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 t ...

, Japan. , 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 37,143 in 17,175 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

of 160 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the fifth largest city in Chiba Prefecture in terms of area. Minamibōsō is an area of historical relics and shrines. The city's slogan is 「ひと・ゆめ・みらい　地域で創る魅力の郷　南房総」, which translates to "People, Dreams, Future. A Village With Locally Grown Appeal, Minamibōsō." Minamibōsō is known for flowers,

uchiwa A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (suc ...

fans ( 房州うちわ),

loquat The loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'') is a large evergreen shrub or tree, grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. The loquat is in the family R ...

fruit,

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industr ...

( 捕鯨), and surfing. It is currently tied in first place for the city with the most roadside stations selling locally produced goods in Japan.http://www.city.minamiboso.chiba.jp/

Geography

Minamibōsō is in the southern portion of Chiba Prefecture, near the southern tip of the

Bōsō Peninsula The is a peninsula that encompasses the entirety of Chiba Prefecture on Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula covers ...

. It is surrounded by water on three sides facing the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

to the east and south, and the entrance to

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...

on the west. Minamibōsō city has several mountain ranges over 300 meters high such as Mount Atago and

Mount Tomi is a mountain on the border of the city of Minamibōsō, in southern Chiba Prefecture. The mountain is formed by two peaks. The north, called Konpira Peak, is , and the south, called Kannon Peak, is . Mount Tomi is one of the mountains of the Mine ...

. Minamibōsō City surrounds

Tateyama Tateyama may refer to: People with the surname * Midori Tateyama, Japanese writer * Shohei Tateyama (born 1981), Japanese baseball player * Yoshinori Tateyama (born 1975), Japanese baseball player * Homarefuji Yoshiyuki (born 1985), Japanese su ...

on the north, east, and south. The land in Minamibōsō is broken up as follows: 30.43% mountains/forest land, 13.23% rice paddies, 8.81% crop land, 6.25% open fields, 4.61% residential land.

Neighboring municipalities

Chiba Prefecture * Kamogawa *

* Kyonan

Climate

The Minamibōsō area has a warm,

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

with hot summers and mild winters due to the

Kuroshio Current The , also known as the Black or or the is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

.　The average temperature is 16.22 degrees Celsius, with the average high and low temperatures at 34.34 degrees Celsius and -4.16 degrees Celsius respectively. The hottest months are from June to September, and the coldest months are from January to March. Minamibōsō City receives an average of 1767.15 mm of rainfall annually.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Minamibōsō has been decreasing over the past 70 years. The most populous area is Chikura which has about double the population of the other areas of Minamibōsō. As of 2007, 10.3% of the population was 0–14 years old, 56.1% of the population was between 15–64 years old, and 33.6% of the population was 65 and older.

History

The area of present-day Minamibōsō was part of ancient Awa Province, dominated by 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 ...

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 ...

, and mostly ''

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' ...

'' territory controlled directly by 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 ...

, with portions under the control of various minor feudal domains. The area was divided into numerous towns and villages in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, all within Awa District of Chiba Prefecture. The modern city of Minamibōsō was formed from the merger on March 20, 2006 of the towns of Chikura, Maruyama,

Shirahama Shirahama (written: 白濱 or 白浜) may refer to: Places *Shirahama, Chiba, a town in Chiba Prefecture, Japan *Shirahama, Wakayama is a town in Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,704 ...

, Tomiura, Tomiyama and Wada, and the village of Miyoshi (all from Awa District).

Government

Minamibōsō 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 multi ...

city council of 18 members. Minamibōsō contributes one member to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Chiba 12th 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 of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Minamibōsō serves as a commercial center for the surrounding region of southern Chiba Prefecture. The primary industry is

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...

and agriculture (horticulture and flowers). The tourist industry is a growing component of the local economy, with attractions being the areas beaches and hot spring resorts. In 2008, about 4.5 million tourists visited Minamibōsō City. Due to its close proximity to Tokyo and Chiba City, many people visit Minamibōsō on day trips. Of those 4.5 million tourists in 2008, almost 3.9 million of them were visiting on a day trip. Of the working population, about 60% own various private businesses such as small shops restaurants or medical practices, 25% work in Farming Fishing and Forestry, and 17% work in Manufacturing and Construction.

Education

Minamibōsō has eight public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

JR East –

Uchibō Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) adjacent to Tokyo Bay, paralleling the western (i.e., inner) shore of the Bōsō Peninsula. It connects Soga Station in the city of Chiba to Awa-Kamogawa Station in ...

* – – () – () – () – – – – The stations in parenthesis are located in the neighboring

city.

Highway

* * *

Bus

There are city buses that travel through three areas: *Uchibo area (Tokyo Bay side of the Boso Peninsula) *

/ Chikura * Maruyama/ Wada

Access

Car

From Tokyo: Minamibōsō City is located within 100 km of Tokyo, and can be reached in 95 minutes by car through use of the

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 ...

. From Chiba: It takes about 70 minutes from

Chiba City is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In June 2019, its population was 979,768, with a population density of 3,605 people p ...

to Minamibōsō by the Tateyama Expressway. From

Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

: Minamibōsō City is about 80 minutes by car or highway bus from

Highway Bus

Highway Buses run by Keisei( 京成), Nitto Transportation (日東交通), and Tateyama Nitto Bus ( 館山日東バス) companies are available to and from

Chiba Station is a railway station in Chiba, Chiba, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Chiba Urban Monorail. Lines Chiba Station is served by the following lines. JR East * Sobu Main Line ** Chūō-Sōbu Line ** Sobu Line (Rapi ...

JR Bus JR Bus collectively refers to the bus operations of Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies in Japan. JR Bus is operated by eight regional companies, each owned by a JR railway company. JR Bus companies provide regional, long distance, and ch ...

es　( ジェイアールバス関東) are available to and from

Tokyo Station Tokyo Station ( ja, 東京駅, ) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far from the Ginza ...

. From

: *

　- Highway Oasis Furari *

- Tomiura Biwa Club - Nagotaketo Building - Tateyama Station - Nanso Cultural Hall - Kokonoe Station *

- Chikura Station - Asai Commercial and Industrial Association - Shiokaze Oukoku ( 道の駅ちくら・潮風王国) - Shirahama Post Office - Shirahama Nojimazaki Station From

: There are bus stops at: *Tomiura Biwa Club in Tomiura * Highway Oasis Furari in Tomiyama * Chikura Station *Asai Commercial and Industrial Center and Shiokaze Oukoku in Chikura *

Post Office * Awa Shirahama ( 安房白浜駅)

Ferry

The Tokyo-Wan Ferry is available to cross the

from the Port of Kanaya in

Futtsu, Chiba 260px, Futtsu City Hall is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,476 in 18,115 households and a population density of 210 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Futtsu is l ...

to the Port of Yokosuka.

Sightseeing

Museums

*Shirahama Kaiyo Museum has exhibitions of maiwai fishing jackets and maritime artifacts. *The Chikura Kaigan Museum has photography and glassware exhibitions by Shinpei Asai.

Shrines and Temples

*Jorakuzan Mantoku-ji Temple: famous for its "Reclining Buddha" statue. *Joju-in Temple: the family temple of the

, the basis for the book,

Nansō Satomi Hakkenden ''Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'' ( ja, 南総里見八犬伝, label=shinjitai; ja, 南總里見八犬傳, label=kyūjitai) is a Japanese epic novel (''yomihon'') written and published over twenty-eight years (1814–42) in the Edo period, by Kyokute ...

. *Takabe Shrine: the only temple in Japan that worships the god of cooking. The Knife Ceremony, which dates back to 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 ...

is held here three times a year. *Komatsu-ji Temple: a famous place to visit to see the leaves change color in autumn. There are legends surrounding it involving the Satomi clan. *Ishido-ji Temple: originated 1300 years ago, and houses the Eleven Faced Goddess of Mercy Statue.

Other Famous Areas

*The Cave of Princess Fuse: Princess Fuse lived here with her dog Yatsufusa in the novel

. *Takida Castle: ancient residence of the Isshiki clan, it is also the setting for the beginning of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden. *Yatsufusa Park: located below Kasuga shrine, it has a statue of Yatsufusa. * Cape Taibusa is located on Tokyo Bay, and is one of "Chiba's Top 100 Sceneries." It also has a nature park with hiking trails. * Cape Nojimazaki is famous for Nojimazaki Lighthouse, the second western-style lighthouse to be built in Japan. *

Megane Bridge or Spectacles Bridge, over the Nakashima River (中島川) was built in Nagasaki in 1634 by the Chinese monk Mokusunyoujo who was in the second generation of Chinese monks living at Kofukuji Temple. It is said to be the oldest stone arch br ...

is one of "Japan's Famous Bridges." It is lit up every year in December and January. * Mount Karasuba is another of "Chiba's Top 100 Sceneries". You can see Mt. Fuji from its observation decks. * Mount Atago is home to a

JASDF The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfare. ...

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

station *

is another of "Chiba's Top 100 Sceneries" and Mt. Fuji can be seen from the observation deck. It is surrounded by Mount Tomi Prefectural Park. * Mount Takazuka *

Mount Iyogatake is a mountain on the border of the city of Minamibōsō, Chiba Prefecture, Japan with an altitude of . Mount Iyogatake is at the west of the Mineoka Mountain District of the Bōsō Hill Range, in close proximity to Mount Tomi. The mountain takes ...

Festivals and Ceremonies

*Chikura BON Festa (August) *Iwai Beach Nouryou Fireworks Festival (August) *Knife Ceremony (May, October, November) *Omatoshinji (March) *Sangyo Matsuri (August) *Shirahama Ama Festival (July)

Famous Foods

The area of Wadaura in Wada is famous for whaling, and is one of two areas in Japan where whaling is permitted. As of November 7, 2012, a roadside station opened up in Wadaura in order to promote whale and other local cuisine such as namero and sanga ( なめろう), and Boshu Lobster, and there are 21 restaurants in Wada that serve whale. Tomiura is famous for

fruits and also has a roadside station promoting the sales of products containing loquat. The area of Iwai in Tomiura is famous for abalone. Being surrounded by water on three sides, the entirety of Minamibōsō is famous for the aforementioned seafood as well as

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

and

sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. " 刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stu ...

. Another famous thing in the area being flowers, edible flower dishes are well known in Minamibōsō city.http://www.mboso-etoko.jp/top_shoku.asp , Official Website: Tourist Information

Roadside Stations

As of November 7, 2012, Minamibōsō City has eight roadside stations promoting local produce and goods. It is currently tied with

Takayama, Gifu Takayama City Hall is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 88,473 in 35,644 households, and a population density of 41 persons per km2. The total area of the city was making it the largest city ...

for having the most roadside stations in the country.　The roadside stations include: *Tomiura Biwa Club: Located in Tomiura, it promotes products containing loquat, and has a local art gallery. *Ootsu no Sato Flower Club: Located in Tomiura, it promotes seasonal flowers. *Tomiraku Sato Tomiyama: Located in Tomiyama, it promotes fresh mountain and ocean produce. *Hina no Sato: Located in Miyoshi, it promotes fresh vegetables and fruits. *Rosemary Park: Located in Maruyama, it features a garden and buildings styled after Shakespeare's country home, and promotes seasonal flowers and herbs. *Shirahama Nojimazaki: The southernmost roadside station, it is located in Shirahama, and it is a tourist break spot that offers information about the various localities in Minamibōsō. *Chikura Shiokaze Oukoku: Located in Chikura, it promotes local seafood sales, and contains a small art gallery. *Wadaura Wa・O!: Located in Wadaura, it is the newest roadside station in Japan, having opened on November 7, 2012. It promotes whale and other local marine cuisine, and has the Mini Whale Museum inside.

Other Attractions

*Boshu

Uchiwa A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (suc ...

fans ( 房州うちわ) are a traditional style of uchiwa that came to Minamibōsō and Tateyama in the 1870s. *Being a peninsula, fishing is very popular. *Flowers are grown all over Minamibōsō, and there are flower parks where the flowers are in bloom year-round. *There are many hiking paths available in the mountains around Minamibōsō. *The Knife Ceremony held three times a year at Takabe Shrine is a historic event that has taken place since the Heian period. *Minamibōsō has a golf course called Cosmo Classic Golf Club. *Campers can pitch a tent on the beach at Nemoto Marine Campground. *There are many hot spring resorts in Minamibōsō in addition to several public foot baths which are located at the Tomiura Genki Club, Shirahama Flower Park, and Miyoshi's Hina no Sato. *The beaches in Chikura are famous for having good waves for surfing

Sister Cities

* Ferndale, Washington, USA * Blankenberge, Belgium

Notable people from Minamibōsō

* Ai Aoki, politician, former singer *

Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man ...

, actor * Takayuki Kato, baseball player,

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional Baseball in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Figh ...

* Osamu Suzuki, screenwriter *

Chonosuke Takagi was a Japanese judoka. Takagi is from Shirahama, Chiba and began judo when he was in junior high school. When he was a member of judo club at , the senior of club is Masatoshi Shinomaki. Takagi began working for the Tokyo Metropolita ...

, judoka * Kazumi Takayama, former

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, a ...

idol singer *

Mikogami Tenzen or Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period, who was renowned as a swordsman. He founded the Ono-ha Ittō-ryū style of swordsmanship after his teacher made him head master of the Ittō-ryū. He was one of two official ...

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

samurai, founder of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū *

Sora Tokui is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and manga artist who made her debut as a voice actress in 2009 as Himemiya in '' Weiß Survive R''. She is a member of the singer group Milky Holmes, formed by the four main voice actresses in the media fran ...

, voice actress

Gallery

File:Whalerifle20101017.JPG, Whale rifle at Minamibōsō City Hall File:The south end of Boso peninsula.jpg, Southernmost point of Boso Peninsula File:Wadaurassuyo.jpg, Wadaura Harbor File:Karasubayama.jpg, Mount Karasuba, Wadaura District File:Minamibōsō surfer.jpg, Surfer at Minamibōsō coast File:Mt.Atago from Mt.Iyogatake 01.jpg, View of Mount Atago from Mount Iyogatake File:Flower farm at Shiramazu, Chikura, Minami-bousou, Chiba.JPG, Flower farm at Shiramazu

References

External links

Official Website

Official Tourism Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minamiboso, Chiba Cities in Chiba Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan