Inzai, Chiba

Inzai 印西市
—  City  —
Location of Inzai in Chiba
Inzai
Coordinates: 35°50′N 140°9′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba
Government
• Mayor	Sanyo Yamazaki (since July 2004)
Area
• Total	128.80 km2 (49.7 sq mi)
Population (February 2011)
• Total	88,652
• Density	1,630/km2 (4,221.7/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Japanese Black Pine
- Flower	Cosmos
Phone number	81(0)476-42-5111
Address	Omori 2364, Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture (千葉県印西市大森2364番地) 270-1396
Website	City of Inzai

Inzai (印西市, Inzai-shi) is a city located in the north-west of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of late February 2011, the city has an estimated population of 88,652 and a population density of 716 persons/square kilometer. The total area was 128.80 km².

Geography

Inzai is located in the important area of northern Chiba Prefecture connecting Tokyo and Narita. Besides Tone River that flows in the north, Teganuma Lake that lies in the north-west, Imba Lake that lies in the south-east of the city, the city is also surrounded by natural environment such as natural forest.

Surrounding Municipalities

• Kashiwa, Chiba
• Abiko, Chiba
• Shiroi, Chiba
• Yachiyo, Chiba
• Sakae, Chiba
• Narita, Chiba
• Shisui, Chiba
• Sakura, Chiba
• Tone, Ibaraki

History

The area of Inzei has been inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period, with some stone tools having been found in Kikaribyo that were used by people during that time. During the Edo period, the village of Kioroshi developed as a port at the bank of Tone River.

After the Meiji Restoration, on April 1, 1889, the town of Kioroshi and the villages of Omori, Taisha, Funoho, Rokugo, Munakata, Hongo and Eiji were founded. The Meiji Era is also the golden age for steam ships in Tone River sailing from Tokyo to Chōshi. Taisha was raised to town status on March 1, 1913 and renamed Omori Town. In 1942, a pilot training center was built in Sofuke. This place was hit by Allied air raids in World War II. After the war the training center was abandoned.

On December 1, 1954 the town of Inzai was founded through the merger of the towns of Kioroshi and Taisha with the villages of Eiji and Funaho. At the time the population was about 11,000. The development of the Chiba New Town project and the Hokusō Line considerably boosted the development of Inzai from the mid 1980s. Inzai achieved city status on April 1, 1996. On March 23, 2010, Inzai merged with the neighboring villages of Inba and Motono from Inba District, to form the new city of Inzai.

Economy

Shopping Centers

The main shopping centers in Inzai are:

• Jusco Chiba New Town
• AEON Chiba New Town Shopping Center
• Joyful Honda Chiba New Town
• Makinohara MORE
• Makinohara Festival Outlet
• Big Hop

Smart Town

With the construction of the SOGA power plant of Tokyo Electric Company (Tepco), the city actively encouraged and invited companies to build data centers in the city.

Mitsui Sumitomo and CSK are two such organizations that have constructed world class data centers in Inzai.

Other companies are known to have purchased land to construct data centers in the near future.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Narita Line
  • Kioroshi – Kobayashi
• Hokusō Railway Company - Hokusō Line
  • Chiba New Town Chūō - Inzai-Makinohara - Inba-Nihon-Idai

Highways

• Route 356 (Japan)
• Route 464 (Japan)

Education

There are thirteen public elementary schools, six public junior high schools, one senior high school, and two private universities in Inzai. Inba High School [1], operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education, serves Inzai.

Universities

• Tokyo Denki University
• Tokyo Christian University, which shares its campus with Tokyo Christian Theological Seminary.
• Juntendo University

Public Libraries

• Omori Library, with 154,020 collections
• Kobayashi Library, with 42,605 collections
• Sofuke Library, with 69,661 collections
• Oguradai Library, with 134,978 collections

Local attractions

• Yokappe Yume Festival – A festival is held annually in Kioroshi and Rokken Area.
• Kobayashi Farm's Sakura
• Kioroshi Park Monument
• Tone River Morning Fog
• Cosmos Bridge Evening Scenery

Noted people from Inzai

• Ōtori Tanigorō – sumo wrestler
• Yōko Maki – actress
• Makiko Furukawa – Olympic volleyball silver medalist

External links

• Inzai official website in Japanese