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MinamibosoFrom ChibaWikiMinami Boso|南房総市|Minami Boso-shi is a new city. It's located at the southern tip of the Chiba pennisula. It was formed from seven smaller towns (well, technically six towns and one village), on March 20th, 2006. They are: Tomiyama(aka Iwai), Tomiura, Miyoshi, Maruyama, Wada, Chikura, and Shirahama. Each town's central area is about a 15-20 minute drive from the next one and each of the smaller towns has it's own JET, who all report to the same Board of Education (BOE), located in Maruyama Town. Additionally, the city has one CIR. Due to it's origins as a patchwork of towns, Minamiboso does not have a city center, but the town hall is located in Tomiura. The nearest places to go for a "city" experience are Tateyama city in the west, and Kamogawa city in the north-east. Additionally, a trip to Tokyo is perfectly possible over the weekend. Minami-Boso is a very wide open area with beautiful beaches and coastlines. Chikura and Wada have local surf spots that are rather popular. While the beaches in Shirahama, Tomiura and Tomiyama are less frequented. The city has many rice fields as well as produces many other natural products, such as: loquats, flowers, and strawberries. Each area is famous for different products: Tomiura has the biwa fruit (or loquat in English), Wada has its whales, Maruyama has windmills(?), Chikura has beaches (or one long beach and lots of surfers), Miyoshi has dairy farming (?), and Shirahama has a few parks and resort hotels and lots of flowers, and Tomiyama has sites connected with the Nanso Satomi Hakkenden. Each town, except Miyoshi, take up a part of the shoreline, which allows for loads of local fishermen to keep the towns freshly stocked with wonderful seafood. Being surrounded by ocean and being far enough away from the harbors of Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba, the fishermen of Minami-Boso are able to catch many fresh fish and mollusks, and these are often featured in the cooking of many local restaurants. In addition, there are many cultural activities and classes that are offered through each town. There is lots to offer, you just have to go looking. Most of the stuff is traditional arts and crafts kind of stuff but it is there for the taking. One of the local ALTs has even learned to play the shamisen. The classes are not fixed but if you inquire at your local community center, they will be able to inform you about the available classes.
TransportationGetting inTo/from the airportGetting to Minami Boso from Narita is very convenient.
By trainThe major train station for Minami Boso is Tateyama station. While located in Tateyama rather than Minami Boso, it is the largest station in the area and the closest to the Minami Boso ALT placed in Miyoshi and Shirahama. Tateyama is two hours and 1500 yen away from Chiba. The other towns pretty much have their own stations, with Maruyama and Wada sharing a station. But be warned- if you live to the east of Tateyama station, trains only come once an hour.
By busThere are town buses that go all over the place, but most importantly there are buses that pick up folks from a few places around town (Highway Oasis Furari, Tomiura Biwa Kurabu, Chikura Shisho-mae, etc.) before continuing straight on to Tokyo or Yokohama for 2000-2500 yen, which are faster and sometimes cheaper than the train. However, be careful!! The buses can get caught in rush-hour traffic when entering Tokyo which makes them take up to an hour longer to arrive at the destination. During those times, the trains are often more convenient. e.g. see: http://www.kakuyasubus.jp/kanto_koshinetsu/nanohana/ http://www.keikyu-bus.co.jp/keikyu-bus/airport/08_05.html By carThe best way to get to the airport by car is via the new tollroad. The tollroad runs from Tomiura directly to Narita Airport. Once you get on the tollroad, it's about an hour and a half drive to the airport. The cost is 3000 yen both ways. Getting aroundA car is pretty much essential in Minami Boso. Things are very spread out. I've heard ALTs survived with just a bike in the past, but things would be difficult. The trains stop running around 9:00 and very little is within walking distance. In the heat and rainy months, a car is a lifesaver.
WorkingJET placementsHere is a break down of the seven towns (six towns and one village) that form Minamiboso, with an emphasis on JET related information: 1. Tomiyama Town- Tomiyama is in the north west of Minami Boso. It's the closest to Tokyo. Currently the Tomiyama ALT has one Junior High school and no Elementary schools. 2. Tomuira Town - Tomiura Town is just to the south of Tomiyama. Currently the Tomiura ALT has one Junior High school and two elementary schools. However, in 2010, the two elementary schools will merge into one. 3. Miyoshi Town- Miyoshi town is to the east of Tomiura and Tomiyama. While Tomiura and Tomiyama border Tokyo bay, Miyoshi is land locked. Currently the Miyoshi ALT has one Junior High School and two elementary schools and also teaches at a local kindergarden. 4. Maruyama village - Maruyama is to the east of Miyoshi. Maruyama has a brand new Junior High school with extra funding. Currently the Maruyama ALT has one Junior High school and two elementary schools. Maruyama town is also home to Shkespeare Rosemary park, a park that recreates scenes from Shakespeare's past. Despite the presence of the park, the towns residents do not seem to be any more knowledgeable than the average Japanese person about Shakespeare or the history of English drama. The Maruyama ALT also gets to live in one of the two story ALT houses in Minami Boso. 5. Wada Town - Wada town is the eastern most town in Minami Boso, bordering the Pacific Ocean. It is known for whale hunting and whale meat is readily available in Wada and the surrounding towns. Currently, the Wada ALT has one Junior High school. The elementary schools in Wada are test schools in intensive English education, and as such have an offical English curriculum currently not taught by the ALT. 6. Chikura Town - Chikura is to the south of Wada and Maruyama, also boarding the pacific. Chikura is known for surfing. Currently the Chikura ALT has one Junior High School and four elementary schools. 7. Shirahama Town - Shirahama is at the very tip of the peninsula, actually south of Tateyama. The Shirahama ALT currently has one Junior High school and two elementary schools. They are in the process of building a new Junior High school in Shirahama. The Shirahama ALT gets the second two story Minami Boso house. It's actually a bit bigger than the Maruyama house.
Incoming/Outgoing JETsAs of now, the Wada, Chikura and Maruyama slots are up for grabs next year. Shirahama will have a third year ALT and Tomiura, Tomiyama and Miyoshi will have second year ALTs. Foreign communityThere's some foreigners around. But no big organizations. The neighboring city of Tateyama no longer uses the JET program for ALTs. Now, Tateyama employs ALTs from private companies and there is one Wisconsin ALT that works at a Tateyama high school. There's also a couple ALTs from years past who have "gone local". SightseeingPlaces to visitShirahama beach, lighthouse, etc. Rosemary Park - weird faux-european, Shakespeare-themed park: http://www.rosemary-park.jp/index.html Nanbo Paradise/Shirahama Flower Park - Odd collection of tropical plants and flowers (Nanbo Paradise) and mini-golf/dog-run/pottery studio/dragonfruit greenhouse facilities. Various museums - http://www.mboso-etoko.jp/navi/e/c03.asp Mantokuji reclining buddha - large metal buddha lying on its side in final repose at Mantokuji Temple. This is the LARGEST lying-down buddha statue in all of Japan. Shirayama Park/ Tateyama Castle - Technically located within Tateyama, this park and castle lie on a hill that overlooks Tateyama and Minami-Boso. The castle is small and white and is usually lit up at night. It is a wonderful place to view sakura(cherry blossoms) in the spring time. Taibusamisaki Nature Park - Located on the point that makes up the southern edge of the bay the the west of Tomiura, this park is a vast area of nature and beauty. There are two campsites within the park, as well as an area for sports, two lookout points, a deep cave near the ocean, and remnants of bunkers used during WWII. The campsite costs 610 yen for a 4-5 person tent and 1220 yen for a 6-10 person tent. The park is frequented by locals walking their dogs, jogging, having picnics or camping. It is a rare bit of undeveloped coastline that is sure to impress all nature lovers. Various sites associated with the Nanso Satomi Hakkenden ("Legend of the Eight Dog Warriors") FestivalsShinto Cooking Knife/Fish Cutting Ceremony at Takabe Shrine on October 17th and November 23rd - ancient shinto ceremony where a shrine priests cuts up a fish without touching it with his hands. Kinda cool if you are in the area and like shinto stuff. ShoppingSupermarketsOdoya - There are many Odoyas spread throughout Minami-Boso. You cannot go too far without finding one. They are usually on the Kokudo roads and are distinguishable by their green facade and large white lettering. Local Odoyas: In Tomiyama on highway 127; Mini-Odoya in Tomiura on highway 127 near the station; In Chikura on route near the main surfing beach; A Super-Odoya in Tateyama where routes 128 and 410 meet; In Tateyama, near Miyoshi on the Tateyama by-pass road heading south. Odoyas tend to carry the standard Japanese food and have a fairly good selection of seasonal vegetables and fruits. The Super-Odoya has the best selection out of all of them. Owariya Foods - A large chain grocery store located in Tateyama on the Tateyama by-pass. Carries a larger variety of foreign food compared to Odoya but still has a small selection beyond the standard Japanese food. Has a fairly big selection of wines compared to other supermarkets in the area. Conveniently located next to a pharmacy, a 100-yen store, and a clothing shop. Across the street from Uniqlo and kitty-corner from Cainz home.
Department storesLOC City - Located within Tateyama is the closest thing to a department store in the vicinity of Minami-Boso. Within LOC city there is a Tsutaya(book, magazine, cd, movie rental, and stationary), a Yamada Denki(electronics), a Daiso(100 yen store), numerous clothing and shoe stores, a food court(ramen, udon, okonomiyaki, McDonalds, Baskin&Robbins 31 flavors, Mr. Donut, and Korean food), and a Jusco. Jusco is the closest thing to a department store, they sell a little bit of everything, however about 1/3 of the store is devoted to being a supermarket. They sell a wide range of clothes, mainly aimed toward Japanese wives and children. Bedding, sewing accessories, and toiletries are also sold here. Home & Garden storesBook shopsOthersEatingForeign foodThere's a great pizza shop called "Indy's Pizza" in Chikura. The owner used to sell pizza's from a van before opening up his permanent location. He says he studied the art of pizza making in Italy, and the place feels like a restaurant you'd life off highway 5 driving between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
DrinkingLivingBanksPost officesMedical facilitiesLibrariesHair dressersSports facilitiesTravel agentsMapExternal links
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