed with peanuts is also produced in Chiba. ''Takenoko'', whole bamboo shoot, are harvested in the central part of the Bōsō Peninsula. The takenoko of Ōtaki lack the concentration of arsenic typically found in uncooked bamboo shoots, and as such, are uniquely eaten raw in the area as "takenoko sashimi". '' Futomaki'' or ''futomakizushi'', literally "fat roll", is a large version of the sushi roll. The futomaki popularly made in Chiba Prefecture is up to 10 centimeters in diameter. Futomaki in Chiba Prefecture often utilize various ingredients to form a pattern, such as a flower or a kanji character, when the roll is cut and served.
Sports
The prefecture plays host to two major events in the Japanese athletics calendar: the International Chiba Ekiden and the
Chiba International Cross Country
The Chiba International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in Chiba, Japan in mid-February. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Champio ...
Obic Seagulls
The Obic Seagulls are an American football team located in the Narashino, Chiba, Japan. They are a member of the X-League. The Obic Seagulls have won over 17 championships during their team history (8 Rice Bowl championships and 9 Japan X Bowl ...
J.League
The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most successfu ...
Kashiwa
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 433,436 in 194,216 households and a population density of 3800 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
The name of the city is written with a si ...
)
*
J.League
The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most successfu ...
(J2):
JEF United Ichihara Chiba
, full name and also known as , is a Japanese professional football club that plays in the J2 League. On 1 February 2005, the club changed its name from ''JEF United Ichihara'' to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as ...
(
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 ...
NPB
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
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 ...
)
Basketball
*
B.League
The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that w ...
:
Chiba Jets Funabashi
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 ...
(
Funabashi
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 ...
Funabashi
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 ...
F.League
The F. League (in Japanese: "F・リーグ", officially "日本フットサルリーグ", Nihon Futtosaru Rīgu) is the top league for Futsal in Japan. The winning team obtains the participation right to the AFC Futsal Club Championship.
Histo ...
:
Bardral Urayasu
is a Japanese professional futsal club, currently playing in the F. League Division 1. The team is located in Urayasu, in the Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a popu ...
Chiba Zelva
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 t ...
(
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 ...
)
Transportation
Narita International Airport
Most Tokyo-bound visitors arriving on international flights land in
Narita International Airport
Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...
, which is situated in Narita in the north of the prefecture, and connected to Tokyo by the
East Japan Railway
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 ...
East Japan Railway Company
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 ...
Jōban Line (Local)
The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi. However, following the ...
Narita Line
The Narita Line ( ja, 成田線, ) is the name for a combination of three railway lines located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
The main line connects Sakura Station and Matsugishi Station (as ...
Tōgane Line
The is a railway line in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Ōami Station in the city of Ōamishirasato and Narutō Station in the city of Sanmu.
Services
Some trains run from to ...
**
Kashima Line
The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Katori Station with Kashima Soccer Stadium Station by crossing and then following the Tone River, at the border between Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefectur ...
Main Line
Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to:
Transportation
Railway
* Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system
* Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...
Tobu
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 ...
Kominato Railway
The is a railway line in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator . It extends from the west coast of central Bōsō Peninsula (where it connects with the Uchibō Line at ) to in the town of Ōtaki, Chiba, Ōtaki (wh ...
Chiba Urban Monorail
The is a two-line suspended monorail system located in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by , a so-called " third-sector" company established on March 20, 1979. Investors include the city of Chiba.
The first segment ...
Higashi Kanto Expressway Higashi is the Japanese word for ''east''. In kanji it is represented as wikt:東, 東.
Higashi may also refer to:
Places
*Higashi, Shibuya, a district of Shibuya, Tokyo
*Higashi, Fukushima, a village in Fukushima Prefecture
*Higashi, Okinawa, a v ...
Tateyama Expressway
The is a national expressway in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.
Naming
Tateyama refers to the city of the same name on the Bōsō Peninsula, a major city in the region. Though the Tateyama E ...
Keiyo Road
:''Keiyo may also refer to Keiyo, a district in Kenya, ''Keiyo Line'' a railway line in Japan or Elgeyo escarpment''
The Elgeyo (also known as Keiyo) are an ethnic group who are part of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of Nilotic origin. They liv ...
Tokyo Bay Aqua Line
The , also known as the Trans-Tokyo Bay Expressway, is an expressway that is mainly made up of a bridge–tunnel combination across Tokyo Bay in Japan. It connects the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture with the city of Kisarazu in Chiba P ...
Since 2009, the prefectural governor is Eiji Suzuki, better known under his stage name as
Kensaku Morita
is a Japanese politician, actor and singer. He was elected as the Governor of Chiba Prefecture in March 2009 to April 2021『』からリンクする知事選挙「開票結果」(Excelファイル)千葉県選挙管理委員会による知 ...
, former actor, member of the House of Representatives ( LDP/Independent – Tokyo 4th district) and member of the House of Councillors (Independent – Tokyo). He was reelected overwhelmingly to a second term as governor in the March 2013 election against only a Communist challenger and a minor, unaffiliated independent.
The assembly of Chiba Prefecture has a regular membership of 95, elected in 45 electoral districts, currently still in the unified local election cycle of 1947 (last round
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
). As of July 2014, it is composed as follows: LDP 52 members, DPJ 13, Kōmeitō 7,
JCP JCP may refer to:
*Java Community Process, a method of handling software requests
* J. C. Penney, a United States department store chain
*Jenny Craig Pavilion, an arena at the University of San Diego
*Jim Crockett Promotions, a former professional ...
Your Party
is a Japanese parliamentary caucus consisting of Yoshimi Watanabe and Takashi Tachibana, later Satoshi Hamada after Tachibana forfeited his seat, in the House of Councillors. It was also a political party led by Watanabe from 2009 until its d ...
3, four other caucuses with 5 members in total.
In the
National Diet
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...
, Chiba is represented by 13 members from single-member districts in the House of Representatives, and six members (three at-large per election) in the House of Councillors. After the most recent Diet elections of 2010, 2012 and 2013, the prefecture is represented by eleven Liberal Democrats and two Democrats in the House of Representatives, and three Liberal Democrats, two Democrats, and one Your Party member in the House of Councillors. Current Diet members from Chiba include former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda (H.R., DPJ – 4th district) and former ministers
Kuniko Inoguchi
is a Japanese political scientist and politician. She served as Japan's first Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs from 2005 to 2006, and is currently a member of the House of Councillors representing Chiba Prefecture for the ...
(H.C., LDP – class of 2010) and
Motoo Hayashi
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He has been a member of the House of Representatives in the national Diet since 1993 and currently represents the Chiba 10th district; he has previously represented the Southern Ka ...
(H.R., LDP – 10th district).
Local government
As of 2014, Chiba is divided into 54 contiguous municipalities (see list above): 37 cities, 16 towns and one village, as in all of postwar Japan each with a directly elected mayor and assembly. The most populous and Chiba's only designated major city is the capital Chiba City. Two cities, Funabashi and Kashiwa, are core cities. After late 20th century mergers, much of the rest of the prefecture is also organized in independent cities: Of the (today purely geographical) counties, only six remain, four of which have only one or two remaining
towns
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
or villages. – After the reorganization of county and municipal governments in all prefectures in 1889/1890, there had initially been 12 counties and no city in Chiba; Chiba town in Chiba county became the first municipality in Chiba to be elevated to city status in 1921.
KOSEKI Aquila Raphael
Koseki Aquila Raphael (小関章ラファエル, born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese producer, story architect and Jungian scholar. In 1998, he was baptized by Father Klaus Riesenhuber, a philosophy professor at Sophia University, and ...
*
Keita Sawa
is a race car driver.
Racing record
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
References
1976 births
Living people
Japanese racing drivers
Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers
Super GT drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drive ...
*
Kei Shindō
is a Japanese voice actress. Her major roles include Kyoka Jiro in ''My Hero Academia'', Gentoku in ''Ikki Tousen'', Kuro Kagami in ''Kodomo no Jikan'', Madoka Amano in ''Metal Fight Beyblade'', and Naomasa in ''Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere ...
- voice actress
Police
While by far not as large as that of neighbouring Tokyo, Chiba's police force is among the country's ten largest at more than 10,000 members (including the Narita airport police). As in every prefecture, the police are supervised by the public safety commission; its five members are appointed by the governor with approval by the assembly.Chiba prefectural public safety commission
Sister states
Chiba Prefecture has a sister-city relationship with:
* Wisconsin, United States (1990)
*
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...
, United Kingdom
*
Juanjuí
Juanjuí is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the province Mariscal Cáceres Province, Mariscal Cáceres in the San Martín Region and located in the left edge of Huallaga River.Juanjuí PeruBienvenido a Juanjuí - Perú, Retrieved February 18, ...
Ningen Shikkaku
is a 1948 Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai. It is considered Dazai's masterpiece and ranks as the second-best selling novel ever in Japan, behind Natsume Sōseki's ''Kokoro''. The literal translation of the title, discussed by Donald Keene in his ...
Funabashi
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 ...
Manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
'' (comics) representations include: ''
WataMote
, commonly referred to as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by two people under the pseudonym Nico Tanigawa. It began serialization on Square Enix's ''Gangan Online'' service from August 4, 2011 and is published by Yen Pre ...
'', ''
Be Free!
BE or be may refer to:
Linguistics
* ''To be'', the English copular verb
* Be (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet
* ''be'' (interjection), in several languages
* Be language or Ong Be, a language of northern Hainan province, China
*Bl ...
'', ''
Chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku
260px, old Urayasu
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 170,533 in 81,136 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Urayasu is best known as the home of the Tokyo ...
The Family's Defensive Alliance
is an anime television series created and written by Shōji Kawamori. The series premiered in Japan on WOWOW between January 9, 2001 and March 29, 2001, spanning a total of 13 episodes. It centers on a dysfunctional family tasked with defendi ...
'' (set in
Funabashi
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 ...
), ''
Battle Programmer Shirase
is an anime television series aired in 2003 and produced by AIC.
The original series spans 5 story arcs across 15 episodes of 12 minutes each.
Plot summary
The story of BPS revolves around a "freelance artist" named Akira Shirase. He's a v ...
Kisarazu Cat's Eye
is a Japanese comedy television show and movie series. To date, there have been two Kisarazu Cat's Eye movies: ''Kisarazu Cat's Eye Nihon Series'' (2003) and ''Kisarazu Cat's Eye World Series'' (2006).
Synopsis
The story follows a 21-year-old y ...
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 ...