Gallery - The beauty of Chiba

Just east of Tokyo is the neighboring prefecture of Chiba, which most tourists will see for the first time when they arrive at Narita airport. Also, Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu (Tokyo bay) is a tourist magnet. Besides that the image of Chiba is mostly one of an industrial area or a good place for playing golf, because of the large amount of golf courses in the prefecture. But Chiba has so much more to offer! Especially the Boso Penisula is full of nature, perfect for hiking or exploring the likes of the Yoro Keikoku Oku Kiyosumi Natural Park, Mt. Nokogiri or the Oyama Senmaida Rice fields terrace. Also the beautiful sandy beaches which can be found mostly everywhere on the ocean side of the Boso Penisula, are great for swimming, surfing and fishing. One of my favorite spots is the Noumizo waterfall, which is a small waterfall running through a hole. If the light is in the right position, you can see a heart in the water. It is very beautiful and romantic. Even if you don't like nature that much, there are also many cultural places of interest in the region like the Shakespeare Village, Mother Farm or the Narita Temple in the north of Chiba. If you want to have a feeling of Venice, you should go to Sawara. The town of Sawara at the eastern side of Chiba is famous for its beautiful old town and its small canals. It is possible to go around the canals by traditional boat. To enjoy seasonal flowers, I can recommend to visit the tulip festival in Sakura City or the Hattori Hydrangea Farm Festival. During the autumn season the Kajika Bridge is a great spot to the see the autumn foliage. The best way for getting around Chiba prefecture is by car, but there is also a good train service which runs around the whole coastal area. There is also a nice small and scenic train. The Isumi Railway runs through beautiful countryside and also has train cars in the design of the popular Finnish animation series Moomin. I really love Chiba Prefecture and spend most of the weekends there to enjoy the nature and the silence away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.