Travel Information

Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Adjacent to Tokyo, Chiba is best known for being home to Japan’s two Disney parks, but the area overflows with natural beauty both inland and by the sea. Stretching 66 kilometers along Chiba’s coast is Kujukuri Beach, Japan's longest stretch of sandy coastline, ideal for watersports. Deeper inland are a number of spacious parks and towering Mt. Nokogiri, with its "Hell Peek Point." Chiba also has Japan's main international airport, Narita, making it the country's first entry point for most travelers. Chiba City is one of the Kantō region's primary seaports, and is home to Chiba Port, which handles one of the highest volumes of cargo in the nation. There are several major urban centres in the city, including Makuhari, a prime waterfront business district in which Makuhari Messe is located, and Central Chiba, in which the prefectural government office and the city hall are located.
How to get there:
The biggest station is JR Chiba station, a stylish and modern hub only about 40 minutes from Tokyo station. Alternatively, you can get there via the Keisei line to Keisei-Chiba station which is next to the JR station. You won’t have to go too far to explore the city because in addition to over 13 train lines, Chiba has its own monorail system. This suspended monorail, which is the world’s longest at 15.2 kilometers, is a fun and cheap way to get bird’s eye view of the city.


Chiba Urban Monorail



The Chiba Urban Monorail was constructed as a response to the worsening traffic situation in Chiba City. The construction of the monorail started in 1987, but its operations began on March 1988. It currently holds the Guinness World Record of the longest suspended monorail train system at 15.2 km. The monorail has two routes available–one short and another longer. Route 1–the shorter route–runs 3.2 km, the whole ride takes approximately nine minutes in total. Route 2, on the other hand, runs 12 km, around 25 minutes ride time in total.





Tokyo DisneyLand


Although called "Tokyo" Disney Resort, the parks are actually located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, right around the bay from Tokyo. From the JR Keiyo Line train, which rounds the bay, you can see the majestic spires of the Magic Kingdom and DisneySea's towering volcano. Both Disney Resort parks are right around the bay from Tokyo, easily accessible from Tokyo Station and other major stations. Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, and Ikspiari are located just a few minutes walk from JR Maihama Station on the Keiyo Line. The Keiyo Line's starting point is Tokyo Station. The parks are also directly accessible by bus.



Chiba Castle (Chiba City Folk Museum)



Chiba Castle, also known as Inohana Castle, was the former residence of the Chiba family who ruled the area. The Chiba City Folk Museum was constructed in 1967 on the former site of Chiba Castle, and is modeled after a traditional Japanese castle.
The museum collects, preserves, researches, and displays historical materials related to the culture and history of Chiba city. Be sure to see the exhibit on the Chiba clan, which ruled the area between the 12th and 16th centuries.




Kameiwa Cave



Kameiwa Cave (which means Turtle Rock Cave), formerly a relatively unknown site, gained notoriety for hosting one of the most whimsical sights in all of Japan.The cave — which is more of an arch embracing a cascading waterfall — gained fame when an Instagram photo of the heart-shaped spectacle went viral in 2015. Since then it’s become a popular tourist attraction. Coming from the land of Studio Ghibli, it’s been appropriately compared to something out of an anime or a fairytale. The glowing light filtering through is undeniably magical.