HISTORY: Many kitchen middens and old tombs prove that this area with a quiet inlet and hills has been ideal for dwelling. After"the Reformation of the Taika era," Boso was divided into Kazusa, Shimousa and Awa, and Ichihara became the center of Kazusa.

During medieval times when the Kamakura Shogunate reigned, traffic between the Miura Peninsula and Boso became more important, which led to the prosperity of Ichihara as one of the footholds. During the Edo period, 　Ichihara was broken into 180 hamlets, but in 1871 when " the abolition of clans and establishment of prefectures" was enforced, Ichihara was inclu-ded into Kisarazu prefecture, and later into Chiba prefecture.

The coastal industrial complex, 　started in 1959, triggered the annexation of the city. In May 1963, five towns were annexed to the City of Ichihara.

LOCATION : Ichihara is situated within 50 km of the center of Tokyo. The city is 22 km from east to west, and about 36 km from north to south, ranging from Tokyo Bay to Boso Hill. The land area ranks top in Chiba and is one of the largest in Kanto Region.

TRAFFIC 　FACILITIES : There are three direct access routes to the center of Tokyo: the JR(Japan Railway)Uchibo Line and the road route 16,Keisei Electric Railway Chihara Line joined them making it even easier for people to commute to the Tokyo area.

POPULATION :280,178 (as of April 2006)
Male＝143,833 　Female＝136,345
NUMBER　OF　HOUSEHOLDS :109,302
AREA :368.20k平方メートル
CLIMATE : Annual average temperature／16.8℃
Annual average humidity／68％.
Annual rainfall ／1,266.5. (figures taken from 2005 statistics)

City Hall (SHIYAKUSHO) 市役所

Ichihara City Hall is located at about 10 minutes' bus ride from JR　Goi Station.Please take the bus for "Kokubunjidai ( 国分寺台)" at the west exit of Goi Station, and get off at "Shiyakusho－mae(市役所前) ". The inner or the outer route of the Kominato Bus is also available at Goi Station. City Hall is a building with ten stories above ground and two beneath ground level. Human Rights & International Exchange Division (JINKEN・KOKUSAI KORYU-KA), which is in charge of international affairs, is on the 10th floor and there there is an advisory desk for non-japanese people.

INDUSTRY : A huge industrial complex stands over-looking Tokyo Bay.
This is the center of the Keiyo industrial area . On this reclaimed land many of Japan's international companies are operating : oil refineries , petrochemical companies, electric power companies , and shipbuilders. Factories and businesses such as these are the backbone of Ichihara City's rapid development .

　Major factories (out-put)

　・3 oil refineries （633,000 barrels ）
　・2 electric power companies （5,486,000 kWs/h)
　・4 petrochemical companies （ethylene 2,012,000 ts / per year）