Urayasu High School

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 Disney Resort, which opened in April 1983, and the headquarters of The Oriental Land Company.

History

Early history

The area around Urayasu was '' tenryō'' territory within Shimōsa Province controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Urayasu served as an important fishing village for the Edo capitol. Until the industrialization of the city it was a major center of production of '' nori'', an edible seaweed, ''hamaguri'', and ''asari'' clams. All three are important elements of the traditional Japanese diet.

Modern history

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the area became part of Chiba Prefecture. Urayasu Village was created on April 1, 1889 under Higashikatsushika District with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Urayasu became a town in September 1909. Many of the residents of Urayasu perished during the 1944 Bombing of Tokyo.

Urayasu grew in the 1960s and 1970s with massive landfill projects along the shores of Tokyo Bay, public housing projects, and increasing infrastructure. Urayasu became part of the Keiyō Industrial Zone in this period, which spans from the city across the Tokyo Bay coast of Chiba Prefecture to Futtsu to the south. An area of the Tokyo Bay near the town was reclaimed form the sea in 1960s called Maihama. Fishing was abandoned in Urayasu in 1971 due to the industrialization of the city.

Urayasu was elevated to city status on April 1, 1981. Also, Tokyo Disneyland opened in April 1983 on 200 acres in Maihama.

Government

Urayasu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 21 members. Urayasu contributes two members to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Chiba 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Urayasu has increased more than eighteen-fold over the past century, and grew especially rapidly between 1970 and 2010.

Geography

Urayasu is located in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture, about 20 kilometers from the prefectural capital at Chiba and within 10 to 20 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. It consists of a low-lying natural levee, a delta and a reclaimed land on the left bank of the mouth of the Edo River. The river runs along the western side of the city and separates it from the Edogawa ward of Tokyo. There are two parts to Urayasu: the original fishing village on natural levee on both banks of the Sakai River, which is a tributary of the Edo River, and the newer reclaimed land portion which occupies about three-quarters of the city area, created since the 1960s. The new landfill area is called "Shin-Urayasu" (New-Urayasu), and has an "American" inspired layout, with a grid-like map of wide streets, large sidewalks, palm trees and parks. The buildings are tall, modern apartments, some having views on Tokyo Bay. Urayasu is one of the most sought after areas in the metropolitan area for young families to live.

Geology

Urayasu was greatly affected by the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The reclaimed land across most of northern Chiba Prefecture was damaged by soil liquefaction in the earthquake. Urayasu, with major areas of reclaimed land, had as much as 85% of the utility infrastructure, roads, buildings, and houses damaged or affected to some degree by soil liquefaction. The damage cost the city approximately ¥73.4 billion to repair.

Climate

Urayasu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Urayasu is 15.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1435 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.2 °C.

Neighboring municipalities

Chiba Prefecture
* Ichikawa
Tokyo Metropolis
* Edogawa

Economy

Urayasu is a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo. The commuting rate to the central Tokyo is 49.0% per the 2015 interim census. The primary local employer in the city is The Oriental Land Company and businesses related to Tokyo Disney Resort.

Education

Universities

* Meikai University
* Juntendo University
* Ryotokuji University

High schools

Public (operated by Chiba Prefectural Board of Education):
* Urayasu High School ( 千葉県立浦安高等学校)
* Urayasu Minami High School ( 千葉県立浦安南高等学校

Private schools:
* Tokyo Gakkan Urayasu High School ( 東京学館浦安高等学校)
* Tokai University Urayasu Junior & Senior High School ( 東海大学付属浦安高等学校)

Primary and middle schools

Urayasu has 17 public elementary schools and nine public junior high schools operated by the city government and two private middle schools.

Municipal junior high schools:

* Akemi ( 明海中学校)
* Hinode ( 日の出中学校)
* Horie ( 堀江中学校)
* Irifune ( 入船中学校)
* Miakegawa ( 見明川中学校)
* Mihama (美浜中学校)
* Takasu (高洲中学校)
* Tomioka ( 富岡中学校)
* Urayasu ( 浦安中学校)

Municipal elementary schools:

* Akemi (明海小学校)
* Akemi Minami ( 明海南小学校)
* Higashi (東小学校)
* Higashino (東野小学校)
* Hinode (日の出小学校)
* Hinode Minami ( 日の出南小学校)
* Hokubu (北部小学校)
* Irifune (入船小学校)
* Maihama (舞浜小学校)
* Miakegawa (見明川小学校)
* Mihama Kita (美浜北小学校)
* Mihama Minami ( 美浜南小学校)
* Minami ( 南小学校)
* Takasu (高洲小学校)
* Takasu Kita (高洲北小学校)
* Tomioka ( 富岡小学校)
* Urayasu ( 浦安小学校)

Transportation

Railway

JR East – Keiyō Line
* - -
Tokyo Metro - Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line
*
Maihama Resort Line - Disney Resort Line
* Resort Gateway - Tokyo Disneyland - Bayside - Tokyo DisneySea - Resort Gateway

Highway

* 22px Bayshore Route
*

Sister City relations

* – Orlando, Florida, United States, since October 23, 1989

Noted people from Urayasu

* Keita Amemiya, Video game designer
* Shinnosuke Abe, professional baseball player
* Keiji Tamada, professional soccer player
* Momoko Abe, Model and Miss Universe Japan 2017
*Daisuke Hayakawa, professional baseball player
* Ichiko Aoba, folk singer and songwriter

References

External links

Official Website

Urayasu Tourism Website

*

{{Authority control

Cities in Chiba Prefecture
Populated coastal places in Japan