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 ...

in Chiba Prefecture,

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 of 131,852 in 63,098 households and a population density of 620 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is the site of

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 ...

, one of the two main international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area.

Geography

Narita is located in the northern center of Chiba prefecture, about from the prefectural capital at

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 from the center of Tokyo. Narita International Airport is about further from the city center of Narita (the location of the city hall). Located on the Shimosa Plateau, the old town (centered on

Narita-san Narita-san (成田山 "Narita mountain") Shinshō-ji ( 新勝寺 "New victory temple") is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in central Narita, Chiba, Japan. It was founded in 940 by Kanchō Daisōjō, a disciple of Kōbō Daishi. It is a lead tem ...

) and the new town are in the southwestern part of the city, and Narita International Airport is in the hills in the southeast. Agricultural areas take water from the Tone River, which runs through the border between Imba-numa in the western part of the city and Ibaraki prefecture on the north. Most of the city is between above sea level.

Surrounding municipalities

Chiba Prefecture * Sakae *

Inzai file:Inzai city hall.JPG, 260px, Inzai City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 105,463 in 42,388 households and a population density of 850 persons per km². The total are ...

Shisui is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 20,660 in 9,888 households and a population density of 1100 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Etymology The name of Shisui in the Japanese l ...

* Tomisato * Shibayama * Tako * Katori * Kōzaki Ibaraki Prefecture * Kawachi

Climate

Narita 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 Narita 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, the population of Narita has been gradually increasing over the past 40 years.

History

The area Narita has been inhabited since 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. Archaeologists have found

stone tool A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric (particularly Stone Ag ...

s dating to some 30,000 years ago on the site of Narita Airport. Numerous shell middens 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 ...

, and hundreds of burial tumuli from the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

have been found in numerous locations around Narita. Place names in the vicinity of Narita appear in the Nara period ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

'' (although the name “Narita” does not appear in written records until 1408). As Narita is located roughly equidistant from the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay, around a number of small rivers, it was a natural political and commercial center for the region, and gained importance as a pilgrimage destination with the foundation of the noted Buddhist temple of Shinsho-ji in 940 AD. During the Heian period, the area was a center for the revolt of

Taira Masakado was a Heian period provincial magnate (''gōzoku'') and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto. Early life Masakado was one of the sons of Taira no Yoshimasa ...

. During the Edo period, the area continued to prosper as part of the '' tenryō'' within Shimōsa Province under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, the area was organized as a town under Inba District on April 1, 1889. Portions of the town were destroyed by

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

air raid Air raid may refer to: Attacks * Airstrike * Strategic bombing Other uses * ''Air Raid'' (album), by the improvisational collective Air * Air Raid ''(Transformers)'', the name of three characters in the Transformers universes * ''Air Raid'' ...

s in February and May, 1945. On March 31, 1954, Narita gained city status through merger with the neighboring villages of Habu, Nakago, Kuzumi, Toyosumi, Toyama, and Kozu. Growth in the area began in earnest in 1966, when Prime Minister Eisaku Satō laid out the plan for

. The development of the airport and accompanying access to central Tokyo led to widespread residential, commercial and industrial development in the city. However, construction of the airport was widely opposed, and violent demonstrations occurred through the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, which delayed the opening of the airport until May 20, 1978. On March 27, 2006, the towns of

Shimofusa was a town located in Katori District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, the area of present-day Shimofusa was part of Takaoka Domain, a minor feudal domain of the Tokugawa shogunate. Modern Namekawa Village was established on Apri ...

and Taiei (both from

Katori District is a district located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The district dates back to the Taika Reform in the 7th century, and Katori District remained part of Shimōsa Province until the establishment of Chiba Prefecture. Historically Katori District occ ...

) were merged into Narita.

Government

Narita has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 30 members. Narita contributes two members to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Chiba 10th district 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 ...

Areas

Central Narita

Central Narita is roughly defined as the area between

Narita Station is a passenger railway station in the city of Narita, Chiba, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Narita Station is served by the Narita Line, and is located 13.1 kilometers from the terminus of line at Sakura Stati ...

, Keisei Narita Station and the

Temple. The main road in central Narita is , which is lined with about 150 small shops and has been extensively renovated in recent years. File:Narita-city-office,japan.jpg, Narita City Hall File:Narita Street in Japan.JPG, The street of

temple File:Naritasan-Shinshoji-Temple.Great-Main-Hall.jpg, Main Hall of

temple

Narita New Town

Narita New Town is a planned residential area to the west of

. It has 16,000 homes with a total population of 60,000. The area was designed in 1968 based on the new towns surrounding London in the UK, and now houses most of the city's population. Many residents of the area are airport or airline workers: the area houses corporate housing and dormitories for Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and Japan Customs. There are also several

Urban Renaissance Agency , also known as (UR, , ), is a semipublic Independent Administrative Institution, and is an agency responsible for Japanese housing. It provides housing at rates pegged to the market, but without the fees associated with private renting in Japan (k ...

and other government-subsidized housing projects in the area. File:Narita-gion-festival-1,Narita-city,Japan.jpg, Narita Gion Festival, one of the most famous festivals in Chiba Prefecture, held in July

Kōzunomori

Kōzunomori is a suburban area of Narita located south of the New Town, about 4 minutes by train from Keisei Narita Station. It has a population of about 12,000. Kōzunomori Station is flanked by a large

Your Elm In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

department store.

Airport and farm areas

is located on the east side of Narita in a historically agricultural area called . The construction and later expansion of the airport led to intense civil unrest among Sanrizuka residents (see Narita International Airport's history). Although land expropriation and poorer farming conditions due to the airport's construction have caused Narita's farming population to drop two-thirds from pre-airport levels, the area immediately surrounding the airport remains lightly populated by farmers.

Industrial areas

There are two main industrial zones in Narita: and . Both zones were laid out in the 1960s to take advantage of Narita Airport and the ability to quickly import and export goods by air. An aircraft part repair plant operated by JAL ( Japan Airlines) and

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...

, called

Japan Turbine Technologies Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...

, is located in the Taiei industrial estate.

Economy

Although Narita's economy was historically focused on agriculture, the opening of

refocused the local economy on transportation, logistics and tourism. Most of the airport property is located within Narita City, but many airport hotels and airport-related logistics facilities are in the neighboring towns of Shibayama and Tomisato. Prologis, FedEx Express,

Sagawa Express is a major transportation company in Japan. Its headquarters are in Minami-ku, Kyoto. It competes with Yamato Transport, Nippon Express, and other major logistics companies. Its total sales for the year ending March 2005 were ¥728,000,000,0 ...

and several other large logistics firms have major shipping centers in the city. Nippon Cargo Airlines and Vanilla Air are headquartered on airport property within the city.Corporate Profile
" Nippon Cargo Airlines. Retrieved on February 17, 2012. "NARITA OFFICE NCA Line Maintenance Hangar Narita International Airport Narita-shi, Chiba 282-0011, Japan" and "TOKYO OFFICE : Onarimon Yusen Bldg. 11F 3-23-5 Nishi-Shimbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003, Japan" Spring Airlines Japan is headquartered in the Kozunomori area of the city. JALways was headquartered in the JAL Operations Center at the airport before merging into JAL in 2010.

Education

Schools

Narita has 24 public and one private elementary schools, one public combined elementary/middle school, and nine public and one private middle school. The public schools are under the control of the Narita City Board of Education. The city has four public high schools operated by the

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 ...

, and one private combined middle/high school: * * * * Narita Kokusai High School * (成田高等学校・付属中学校)

Public libraries

The City of Narita operates the Narita Public Library. In addition each community center includes a library branch.

Transportation

Airport

provides domestic and international services.

Railway

JR East '' Narita Express'' trains and Keisei '' Skyliner'' trains connect Narita Airport to central Tokyo. Narita station

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 ...

–

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 ...

*––

– Narita Line (Abiko branch line) *– JR logo (east)

– Narita Line (Airport branch line) *–– Kouzunomori Station

Keisei Electric Railway:

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 ...

*–––

Keisei Electric Railway:

Keisei Higashi-Narita Line The is a 7.1 km branchline in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keisei Electric Railway. It branches off from the Keisei Main Line at Keisei Narita Station to Higashi-Narita Station (the former Narita Airport ...

* –

Keisei Electric Railway: Keisei Narita Airport Line * ––

Highway

The Higashi-Kantō Expressway connects Narita to Tokyo and Chiba City. Chiba Kotsu and Narita Kuko Kotsu provide bus service through the city. The Narita City Loop Bus, operated by both companies, operates on two circular routes around the city, stopping in major commercial areas and at all major hotels. * * * * * * * * * *

Twin towns – sister cities

Narita is twinned with: * Foxton, New Zealand (1995) *

San Bruno San Bruno (Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to Sa ...

, United States (1990)

Friendship cities

* Jeongeup, North Jeolla, South Korea (2002) * Jung District, Incheon, South Korea (1998) * Næstved, Denmark (2003) * Xianyang, Shaanxi, China (1988)

Local attractions

* Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple * Shiseki Park * Chiba Prefectural Boso Fudoki-no-oka Museum *

Narita Wholesale Market The is a public wholesale fish, fruit, and vegetable market in Narita, Chiba, Japan. It is located near Narita International Airport. History In 1974, Narita City opened the public wholesale market to meet the demand of a growing population res ...

* Narita

Peace Pagoda A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II ...

Notable people

* Yuji Funayama, professional footballer *

Yusuke Igawa is a former Japanese football player who last played for Hong Kong Premier League club Eastern. He is currently the head coach of Hong Kong Third Division club Lansbury. Playing career Igawa was born in Osaka on October 30, 1982. He joined J1 L ...

, professional footballer * Yoshio Inaba, actor * Manabu Iwadate, professional baseball player * Yuki Karakawa, professional baseball player *

Takeharu Kunimoto was a prominent Japanese '' shamisen'' player and '' rōkyoku'' singer. In addition to performing and recording traditional music, he was also the only prominent ''shamisen'' player to perform and record bluegrass music; he spent some time in the ...

, musician * Yōko Oginome, singer *

Sakura Sōgorō Kiuchi Sōgorō , also known as Sakura Sōgorō (1605 – September 1653) was a legendary Japanese farmer whose real family name was Kiuchi. He is said to have appealed directly to the ''shōgun'' in 1652 when he was serving as a headman of one o ...

, Edo period folk hero

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Authority control Cities in Chiba Prefecture