In Japan, besides climate, the characteristics, as well as the values of the local people, are different for each prefecture. Knowing these common senses of the locals will help make your trip even smoother. This series of articles is about the “real locals” that is different from the normal tourism images. Today we are going to take a light-hearted look at the characteristics of Chiba Prefecture.
Two Different Chibas Coexist
Chiba Prefecture extends vertically on the map from north to south, commonly divided into what is called the northern and south-eastern parts. It is said that in the northern part where development has resulted in dormitory satellite towns of Tokyo, the residents tend to be well organized and are more serious. The people who live in the area adjacent to Tokyo tend to have the same traits as the capital's residents instead of Chiba's. On the other hand, the residents in the southeast part are said to have a generous personality.
Saitama Prefecture Is their Eternal Rival
Chiba Prefecture and Saitama Prefecture compete with each other in everything. Saitama residents feel that they have the upper hand because of the Saitama mountains, on the other hand, the denizens of Chiba feel they come out on top because Chiba is connected to the sea. All the rivalry between these two prefectures is creative and funny. Actually, they are only enjoying the fun of competing with each other and life would be duller without such interaction.
Kashiwa City, the Shibuya of Chiba Prefecture
Kashiwa City is basically the Shibuya for Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture residents. They travel to Kashiwa city for the big shopping complexes such as Marui and Takashimaya. It is only when they get tired of Kashiwa City that they make the trip to Tokyo. Kashiwa City is said to be a place for them to get used to the metropolitan lifestyle.
Peanuts Are for Gifts
When you have a guest from Chiba Prefecture who brings you omiyage (souvenir gift), it is very possible that it will be peanuts ... literally. Peanuts from Chiba are very expensive even from a local supplier. So Chiba residents usually eat cheap imported peanuts. They will only spend money to purchase the expensive Chiba peanuts as gifts.
Chiba Prefecture Residents Take Pride in Tokyo Disney Resort® and Narita Airport
The greatest pride of Chiba Prefecture residents is undoubtedly Tokyo Disney Resort®! The Coming-of-Age ceremony of Urayasu city is held annually in the resort. They are also proud of Narita Airport which is known in Japan as the gateway to the world. They will be angry if you think that the gateway to the world is Haneda Airport rather than Narita (If you didn't already know, you might have guessed that Narita is in Chiba and Haneda is in Tokyo).
There are many prefectural characteristics that seem bizarre and incredible to people in other prefectures. Please stay tuned for our next article in this series! If there is any prefecture you wish to understand better, please post in the comments on the right!
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