Narashino, Chiba

Narashino, Chiba
Narashino
習志野市
—  City  —

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Location of Narashino in Chiba
Narashino is located in Japan
Narashino
 
Coordinates: 35°41′N 140°2′E / 35.683°N 140.033°E / 35.683; 140.033Coordinates: 35°41′N 140°2′E / 35.683°N 140.033°E / 35.683; 140.033
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Chiba
Government
 - Mayor Taisuke Miyamoto (since May 2011)
Area
 - Total 20.99 km2 (8.1 sq mi)
Population (March 31, 2011)
 - Total 160,991
 - Density 7,669.89/km2 (19,864.9/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Symbols
- Tree Acacia
- Flower Hydrangea
Phone number 047-451-1151
Address 1-1 Saginuma, Narashino-shi, Chiba-ken
275-8601
Website City of Narashino

Narashino (習志野市 Narashino-shi?) is a city located in northern Chiba, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,809 and a population density of 7850 persons per km². The total area was 20.99 km².

Contents

Geography

Narashino is located in far northwestern Chiba Prefecture, bordered by Tokyo Bay to the southwest.

Surrounding municipalities

History

The area around Narashino has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have found shell middens and numerous other remains from Jomon period, as well as burial tumuli from the Kofun period. However, for most of its history, the area was a sparsely populated wetland and swamp along the northern shore of Edo Bay.

After the Meiji Restoration, Tsudanuma (津田沼村 Tsudanuma-mura?) was founded within Chiba District on April 1, 1889 on the merger of five small hamlets with a total population of 4500 people. The area only began to develop with the coming of the railway, and Tsudanuma was raised to town status on March 3, 1903, with a population of 6,000. The Narashino area of Tsudanuma was used for cavalry maneuvers by the early Imperial Japanese Army, and a prisoner of war camp was built in 1904 to house POWs from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and World War I. The Imperial Japanese Army Narashino School was the main training school for cavalry, and later for tank warfare.

On August 1, 1954, Tsudanuma merged with a portion of the neighboring city of Chiba (the former town of Makuhari) to form the new city of Narashino.

Economy

Narashino is a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo. The coastal area, mostly on reclaimed land is part of the Keiyo Industrial Belt and is home to much heavy industry, especially related to chemical processing.

Transportation

Railways

Highways

Education

Local attractions

Notable places

  • Yatsu-higata (谷津干潟), a Ramsar Site and protected wetlands for migratory birds. The spring and summer months see an increase of jellyfish and small crabs to the wetlands.
  • Yatsu Bara-en (谷津バラ園), a rose garden which displays over 6000 individual blossoms in May and October. The garden was founded with Yatsu Yūen (谷津遊園), an amusement park which was managed by Keisei Electric Railway and closed in 1982. When the park was closed, the city bought the garden, and has managed it since that time.

Sister city relations

Noted people from Narashino

External links

v · d · eShadow picture of Chiba prefecture.pngChiba Prefecture
Chiba (capital city)
Wards: Chūō | Hanamigawa | Inage | Wakaba | Midori | Mihama
 Flag of Chiba Prefecture
Other cities
Inba District
Katori District
Sanbu District
Chōsei District
Isumi District
Awa District
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