Chiba Prefecture

Chiba Prefecture (千葉県) is a Japanese prefecture in the Greater Tokyo Area on Honshu Island. The capital of Chiba is Chiba City.

History

Before Chiba Prefecture was formed during the Meiji Restoration, its current land consisted of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture. Before that, it was consisted of Awa, Kazusa, and Shimousa Provinces – largely agricultural and industrial areas under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Consolidation occurred on June 15, 1873.

Region

The Chiba Prefecture region consists of a coastline facing the Pacific Ocean to the east and Tokyo Bay to the South. In addition, Chiba Prefecture borders Tokyo, Saitama and Ibaraki Prefectures to the North and West along the Tone and Edo Rivers.

Chiba’s lands are mostly constituted in the Boso Peninsula, what was once and still partly is a rice farming region. The Northwest part of the prefecture is part of the Kanto region and has largely merged with metropolitan regions of both Tokyo and Saitama.

Cities

Cities in Chiba Prefecture include the following:

• Asahi
• Chiba
• Choshi
• Funabashi
• Futtsu
• Ichihara
• Ichikawa
• Inzai
• Isumi
• Kamogawa
• Katori
• Katsuura
• Kimitsu
• Kisarazu
• Minamiboso
• Narita
• Sakura
• Sanmu
• Shiroi
• Sodegaura
• Yotsukaido
• Yachiyo
• Yachimata
• Urayasu
• Togane
• Tomisato
• Tateyama
• Sosa
• Mobara
• Narashino
• Nagareyama

Districts and Towns

Additional districts and towns in the prefecture include:

• Awa District – Kyonan
• Chosei District – Chonan, Chosei, Ichinomiya, Mutsuzawa, Nagara, Shirako
• Inba District – Inba, Motono, Sakae, Shisui
• Isumi District – Ojuku, Otaki
• Katori District – Kozaki, Tako, Tonosho
• Sanbu District – Kujukuri, Oamishirasato, Shibayama, Yokoshibahikari

Source of Income

Today, Chiba prefecture is one of the more productive industrial areas in Japan. It was chosen initially as the site for the Kawasaki Steel factory in 1950 and has since grown thanks to land reclamation and new warehouses, docks, and factories. Today, machine production, Chemical refining, and oil refining are all done in the area and make up more than 45% of their exports. In addition to industrial sites, Chiba is known for its production of agricultural goods, second only to Hokkaido.

The population in Chiba averages about 3.1 Million Yen annually, the fifth highest in Japan with 70% employment in service, 25% in industry, and 5% in agriculture.

Attractions

Chiba Prefecture is home to Tokyo Disneyland Resort in Urayasu on the western border and is also linked to Tokyo via several railway lines including the Keiyo Line, Sobu Line, and Musashino Line.

External Links

• Official Homepage, Chiba Prefecture (English)