Minamibōsō

Chiba Prefecture

• Kamogawa
• Tateyama
• Kyonan

The Minamibōsō area has a warm, maritime climate with hot summers and mild winters due to the Kuroshio Current.[2] The average temperature is 16.22 degrees Celsius, with the average high and low temperatures at 34.34 degrees Celsius and -4.16 degrees Celsius respectively. The hottest months are from June to September, and the coldest months are from January to March. Minamibōsō City receives an average of 1767.15 mm of rainfall annually.[4]

JR East – Uchibō Line

• Iwai – Tomiura – (Nakofunakata) – (Tateyama) – (Kokonoe) – Chikura – Chitose – Minamihara – Wadaura

The stations in parentheses are located in the neighboring Tateyama city.

• National Route 127
• National Route 128
• National Route 410

There are city buses that travel through three areas:

• Uchibo area (Tokyo Bay side of the Boso Peninsula)
• Shirahama/Chikura
• Maruyama/Wada[6]

From Tokyo:

Minamibōsō City is located within 100 km of Tokyo, and can be reached in 95 minutes by car through use of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.

From Chiba:

It takes about 70 minutes from Chiba City to Minamibōsō by the Tateyama Expressway.[4]

From Haneda Airport:

Minamibōsō City is about 80 minutes by car or highway bus from Haneda Airport[7]

Highway Buses run by Keisei(京成), Nitto Transportation (日東交通), and Tateyama Nitto Bus (館山日東バス) companies are available to and from Chiba Station.

JR Buses　(ジェイアールバス関東) are available to and from Tokyo Station.

From Chiba Station:

• Chiba Station　- Highway Oasis Furari
• Chiba Station - Tomiura Biwa Club - Nagotaketo Building - Tateyama Station - Nanso Cultural Hall - Kokonoe Station
• Chiba Station - Chikura Station - Asai Commercial and Industrial Association - Shiokaze Oukoku (道の駅ちくら・潮風王国) - Shirahama Post Office - Shirahama Nojimazaki Station[8]

From Tokyo Station: There are bus stops at:

• Tomiura Biwa Club in Tomiura
• Highway Oasis Furari in Tomiyama
• Chikura Station
• Asai Commercial and Industrial Center and Shiokaze Oukoku in Chikura
• Shirahama Post Office
• Awa Shirahama (安房白浜駅)[9]

The Tokyo-Wan Ferry is available to cross the Tokyo Bay from the Port of Kanaya in Futtsu, Chiba to the Port of Yokosuka.[10]

• Shirahama Kaiyo Museum has exhibitions of maiwai fishing jackets and maritime artifacts.
• The Chikura Kaigan Museum has photography and glassware exhibitions by Shinpei Asai.[11]

• Jorakuzan Mantoku-ji Temple: famous for its "Reclining Buddha" statue.
• Joju-in Temple: the family temple of the Satomi clan, the basis for the book, Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
• Takabe Shrine: the only temple in Japan that worships the god of cooking. The Knife Ceremony, which dates back to the Heian period is held here three times a year.
• Komatsu-ji Temple: a famous place to visit to see the leaves change color in autumn. There are legends surrounding it involving the Satomi clan.
• Ishido-ji Temple: originated 1300 years ago, and houses the Eleven Faced Goddess of Mercy Statue.[11]

• The Cave of Princess Fuse: Princess Fuse lived here with her dog Yatsufusa in the novel Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
• Takida Castle: ancient residence of the Isshiki clan, it is also the setting for the beginning of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
• Yatsufusa Park: located below Kasuga shrine, it has a statue of Yatsufusa.[11]
• Cape Taibusa is located on Tokyo Bay, and is one of "Chiba's Top 100 Sceneries." It also has a nature park with hiking trails.
• Cape Nojimazaki is famous for Nojimazaki Lighthouse, the second western-style lighthouse to be built in Japan.
• Megane Bridge is one of "Japan's Famous Bridges." It is lit up every year in December and January.
• Mount Karasuba is another of "Chiba's Top 100 Sceneries". You can see Mt. Fuji from its observation decks.
• Mount Atago is home to a JASDF radar station
• Mount Tomi is another of "Chiba's Top 100 Sceneries" and Mt. Fuji can be seen from the observation deck. It is surrounded by Mount Tomi Prefectural Park.
• Mount Takazuka
• Mount Iyogatake

The area of Wadaura in Wada is famous for whaling, and is one of two areas in Japan where whaling is permitted. As of November 7, 2012, a roadside station opened up in Wadaura in order to promote whale and other local cuisine such as namero and sanga (なめろう), and Boshu Lobster, and there are 21 restaurants in Wada that serve whale. Tomiura is famous for loquat fruits and also has a roadside station promoting the sales of products containing loquat. The area of Iwai in Tomiura is famous for abalone. Being surrounded by water on three sides, the entirety of Minamibōsō is famous for the aforementioned seafood as well as sushi and sashimi. Another famous thing in the area being flowers, edible flower dishes are well known in Minamibōsō city.[11]

As of November 7, 2012, Minamibōsō City has eight roadside stations promoting local produce and goods. It is currently tied with Takayama, Gifu for having the most roadside stations in the country.[12]　The roadside stations include:

• Tomiura Biwa Club: Located in Tomiura, it promotes products containing loquat, and has a local art gallery.
• Ootsu no Sato Flower Club: Located in Tomiura, it promotes seasonal flowers.
• Tomiraku Sato Tomiyama: Located in Tomiyama, it promotes fresh mountain and ocean produce.
• Hina no Sato: Located in Miyoshi, it promotes fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Rosemary Park: Located in Maruyama, it features a garden and buildings styled after Shakespeare's country home, and promotes seasonal flowers and herbs.[13]
• Shirahama Nojimazaki: The southernmost roadside station, it is located in Shirahama, and it is a tourist break spot that offers information about the various localities in Minamibōsō.
• Chikura Shiokaze Oukoku: Located in Chikura, it promotes local seafood sales, and contains a small art gallery.[14]
• Wadaura Wa・O!: Located in Wadaura, it is the newest roadside station in Japan, having opened on November 7, 2012. It promotes whale and other local marine cuisine, and has the Mini Whale Museum inside.[3][15]

• Boshu Uchiwa fans (房州うちわ) are a traditional style of uchiwa that came to Minamibōsō and Tateyama in the 1870s.
• Being a peninsula, fishing is very popular.
• Flowers are grown all over Minamibōsō, and there are flower parks where the flowers are in bloom year-round.
• There are many hiking paths available in the mountains around Minamibōsō.
• The Knife Ceremony held three times a year at Takabe Shrine is a historic event that has taken place since the Heian period.
• Minamibōsō has a golf course called Cosmo Classic Golf Club.
• Campers can pitch a tent on the beach at Nemoto Marine Campground.
• There are many hot spring resorts in Minamibōsō in addition to several public foot baths which are located at the Tomiura Genki Club, Shirahama Flower Park, and Miyoshi's Hina no Sato.[11]
• The beaches in Chikura are famous for having good waves for surfing[3]