Narita, Chiba
is a
city located in
Chiba,
Japan. It is the site of
Narita International Airport, the main international airport serving the
Greater Tokyo Area.
As of
2003, the city has an estimated
population of 98,296 and
population density of 748.81 persons per
km². Its total area is 131.27 km².
There are various theories regarding the origin of Narita's name, comprised of the characters for "become" (
nari) and "rice paddy" (
ta): that the name "Narita" comes from the ringing (
nari) of thunder in the area, that
nari is derived from an obsolete word for "fertile," and that the
nari is derived from the word for "livelihood" (
nariwai).
Narita is known to have been inhabited since prehistoric times; rice farming began in the area around 100 BCE. As the city is located roughly equidistant from the
Pacific Ocean and
Tokyo Bay, around a number of small rivers, it was a natural political and commercial center for the region.
Urbanization of the area began during the
Nara period.
Narita-san Temple was founded in
940 CE.
Narita was incorporated as a town in
1889, and Narita City was founded on
March 31,
1954. Growth in the area began in earnest in
1966, when Prime Minister
Eisaku Sato laid out the plan for
Narita International Airport. The development of the airport and accompanying access to central Tokyo led to widespread residential, commercial and industrial development in the city.
Narita was once part of
Inba District until March 31, 1954. The city annexed the towns of
Taiei and
Shimofusa from
Katori District on March 27, 2006 and the city now expanded into the
Katori District areas. (In the same day in
Chiba Prefecture, the cities of
Katori,
Sanmu, and the town of
Yokoshibahikari in
Sanbu District were created by the mergers)
The enlarged Narita now has an estimated population of 121,214. The total area is now 213.84km², as of May 1, 2006.
Central Narita
Central Narita (locally known as "中
machinaka) is roughly defined as the area between
Narita Station,
Keisei Narita Station and the
Narita-san Temple. The main road in central Narita is Omotesan-do (表参"), which is lined with about 150 small shops and has been extensively renovated in recent years; it is widely regarded as one of the best "traditional" city streets in Japan.
Narita New Town
Narita New Town is a planned residential area to the west of
Narita Station. It has 16,000 homes with a total population of 60,000. The area was designed in
1968 based on the
new towns surrounding
London,
England, and now houses most of the city's population. Although most residents of the New Town initially commuted to
Tokyo or
Chiba City for work, many now commute to cities in northwestern Chiba, and a number of businesspeople in central Narita have also moved into the New Town.
Kozunomori
Kozunomori (公津の杜) is a suburban area of Narita located south of the New Town, about 4 minutes by train from Keisei Narita Station. It has a population of about 12,000. The Kozunomori station is flanked by a large
Ito-Yokado department store, popular with foreign visitors who stay in and around Narita.
Airport and farm areas
Narita International Airport is located on the east side of Narita in an historically agricultural area called
Sanrizuka (三里塚). The construction and later expansion of the airport led to intense civil unrest among Sanrizuka residents (see
Narita International Airport#History). Although land expropriation and poorer farming conditions due to the airport's construction have caused Narita's farming population to drop two-thirds from pre-airport levels, the area immediately surrounding the airport remains lightly populated by farmers. Some abandoned farmland is now used for
golf courses, while other plots of land have become unofficial dumping grounds for garbage.
Industrial areas
There are three main industrial zones in Narita:
Nogedaira (野毛平) and
Toyosumi (豊住) and Taiei. Both zones were laid out in the 1960s to take advantage of Narita Airport and the ability to quickly import and export goods by air. Most industries in Narita City predominantly employ Narita residents. An aircraft part repair plant operated by JAL and Pratt & Whitney, called [Japan Turbine Technologies] is located at Taiei-kogyo-danchi, opposite to an Okubo store.
*
Narita-san Shinsho Temple*
Shiseki Park*
Chiba Prefectural Boso Fudoki-no-oka Museum[]
Narita's main train stations are
Narita Station (JR
Narita Line) and
Keisei Narita Station (
Keisei Main Line). Other train stations in the city include:
*
Airport Terminal 2 Station (Narita Line)
*
Higashi-Narita Station (
Keisei Higashi-Narita Line,
Shibayama Railway Line)
*Kozunomori Station (Keisei Main Line)
*Kuzumi Station (Narita Line)
*
Narita Airport Station (Narita Line)
*
Shibayama Chiyoda Station (Shibayama Railway Line)
*Shimousa-Matsuzaki Station (Narita Line)
Rush hour
Narita Express trains and Keisei
Skyliner trains connect Narita to central Tokyo in approximately 1 hour.
The
Higashi-Kanto Expressway connects Narita to Tokyo and Chiba City.
Chiba Kotsu and Narita Kuko Kotsu provide bus service through the city. The Narita City Loop Bus (成"市内循'バス), operated by both companies, operates on two circular routes around the city, stopping in major commercial areas and at all 7 major hotels.
*
Xianyang,
China*
Incheon,
South Korea*
Jeongeup,
South Korea*
San Bruno, California,
USA*
Næstved,
Denmark*
Narita official website (in English)
*
Photos of Narita festivals at photoguide.jp (in English)
*
Narita Layover Page (in English)
