Narashino

Narashino (習志野市, Narashino-shi) is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.[1][2] As of 30 November 2020, the city had an estimated population of 175,292 in 81,985 households and a population density of 8400 persons per km².[3] The total area of the city is 20.97 square kilometres (8.10 sq mi)

Narashino

習志野市
downtown at night
Morisia TsudanumaChiba Institute of Technology
Yatsu Rose GardenChiba International Swimming Center
Frontier Soccer FieldYatsu-higata
Flag
Seal
Location of Narashino in Chiba Prefecture
Narashino
 
Coordinates: 35°40′49.4″N 140°01′35.4″E
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureChiba
Government
  MayorTaisuke Miyamoto (since May 2011)
Area
  Total20.97 km2 (8.10 sq mi)
Population
 (November 30, 2020)
  Total175,292
  Density8,400/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeAcacia
- FlowerHydrangea
Phone number047-451-1151
Address2-1-1 Saginuma, Narashino-shi, Chiba-ken 275-8601
WebsiteOfficial website
Narashino City Hall

Geography

Narashino is located in far northwestern Chiba Prefecture, bordered by Tokyo Bay to the southwest,[4] and the prefectural capital of Chiba to the east. It is approximately 20 to 30 kilometers from central Tokyo.

The city is located on the Shimōsa Plateau and reclaimed land fill on Tokyo Bay, with a large difference in elevation from the inland area to the coastal area. [2]

Surrounding municipalities

Chiba Prefecture

Climate

Narashino has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Narashino is 15.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1410 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.9 °C.[5]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[6] the population of Narashino increased rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, and at a slower pace since.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1950 28,667    
1960 42,167+47.1%
1970 99,995+137.1%
1980 125,155+25.2%
1990 151,471+21.0%
2000 154,036+1.7%
2010 164,421+6.7%

History

The area around Narashino has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeologists have found shell middens and numerous other remains from Jōmon 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 6000.

The Narashino area of Tsudanuma was used for cavalry maneuvers by the Imperial Guard and the early Imperial Japanese Army, and was visited by the Meiji Emperor early in the Meiji period (1868 1912).[7][2] 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.[1]

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.[7]

Neighborhoods

  • Akanehama
  • Akitsu
  • Fujisaki
  • Hanasaki
  • Higashi-Narashino
  • Izumicho
  • Kanadenomori
  • Kasumi
  • Mimomi
  • Moto-Okubo
  • Okubo
  • Saginuma
  • Saginumadai
  • Shibazono
  • Shin-ei
  • Sodegaura
  • Tsudanuma
  • Yashiki
  • Yatsu
  • Yatsumachi

Government

Narashino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 30 members. Narashino contributes two members to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Chiba 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Narashino is a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo, with 32,7% of the residents commuting to Tokyo per the 2010 census, and 11.7% to Funabashi and 10.5% to Chiba. The coastal area, mostly on reclaimed land is part of the Keiyō Industrial Zone and is home to much heavy industry, especially related to chemical processing.

Transportation

Railways

JR EastSōbu Main Line

Tsudanuma

JR EastKeiyō Line

Shin-Narashino -

Keisei Electric Railway - Main Line

Yatsu - Keisei Tsudanuma - Keisei Ōkubo - Mimomi

Keisei Electric Railway - Chiba Line

Keisei Tsudanuma

Shin-Keisei Electric Railway - Shin-Keisei Line

Keisei Tsudanuma - Shin-Tsudanuma

Highways

Education

  • Chiba Institute of Technology
  • Narashino has 16 public elementary schools and eight public middle schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education.

Local attractions

  • Akitsu Baseball Stadium
  • Frontier Soccer Field (naming rights from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2018), formerly known as Akitsu Soccer Stadium.
  • Chiba International General Swimming Center
  • Ōnomatsu stable

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.[4]
  • Yatsu Rose Garden (谷津バラ園), a rose garden which displays over 6,000 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

References

  1. "Narashino". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  2. "習志野(市)" [Narashino]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
  3. "Narashino city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  4. "習志野" [Narashino]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  5. Narashino climate data
  6. Narashino population statistics
  7. "習志野" [Narashino]. Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  8. "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
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