Chiba Nanohana News (Jan, 2012)

 Index

　I.News　　　II. Festivals and Events　　　 III.Exhibitions, Concerts, etc.

 I. News     

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 II. Festivals and Events

 1)Narita Plum Festival/Naritasan Park (Narita City)

Spread out over a vast expanse of 165,000㎡ behind the Great Main Hall of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, Naritasan Park creates a vivid atmosphere throughout the seasons with its scenery of plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, and maple trees.

In the Japanese garden here, there are approximately 460 white and red plum trees with an average age of over 50 years old. Many of these plum trees have aged gracefully, and the sight of the trees’ delicate blossoms delight temple visitors.

On Sundays and holidays during the Plum Festival, there will be Tsugaru shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, and niko performances as well as free amazake to welcome visitors. There will also be a “plum viewing haiku contest” and a photo contest collecting photos of Narita throughout the four seasons. The Omotesenke Narita City Tea Ceremony Association will also be holding tea ceremonies, making the festival an event where visitors can enjoy the many pleasures of spring in Japan.

 

• Date: Saturday, February 11 – Sunday, March 11
• Place: Naritasan Park      1 Narita, Narita City
• Access: 10 minutes by foot to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple from Narita Station (JR Narita Line or Keisei Line)
• Inquiries: (0476) 22-2102 (Narita City Tourism Association)
• URL: http://www.nrtk.jp/

 

  2)Uchibo 100th Anniversary SL

2012 marks the 100^th Opening Anniversary of the Uchibo Line (from Soga to Kisarazu) and the Kururi Line (from Kisarazu to Kururi).

As a part of the celebrations, the Uchibo 100^th Anniversary Rapid SL (steam locomotive) (C61-20) will run from Chiba Minato Station to Kisarazu Station from February 10-12. This will be first time the JR Chiba Branch Office will operate the SL.

Additionally, the Uchibo 100^th Anniversary Rapid DL (diesel locomotive) will run from Kisarazu Station to Chiba Minato Station.

 

Operating Dates and Times

[Uchibo 100th Anniversary Rapid SL]

(Departs Chiba Minato) 12:57

(Arrives at Anegasaki) 13:46

(Departs Anegasaki) 15:05

(Arrives at Kisarazu) 15:32

[Uchibo 100th Anniversary Rapid DL]

(Departs Kisarazu) 9:59

(Arrives at Anegasaki) 10:30

(Departs Anegasaki) 10:59

(Arrives at Chiba Minato) 11:51

 

SL Commemorative Ticket

• Sold at: Chiba Minato, Soga, Goi, Anegasaki, and Kisarazu Stations
• Dates: Friday, February 10-Sunday, February 12
• Price:1,100 yen for one set
           (Six 140 yen tickets [2 tickets each for Soga, Anegasaki, and Kisarazu Stations], two 130 tickets [Chiba Minato Station])
• Number of sets available (for each day): 1,000 sets for Chiba Minato Station, 500 sets for Soga Station, 500 sets for Goi Station, 2,000 sets for Anegasaki Station, and 2,120 sets for Kisarazu Station = Total 6,120 sets per day (taken from the train’s number, C61-20)

 

SL Anniversary Event

On Friday, February 10 in celebration of the SL’s operation, there will be a departure ceremony at Chiba Minato Station, an arrival ceremony at Kisarazu Station, and a welcoming ceremony at Anegasaki Station along the way.

• Departure ceremony (Chiba Minato Station)   Feb. 10,2012,12:30-12:57
• Arrival ceremony (Kisarazu Station)   Feb. 10,2012,15:32-15:50
• Welcoming ceremony (Anegasaki Station)   Feb. 10,2012,13:46-14:00

                   *Please note that times for the above ceremonies are subject to change.

There will be a kusudama opening, bouquet presentation, sales of commemorative tickets and merchandise, and other events at each ceremony.

 

URL: http://www.jrchiba.jp/news/pdf/20111215sl2.pdf

 

 3)Early Spring Flower Field Hiking in Chikura/JR Ekikara Hiking Limited Time Course (Minamiboso City)

Flower growing is popular in Minamiboso City’s Chikura thanks to the region’s warm climate in the early spring. You can enjoy the colorful flower fields filled with stock, marigolds, and poppies.

Enjoy the different facets of Chikura, such as Takabe Shrine, the only shrine in Japan dedicated to a culinary god; Byobuiwa, carved out by the waves of the Black Current; and the brilliantly colored flower fields.

 

• Date: Every day from Wednesday, February 1 to Saturday, March 31
• Registration time: 9:00-11:30 (start hiking as soon as you have registered) and reach goal by 16:00
• Registration place: Chikura Station (JR Uchibo Line)
• Registration deadline: None (no pre-registration required)
• Hiking time: Approximately 2 hours (does not include time needed if looking around tourist facilities)
• Hiking distance: Approximately 8.1 kilometers
• Hiking route: JR Chikura Station --> Chikura Tourism Information Desk (start point) --> Takabe Shrine --> Enzoin Temple --> Chikura Fishing Port --> Byobuiwa --> Hiraiso Area Flower Fields --> Michi-no-Eki Chikura Shiokaze Ohkoku (check point) --> Nanaura Elementary School bus stop --> Chikura Tourism Information Desk (goal) --> JR Chikura Station

Participants can receive special services from some of the participating facilities.

• Access: Get off at Chikura Station (JR Uchibo Line)
• Inquiries and registration: (03) 5719-3777 (JR East Japan Ekikara Hiking Office)
• URL: http://www.jreast.co.jp/hiking/

 

 

 

  4)Early Spring Tourism Campaign “Kirakira Boso – Who Will You Go With?”

Chiba Prefecture’s early spring tourism campaign, “Kirakira Boso – Who Will You Go With?” will be held for three months from January to March. Early spring in Chiba is filled with flower fields in full bloom, sweet strawberries and fresh seafood, delicious cuisine, and much more. There will also be many events held throughout the prefecture. Come visit Chiba Prefecture to find an early spring.

Date: Sunday, January 1 – Saturday, March 31

Description

(1)Free complimentary tickets to Chiba Prefecture tourist facilities

Visitors can receive free complementary tickets which can be used at 27 tourist facilities in Chiba Prefecture. These tickets can be obtained through major travel agencies, the January issue of the Chiba Kenmin-dayori (Prefecture newsletter), and other forms of media.

(2)Special deals for “Chiba Meguri-Tai” and “Chiba Moriage-Tai” members

Members of the “Chiba Meguri-Tai,” who promote Chiba Prefecture through tourism, and “Chiba Moriage-Tai,” which was just formed in January 2012, can receive special services at 300 participating businesses throughout the prefecture.

(3)Pamphlet with discount ticket for visitors using the Aqua-Line

Don’t forget to pick up a pamphlet featuring a special welcome ticket for primarily the Minami Boso (southern Chiba) region.

 

• Inquiries: (043) 223-2412 (Chiba Prefecture Tourism Division)
• URL: http://www.kanko.chuo.chiba.jp/   

 5)Daffodil Festival/Ezuki Daffodil Road & Okuzure Suisenkyo (Kyonan Town)

Since olden times, the Minami Boso region has been so warm that “after crossing Mt. Nokogiri, you do not need an extra layer of clothing.” Even as letters from the northern regions of Japan tell of snow, the Minami Boso region is filled with flowers.

Flower growing in the Boshu region (which is now called the Minami Boso region), was said to originate in the Ansei Period (1854-1860). During this time, the Japanese daffodils that grow in the Hota district were called “Motona daffodils,” and transported to Edo (Tokyo) by boat.

Ezuki Daffodil Road

Once the shipment time has passed, the daffodils are preserved for viewing. These daffodils are in full bloom on both sides of this 3km stretch of the local town road, which is referred to as the Ezuki Daffodil Road. During the Daffodil Festival, you can purchase locally produced fruits and vegetables from local farmers and daffodil flowers as you enjoy an earlier spring.

Thanks to the local climatic conditions, Kyonan’s daffodils are characterized by their strong fragrance and tall stalks. The peak for daffodil viewing is from mid-December to the end of January.

During the Daffodil Festival, there will be sales of amazake and botan soup using locally caught boar meat at the Ezuki Daffodil Plaza beginning at 11:00 on Sunday, January 15.

Okuzure Suisenkyo

The contrast of the Japanese daffodils and green leaves and golden fruits of the surrounding mikan trees stands out against the winter sky. Also, early blossoms of red and white plum flowers towards the end of January will welcome you.

During the Daffodil Festival, there will be mochi pounding and a mini concert at the Sakuma Dam Park beginning at 11:00 on Sunday, January 22.

As the viewing season for the daffodils draws to an end, the season for the early blooming cherry blossom trees of Sakuma Dam Park will begin. The “Yoritomo-zakura,” one of Kyonan Town’s symbols, will begin blossoming in mid-February. You can also enjoy the Tairyo-zakura, Kanhi-zakura, Higan-zakura, Somei-Yoshino, Shidare-zakura, and Yae-zakura until mid-April.

 

• Date: Saturday, December 17 – Tuesday, January 31
• Place: 1) Ezuki Daffodil Road        Ezuki area, Kyonan Town, Awa-gun     
           2) Okuzure Suisenkyo         Okuzure area, Kyonan Town, Awa-gun
• Access: (For Ezuki Daffodil Road) 15 minutes by foot from Hota Station (JR Uchibo Line) to the entrance of the Daffodil Road       
              (For Okuzure Suisenkyo) Take the Red or Blue route of the Town Circulating Bus from Hota Station or Awa-Katsuyama Station (JR Uchibo Line)
• Inquiries: (0470) 55-1683 (Hota Station Tourism Information Center)          
                (0470) 55-8040 (Okuzure Suisenkyo Office of Tourism)         
                (0470) 55-1560 (Kyonan Town Local Development Division)    

  6) S1 Grand Prix “Ichigo Ichie” /Nogiku Plaza Square at the Naruto Cultural Hall (Sammu City)

Sammu City’s Strawberry Fair will sponsor an event gathering new products using the city’s special product, strawberries. In this event, participants compete to see whose product best brings out the true flavor of strawberries. This event also aims to contribute to the commercialism utilizing ripe strawberries and already commercialized strawberries.

This year, the S1 Grand Prix will be held to decide the king of strawberry sweets.

The “S” in S1 stands for “Sammu,” “strawberry,” and “sweets.” All sorts of sweets using Sammu City’s specialty, strawberries will gather here for this event. Come out for a taste!

A local products market will also be held at the same time.

 

• Date: Saturday, January 28, 11:00-15:00 (Rain date: Sunday, January 29)
• Place: Nogiku Plaza Square at the Sammu City Naruto Cultural Hall  290-1 Tonodai, Sammu City
• Access: 5 minutes by foot from Naruto Station (JR Sobu Main Line)
• Inquiries: (0475) 80-1202 (S1 Grand Prix Planning Committee Office)
• URL: http://www.city.sammu.lg.jp/   

 　　　Back to top　　　I.News　　　II.festivals and Events　　　III.Exhibitions, Concerts, etc.

 III. Exhibitions, Concerts, etc.     

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