Urayasu (浦安) is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Urayasu is located on the coast of Tokyo Bay, and right across the Edo River from Tokyo. Due to its proximity to the bay and river, Urayasu started out as a fishing village. Nowadays, Urayasu is a rather popular place (population 164,423 in June 2010) because it is so close to Tokyo. It only takes a few minutes to cross the river into Tokyo and Tokyo Station is only about 20 minutes from Shin-Urayasu Station by express train on JR Keiyo Line.
Urayasu is said to have five areas: the Moto-Machi area, the Naka-Machi area, the Shin-Machi area, the Industrial Zone, and the Urban Resort Zone.
Moto-Machi
The area known as Moto-Machi is the original part of the city. Generally speaking, it includes the area around Urayasu Station on the Tozai subway line.
In 1889 the areas called Horie, Nekozane and Todaijima merged to form the village of Urayasu. This original section is called the Moto-Machi area. It is a great place to explore. Urayasu started out as a fishing village and some aspects of those days can still be seen in the Moto-Machi area. There are a few small temples and shrines, traditional houses and shops, narrow, winding roads, and even a fish market that is open to the public.
For more info on the Moto-Machi area, please check out the "Places of Interest" section. If you are in Urayasu, the Urayasu Folk Museum also is a good place to learn about the Moto-Machi area.
Naka-Machi
The Naka-Machi area includes land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay starting in the mid 1960's. Naka-Machi includes the area around the City Hall and the Central Public Library, and extends past the Bay Shore Route Expressway (首都高速道路湾岸線) all the way to the Shin-Urayasu Station on the Keiyo Line, near the Shopper's Plaza and Mona shopping complexes and surrounding hotels (Urayasu Brighton Hotel and Oriental Hotel Tokyo Bay). The Urayasu Central Post Office and Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital are also in the Naka-Machi area.
Shin-Machi
The Shin-Machi area includes land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the second major land reclamation project starting around 1972. The Shin-Machi area starts around the Shin-Urayasu Station on the Keiyo Line and extends all the way to the coast of Tokyo Bay. This area is referred to as Shin Urayasu.
The Shin-Urayasu (Shinurayasu 新浦安) area includes lots of new condos, a few shopping areas, two universities (Meikai University and Ryotokuji University), a few hotels, and a nice bay-side park. The Shin-Machi area also borders the Sanbanze tidal flats, a very important ecological area. Movements are underway to preserve the area and volunteers are sought for coastal clean-up events and other activities.
The Shin-Urayasu area is rather well
planned and not at all cluttered like a lot of areas in Japan.
Shin-Urayasu also seems to recognize the importance of having
"greenery" - there are lots of trees, and flowers and parks. Some
areas, especially around the main boulevard (Symbol Road シンボルロード), look a little like California. And of course Shin-Urayasu borders Tokyo Bay
so there is usually a nice breeze from the Bay. On some days, you can
actually smell the salt water.
According to some housing studies, Shin-Urayasu is said to be one of
the most sort after places to live in the Kanto region of Japan. New condos
are continually being built in Shin-Urayasu. What was empty land a few
years ago is now undergoing a ton of development.
Shin-Urayasu has gotten so popular that the TV show "Admatic Tengoku"
(アド街ック天国) had a special about Shin-Urayasu in 2006. The show introduced
the top 30 spots around town. It was kind of fun to see Shin-Urayasu on
tv and I have to admit I learned a bit about the area too.
Following are links to a few short videos on YouTube showing scenes around Urayasu:
Industrial Zone
The Industrial Zone includes the area between the Keiyo Line and the coast that includes various industrial complexes, the Urayasu Clean Center (waste management center) and the Urayasu Marina.
The Industrial Zone and the Urban Resort Zone were planned to boost the economy of Urayasu as the fishing industry dwindled around the 1960s. To be honest, the industrial complexes are a bit of an eyesore, but the industries in the area contribute to the economy of Urayasu -- however nowhere near as much as the urban resort zone noted below.
Urban Resort Zone
The Urban Resort Zone includes the "Tokyo Disney Resort", surrounding hotels and shopping areas. Although referred to as the "Tokyo Disney Resort", the resort actually is not located in Tokyo proper. The Tokyo Disney Resort includes Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, the newly opened Cirque du Soleil and the Ikspiari Shopping Center. The Disney Resort Line Monorail links the parks and hotels with Maihama Station on the Keiyo Line.
The Urayasu City Central Sports Complex is also located in this area.
Please click on one of the items below for more information:
