Chiba City 千葉市

Chiba (千葉 = ’thousand leaves’), facing Tôkyô Bay and located east of Tôkyô, is the capital and the city with the largest population in Chiba Prefecture. The city is situated within a radius of approximately 40 km of the city centre of Tôkyô as well as Narita International Airport. Through waterfront development and the expansion of Chiba Port and the “Keiyô Industrial Zone”, the city has grown into a port and industrial city with a population of approximately one million. The Makuhari Messe convention centre is located here, where over 150 trade fairs are held annually. A notable feature of the transport network is the Chiba Urban Monorail, the world’s longest suspended monorail system.