Chiba Prefecture

Rumor has it that outside Tokyo, along the Chiba coast, there’s a British expat named Dane who runs a surf guesthouse and boat tour company. I took a trip to his home city of Katsuura, hoping to find him and have a chat. He told me all about the different activities you can enjoy here on the ocean, like: surfing, diving, snorkeling, fishing, boat tours, and much more! To get a daily glimpse into his life here, you can follow him @japansurf
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Chiba Prefecture, the home of Narita International Airport, is conveniently located next to Tokyo. Explore Chiba and discover its hidden gems on your next trip to Japan. More information about what to see and do here can be found at visitchiba.jp (link in bio).

#Chiba #ChibaPrefecture #VisitChiba #ChibaJapan #千葉 #千葉県 #NearTokyo #Japan #VisitJapan #Travel #Trip #Ocean #Beach #Boat #Surf #Guesthouse

Sawara’s Summer Spectacle | The 2025 Sawara Grand Summer Festival: July 11, 12 & 13

Enjoy an experience steeped in history and tradition at the upcoming Sawara Grand Summer Festival! If you’re in the Tokyo or Narita areas this upcoming July 11 – 13, you can come witness the festivities by taking a trip to JR Sawara Station.

This festival has taken place for over 300 years here in the historic town of Sawara. It’s most known for its massive wooden floats, called ‘dashi,’ which make their way through the town’s districts transporting sculptures of famous figures in Japanese history and folklore: samurai generals, gods and goddesses, animals, and more. Traditional music and dance performances add to the atmosphere here, helping earn this festival status as a designated UNESCO “Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

The floats will be paraded around Sawara on all three days of the festival, with the festivities lasting well into the evening. We recommend coming in the evening to see the festival at its liveliest.

If you can’t make it this time, there’s another chance to check out the Sawara Grand Festival in October.
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Chiba Prefecture, the home of Narita International Airport, is conveniently located next to Tokyo. Explore Chiba and discover its hidden gems on your next trip to Japan. More information about what to see and do here can be found at visitchiba.jp (link in bio).

#Chiba #ChibaPrefecture #VisitChiba #ChibaJapan #千葉 #千葉県 #NearTokyo #Japan #VisitJapan #Travel #Trip #Festival #JapaneseCulture #Sawara #佐原の大祭 #佐原の大祭夏祭り #SummerFestival #夏祭り

Meet Ota-san, the 4th generation marker of Boshu Fans (Boshu Uchiwa 房州うちわ) and the only nationally certified artisan of this traditional craft. It takes a 21-step process to make these, each its own original work made from a single stalk of medake bamboo. On July 3-6 Ota-san will be at the Japan Expo Paris where you can buy these fans, and before she left for France she spoke with us.

@uchiwa_otaya_fr
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Chiba Prefecture, the home of Narita International Airport, is conveniently located next to Tokyo. Explore Chiba and discover its hidden gems on your next trip to Japan. More information about what to see and do here can be found at visitchiba.jp (link in bio).

#Chiba #ChibaPrefecture #VisitChiba #ChibaJapan #千葉 #千葉県 #NearTokyo #Japan #VisitJapan #Travel #Trip #JapaneseCulture #Handmade #Crafts #Tradition #JE2025 #JapanExpo #JapanExpo2025 #JapanExpoAmazing

✈️ The 2025 Narita Gion Festival – Just Minutes from Narita Airport – July 4, 5 & 6 ✈️

We’d argue that this is Japan’s easiest-to-access summer festival for international travelers, as much of it takes place just outside JR Narita and Keisei Narita stations, just a short train ride from Narita International Airport. That makes it possible to catch a glimpse of the festivities, whether you are on your way to or from the airport, or even perhaps during a long layover. Of course, Narita also makes a great day-trip option for those staying in Tokyo too.

Throughout the Narita Gion Festival, ten traditionally decorated dashi floats and one mikoshi portable shrine are paraded around town and down the Omotesando, a charming street lined with restaurants and shops that leads from Narita Station to the over-1,000-year-old Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple. Traditional music and dance performances add to the atmosphere here, and the excitement builds during the day until the fervor peaks at nighttime when the dashi are beautifully lit up from about 7:00 PM each evening.

Friday, July 4th: Ceremonies start in the afternoon (from 1:30 PM) in front of Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple. The dashi floats are then paraded down the Omotesando road and around town into the late evening, until around 9:00 PM.

Saturday, July 5th: Ceremonies start at 9:00 AM in front of JR Narita Station. The dashi floats are then paraded down the Omotesando road and around town throughout the day and into the late evening, until around 9:00 PM.

Sunday, July 6th: The dashi floats are paraded around town in the morning and then down the Omotesando road from 1:00 PM. The closing ceremony takes place from 5:00 PM at Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple, followed by a final dashi light-up that goes until the late evening, until around 10:00 PM.
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#Chiba #ChibaPrefecture #VisitChiba #ChibaJapan #千葉 #千葉県 #NearTokyo #Japan #VisitJapan #Travel #Trip #Festival #Matsuri #祭り #Narita #成田 #NaritaAirport #NaritaGionFestival #成田祇園祭 #JapaneseCulture

🪷 The World’s Oldest Lotus Flower

Locals claim that this city in Japan is home to the world’s oldest lotus flower. In the 1950’s botanist Dr. Oga and his team discovered ancient lotus seeds on an archeological site here in Chiba, determined to be about 2,000 years old. Dr. Oga was successfully able to grow lotus plants from one of these seeds, and thus the flower was named after him. The Oga Lotus was shared with cities all across Japan, but you can see it in its home city at Chiba Park. The flowers open in the morning during about a three-day period, closing-up each day by around noon. The 2025 Oga Lotus Festival is scheduled to take place this year from June 21 to June 29.

For more information about Chiba City from their Coordinator for International Relations, please check out: @chibacitycir
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Chiba Prefecture, the home of Narita International Airport, is conveniently located next to Tokyo. Explore Chiba and discover its hidden gems on your next trip to Japan. More information about what to see and do here can be found at visitchiba.jp (link in bio).

#Chiba #ChibaPrefecture #VisitChiba #ChibaJapan #千葉 #千葉県 #NearTokyo #Japan #VisitJapan #Travel #Trip #Flower #Lotus #ChibaPark #千葉公園 #大賀ハス