In early April I went for another weekend day trip, this time to Chiba prefecture, which is just east of Tokyo. The city of Tokyo itself has about 9.4 million people--large in its own right--but much of the metro area spreads beyond the city's 23 wards. The population of Chiba prefecture is over 6 million, most of whom are within the Tokyo metro. Some of my coworkers live in Chiba, with commutes to the office of 1.5 hours or more each way. Japanese office workers already have long hours; the last thing I'd want to do with my precious free time is waste 3 hours a day on a packed train!
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Nearly 14m people live in Tokyo Prefecture, with 9.4m in the city's 23 wards;
but much of the metro area extends into Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. |
From my apartment in central western Tokyo, I took the metro to Tokyo Station, then transferred to a local train bound for Chiba Station. When I exited the station, there were some pedestrians and several shops open, but I'm sure it was much quieter than a normal Saturday. After lunch at one of the open restaurants, I started walking through the nearby neighborhood, which was eerily empty. I think Covid-19 had something to do with it, but I also got the sense that the area's heyday had passed, probably all the way back during the bubble years (Japan has been in stuck in slow growth mode ever since the bubble burst in the early 90s).
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| One of the empty storefronts near Chiba Station. The sign says "romance" |
The neighborhood had some abandoned buildings, which are common in smaller towns and rural areas experiencing depopulation, but I was surprised to see them so close to Tokyo. It's not like the area was rundown, however; most buildings were occupied, with convenience stores and restaurants nearby, and the population density is still much higher than in most US cities. But nonetheless, there were signs of decay.
During my walk, I stumbled on Torimachi Park, which has a beautiful temple and garden. From there, I continued on to the larger Chiba Park. After exploring the park, I turned west and headed for the coast. It was a good 5 kms to Inage Seaside Park, passing my Nishi-Chiba Station and a series of large apartment blocks in an area called Takasu. The apartments reminded me more of the large complexes in South Korea or China, with identical blocks lined up neatly in rows, complete with sidewalks and a grid-like road network. Most apartments in central Tokyo, on the other hand, are single buildings, with narrow side-streets crossing every which way, seemingly at random (
this site gives a good overview).
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| Temple at Torimachi Park (the first photo is also from the temple) |
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I passed this place near Nishi-Chiba Station; I couldn't tell if it was a businesses
with chic decorations, or an actual don't tread on me house |
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| A rare roundabout, with the iconic LOVE statue |
Inage Seaside Park stretches about a kilometre along the east side of Tokyo Bay. The sandy beach was almost empty, although it was so windy that I decided to hop back into the park. Although the surrounding neighborhoods were quiet, a lot of locals had made the trip to the park to enjoy the sunny Saturday weather.
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| The beach was super windy, and I was almost alone |
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| There were a few brave souls out surfing (squint and you'll see one) |
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| Lake in Inage Seaside park |
After leaving the park, I continued walking along the Bay until I reached Makuhari, an area totally unlike any I'd seen in Tokyo, with wide avenues, empty hotels and malls, and almost no pedestrians. I later read that the area is reclaimed land and was constructed to look futuristic; some have described it as a city out of a video game. For the developer's sake, I hope covid-19 kept the crowds out, and there's normally more activity. By the time I reached Makuhari, I'd probably walked close to 15 miles (nearly 25 km), so I was ready for a seat. Luckily the train back into the city was almost empty, and I had a car all to myself!
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| Pano from a street in Makuhari (my back is facing Makuhari Seaside Park, and I'm looking at Koen-odori Avenue) |
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| Near Makuhari Station |
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