is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 131,852 in 63,098 households and a population density of 620 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is the site of Narita International Airport, one of the two main international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area.
Geography
Narita is located in the northern center of Chiba prefecture, about from the prefectural capital at Chiba and from the center of Tokyo. Narita International Airport is about further from the city center of Narita (the location of the city hall). Located on the Shimosa Plateau, the old town (centered on Narita-san) and the new town are in the southwestern part of the city, and Narita International Airport is in the hills in the southeast. Agricultural areas take water from the Tone River, which runs through the border between Imba-numa in the western part of the city and Ibaraki prefecture on the north. Most of the city is between above sea level.
Surrounding municipalities
Chiba Prefecture
Sakae
Inzai
Shisui
Tomisato
Shibayama
Tako
Katori
Kōzaki
Ibaraki Prefecture
Kawachi
Climate
Narita has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Narita is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Narita has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.
History
The area Narita has been inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period. Archaeologists have found stone tools dating to some 30,000 years ago on the site of Narita Airport. Numerous shell middens from the Jōmon period, and hundreds of burial tumuli from the Kofun period have been found in numerous locations around Narita. Place names in the vicinity of Narita appear in the Nara period Man'yōshū (although the name “Narita” does not appear in written records until 1408). As Narita is located roughly equidistant from the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay, around a number of small rivers, it was a natural political and commercial center for the region, and gained importance as a pilgrimage destination with the foundation of the noted Buddhist temple of Shinsho-ji in 940 AD. During the Heian period, the area was a center for the revolt of Taira Masakado. During the Edo period, the area continued to prosper as part of the tenryō within Shimōsa Province under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate.
After the Meiji Restoration, the area was organized as a town under Inba District on April 1, 1889. Portions of the town were destroyed by Allied air raids in February and May, 1945. On March 31, 1954, Narita gained city status through merger with the neighboring villages of Habu, Nakago, Kuzumi, Toyosumi, Toyama, and Kozu. Growth in the area began in earnest in 1966, when Prime Minister Eisaku Satō laid out the plan for Narita International Airport. The development of the airport and accompanying access to central Tokyo led to widespread residential, commercial and industrial development in the city. However, construction of the airport was widely opposed, and violent demonstrations occurred through the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, which delayed the opening of the airport until May 20, 1978.
On March 27, 2006, the towns of Shimofusa and Taiei (both from Katori District) were merged into Narita.
Government
Narita has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 30 members. Narita contributes two members to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Chiba 10th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Areas
Central Narita
Central Narita is roughly defined as the area between Narita Station, Keisei Narita Station and the Narita-san Temple. The main road in central Narita is , which is lined with about 150 small shops and has been extensively renovated in recent years.