Exploring Narita City
Population: 130,000
Area: 214 km2
Narita city is located in Chiba Prefecture between the Tone River to the north and Inbanuma Marsh in the west. It is home to Narita International Airport, which welcomes around 15 million visitors each year from all over the world. Historically Narita flourished as a temple city, with two famous temples. Naritasan Shinshoji Temple dates back over 1,000 years and is one of the most popular temples in eastern Japan. Toshoji Temple (also known as Sogo Reido Sanctuary) dates back to the eighth century. Toshoji is the family temple of Sakura Sogoro (1605–1653), who is said to have been executed for appealing to the shogun for a reduction in taxes for the people of Narita during a famine. In 2016, Narita and three neighboring cities were designated Japan Heritage sites for their historical Edo-period townscapes. The Edo period (1603–1867) was the last era of traditional Japanese culture and society, ruled by the samurai before rapid modernization began. Narita is an easy place to explore Edo-period culture.