'''Chiba Prefecture''' (___t__ ''Chiba-Ken'') [http://www.kanko.chuo.chiba.jp/e/index-e.asp] is located east of Tokyo, and bordered by Ibaraki Prefecture to the north. A large part of the prefecture is the '''B?s? Peninsula''' (_[______ ''B?s?-hant?''), which shields Tokyo bay from the Pacific Ocean.
Cities
'''Chiba''' - eponymous capital of the prefecture, which doesn't bear much resemblance to William Gibson's depictions but has a few points of interest for would-be cyberpunks
'''Ichikawa''' - small city immediately across the Edo River from Tokyo
'''Kashiwa''' - suburban shopping haven
'''Katori''' - home of famous Katori-Jinju Shrine and the bi-annual Sawara Matsuri festival
'''Katsuura''' - small city on the outside (Pacific) Boso peninsula
'''Kisarazu''' - largest city on the interior Boso peninsula, and connected by tunnel to the Tokyo side
'''Matsudo''' - city in northwestern Chiba, bordering Edo river and Tokyo
'''Narita''' - small city overshadowed by its huge airport, also home to the '''Narita-san Temple'''
'''Naruto''' - small town famous for strawberries and surfing
'''Onjuku''' - small town on the outside (Pacific) Boso peninsula
'''Yachimata''' - city next to Chiba city and famous for production of peanuts
Other attractions
'''Nokogiriyama''' (___R), meaning "sawtooth mountain", is a group of Buddhist temples cut into sheer cliffs. A rope-way gondola will take you up to the top, and on a clear day you'll have a spectacular 180-degree panorama spanning Chiba, Tokyo, and Yokohama to the north, Mount Fuji to the west, and Izu Oshima and Niijima to the south. Even on a so-so day, Yokosuka should be visible across Tokyo Bay. The most popular vantage point is ''Jigoku-nozoki'' (_n___`__, "peering into hell") a small rock platform which sticks out over cliff._@In the other direction you can see the low mountains of the interior Boso peninsula. From the peak, paths descend inland through the woods down to '''Nihonji''' (___{__). The temple, built in 725 C.E., has a stone buddha statue that, at at total height of 31.05 meters, is in fact one of the largest buddha statues in Japan. From the Tokyo area, you can get to Nogokiriyama via the Tokyo Bay ferry from Kurihama (south of Yokohama). There are buses from the JR and Keikyu stations to the Tokyo-Wan Ferry Terminal, or you can walk (20 minutes). On the Chiba side, Kanaya is at the foot of the mountain. It should be taken into consideration that if you choose to descend the entire mountain on foot there is a long walk to the nearest rail station, the Hota JR station, with very infrequent service.
'''Kujukuri-hama''' (___\_____l) beach is, for many travelers, their first glimpse of Japan: it's the long coastline you see from the plane coming in over the Pacific into Narita. The name means "99-ri coast", where a "ri" is an old unit of length equal to about 654 meters. The coast is in fact around 60km in length. There are numerous small towns along the coast, from Iioka on the north to Ichinomiya on the south.
The lower Boso peninsula has several artificial attractions that are popular for family excursions but probably of limited appeal to travelers: the '''Kamogawa Sea World''' (_____V_[___[___h) marine park, '''Mother Farm''' (_}_U_[_q__) where kids can pet farm animals, and strangest of all, the '''Tokyo German Village''' (_____h_C_c__) [http://www.t-doitsumura.co.jp/], with reconstructed half-timbered houses and bratwurst meals.
Tokyo Disneyland is also technically in the prefecture.
Understand
Many parts of Chiba can be visited on a day trip from Tokyo. The Pacific coast is dotted with many traditional fishing villages, and young surfers from Tokyo are attracted by the waves. The inner coast is less picturesque, but the cliffs of '''Nokogiriyama''' are a popular tourist attraction.
Get in
While JR trains run the entire coast of Chiba, the inner coast is just a 30-minute ferry ride from Kurihama, south of Yokohama. 1997 saw the completion of the Tokyo Wan Aqua Line bridge and tunnel, which burrows under and rises across Tokyo Bay between Kisarazu (Chiba prefecture) and Kawasaki (on the Tokyo side). At ¥4000 for a passenger car, almost nobody uses the tunnel though, and it's bleeding government money. You can take highway buses through the tunnel and over the bridge from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Haneda Airport, Kawasaki and Yokohama stations for up to ¥1500 one way to Kisarazu.
By train
The center of the JR network in Chiba is, unsurprisingly, JR Chiba station. But be careful when taking trains to the Boso Peninsula, as there are two different ways trains can get to Awa-Kamogawa, the final stop. The Uchib? Line (___[__), or "Inner Boso Line", follows the western coast (Tokyo Bay side) through Kisarazu, while the Sotob? or "Outer Boso" Line (_O_[__) cuts across the peninsula and then goes down the east coast (Pacific Ocean side) via Katsuura. Additionally, trains to Choshi can turn north at Sakura to go via Narita (the Narita Line), or go south via Naruto along the Sobu Main Line.
To summarize all that, here are the platforms to take at Chiba station:
{| border=1 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0
! Destination !! Line !! Platform
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Get around
See
Do
Eat
Drink
Get out
Ibaraki Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
Tokyo
Kanagawa Prefecture