Funabashi, Chiba

Funabashi 船橋市
Core city
LaLaPort shopping mall in Funabashi
Flag Seal
Location of Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture
Funabashi
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Toru Matsudo
Area
• Total	85.64 km2 (33.07 sq mi)
Population (April 1, 2012)
• Total	610,572
• Density	7,130/km2 (18,500/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Postal code(s)	273 or 274
Area code(s)	047-4
- Tree	Camellia sasanqua
- Flower	Camellia sasanqua
Phone number	047-436-2111
Address	2-10-25 Minatocho Funabashi-shi, 273-8501
Website	www.city.funabashi.chiba.jp

"Funabashi" redirects here. For the train station in this city, see Funabashi Station.

Funabashi (船橋市, Funabashi-shi) is a city located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

As of April 2012, the city has an estimated population of 610,572 and a population density of 7,130 persons per km². The total area is 85.64 km². It is the 7th most populous city in Greater Tokyo.

Geography

Funabashi is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture and makes up one part of the Shimōsa Plateau. The city sits 20–30 meters above sea level, and is relatively flat. Funabashi is crossed by the Tone River, and the small Ebi River is located entirely within city limits. Funabashi formerly had wide, shallow beaches, but much of the coast has been industrialized and transformed by reclaimed land.

Neighboring municipalities

• Ichikawa, Chiba
• Narashino, Chiba
• Yachiyo, Chiba
• Kamagaya, Chiba
• Shiroi, Chiba

History

The name "Funabashi" is mentioned in the Kamakura period chronicle Azuma Kagami. However, the name itself is even more ancient, dating from before the Nara period and the Yamatotakeru mythology. Archaeologists have found stone tools from the Japanese Paleolithic period and shell middens from the Jomon period in the area, indicating continuous inhabitation for thousands of years. A number of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in the area claim to have been founded in the Nara period or Heian period. During the Muromachi periods, the area was controlled by the Chiba clan. During the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan fought the Satomi clan to the south, and the Late Hojo clan to the west. After the defeat of the Chiba clan, the area came within the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the area prospered as a post town on the river crossing of the Tone River, and was largely retained as tenryo under the direct control of the Shogunate and administered through a number of hatamoto. The area was also a favored hunting grounds for the Shogun. During the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, Funabashi was the location of a minor skirmish between Tokugawa loyalists under Enomoto Takeaki and the pro-Imperial forces of Okayama Domain and Satsuma Domain, during which most of the town burned down.

After the abolition of the han system, the area eventually became part of Chiba Prefecture. Funabashi Town was one of several towns and villages created on April 1, 1889 under Inba District. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Tokyo and the presence of numerous military facilities in the area. On April 1, 1937, Funabashi was elevated to city status through merger with neighboring Katsushika Town and Yasakae, Hoden and Tsukada Villages. The new city was host to numerous military installations in World War II, and was bombed in the air raids on Japan in 1945.

The city developed rapidly in the postwar period, with the development of industries, public housing developments and port facilities. With the annexation of neighboring Ninomiya Town in 1953, the population exceeded 100,000. The population exceeded 300,000 in 1969 and 500,000 in 1982. Funabashi was designated a core city on April 1, 2005 with increased local autonomy from the central government. The population exceeded 600,000 in 2006.

Economy

Funabashi is a regional commercial center and, due to its numerous train connections, a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo.

Education

• Nihon University branch campus

Public senior high schools are operated by Chiba Prefecture:

• Funabashi Keimei High School - Formed in 2011 by the merger of Funabashi Asahi High School (千葉県立船橋旭高等学校) and Funabashi Nishi High School (千葉県立船橋西高等学校).
• Funabashi Kowagama High School (千葉県立船橋古和釜高等学校)

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Musashino Line
  • Funabashi-Hōten - Nishi-Funabashi
• JR East - Keiyō Line
  • Nishi-Funabashi ->>- Minami-Funabashi

• JR East - Chūō-Sōbu Line

Higashi-Funabashi - Funabashi - Nishi-Funabashi - Shimōsa-Nakayama

• Keisei Electric Railway - Keisei Main Line
  • Keisei Nakayama - Higashi-Nakayama - Keisei-Nishifuna - Kaijin - Keisei Funabashi - Daijingūshita - Funabashi-Keibajō

• Shin-Keisei Electric Railway - Shin-Keisei Line
  • Futawamukōdai - Misaki - Takifudō - Takanekōdan- Takanekido - Kita-Narashino - Narashino- Yakuendai - Maebara

• Hokusō Railway - Hokusō Line
  • Komoro

• Tobu Railway - Tobu Noda Line
  • Magomezawa - Tsukada - Shin-Funabashi - Funabashi
• Tōyō Rapid Railway - Tōyō Rapid Line
  • Nishi-Funabashi - Higashi-Kaijin - Hasama - Kita-Narashino - Funabashi-Nichidaimae

• Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line
  • Baraki-Nakayama - Nishi-Funabashi

Highway

• Keiyō Road
• Higashi-Kantō Expressway
• Japan National Route 14
• Japan National Route 16
• Japan National Route 296
• Japan National Route 357
• Japan National Route 464

Sister city relations

• – Hayward, California, USA, from November 7, 1986
• – Odense, Denmark from April 6, 1989
• – Xi’an, China from November 2, 1994

Local attractions

Notable structures

• Funabashi Auto Racing
• Funabashi Racecourse
• Nakayama Racecourse
• LaLaPort shopping mall, one of the largest in Japan
• SSAWS indoor ski slope (closed and demolished in 2003)
• Japan's first large-format IKEA store, built on the site of SSAWS

Notable places　

• Funabashi Shrine
• Ninomiya Jinja
• Narashinohara
• Kūtei-kan
• Meiji Tennō Chūhitsu no Tokoro no Hi
• Gyōda Musen
• Cherry blossoms on the Ebi River

Notable people from Funabashi

• Funassyi – Unofficial city mascot
• Hiroki Aiba – dancer and singer
• Kazuyuki Fujita – professional wrestler
• Sayaka Ichii – musician
• Atsushi Itō – actor
• Yuko Kavaguti – figure skater
• Mai Kuraki – singer
• Fumie Kurotori – Olympic gold medalist swimmer
• Manabu Namiki – video game designer
• Yoshihiro Natsuka – professional soccer player
• Katsuhiko Nishijima – Anime director
• Michiko Nishiwaki – Actress, stunt woman
• Yoshihiko Noda – politician, former Prime Minister of Japan
• Hanako Oku – musician
• Shunzo Ono – professional soccer player
• Tamao Satō – actress
• Takashi Sekizuka – professional soccer player
• Mariko Shiga – musician
• Keiko Terada – singer (Show-Ya)
• Akeno Watanabe – voice actress
• Azusa Yamamoto – gravure idol
• Tomohisa Yamashita – musician
• Risa Yoshiki – model, actress, singer

Notable Companies from Funabashi

• Mugen Seiki - A remote control car manufacturer.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)