is one of the six wards of the city of Chiba in

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. As of April 2012, the ward had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 151,593 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 1,800 persons per km². The total area was 84.21 km², making it the largest of the six wards of Chiba city.

Geography

Wakaba Ward is located in an inland area of southeastern Chiba city.

Surrounding municipalities

* Inage Ward * Chūō Ward * Midori Ward * Tōgane, Chiba *

Yachiyo, Chiba file:京成バラ園.jpg, 270px, Keisei Rose Gardens is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 205,748 in 96,903 households and a population density of 4000 persons per km2. The tota ...

Sakura, Chiba is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km2 (4300 per sq. mi.). The total area of the city is . Geography ...

* Yotsukaidō, Chiba

History

After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the area of present-day Wakaba Ward was divided on April 1, 1889 into the villages of Tsuga, Miyako, Chishiro, Shirai and Sarashina within Chiba District. On February 11, 1935, Tsuga and Miyako villages were annexed by the neighboring city of Chiba, followed by Chishiro village on February 11, 1944. On March 31, 1955, Shirai and Sarashina merged to form the new town of Izumi, which was subsequently annexed by the city of Chiba on April 10, 1963. With the promotion of Chiba to a designated city with additional autonomy from Chiba prefecture and the central government on April 1, 1992, Wakaba Ward was created as an administrative unit.

Economy

Wakaba Ward is largely a regional commercial center and

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for central Chiba and Tokyo.

Transportation

Railroads

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

– Sōbu Line ** *

Chiba Urban Monorail The is a two-line suspended monorail system located in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by , a third-sector company established on March 20, 1979. Investors include the city of Chiba. The first segment (Line 2 fr ...

– Line 2 ** Dōbutsukōen Mitsuwadai

Tsuga ''Tsuga'' (, from Japanese (), the name of '' Tsuga sieboldii'') is a genus of conifers in the subfamily Abietoideae of Pinaceae, the pine family. The English-language common name "hemlock" arose from a perceived similarity in the smell of it ...

Sakuragi Oguradai Chishirodai-Kita Chishirodai

Highways

* Chiba-Tōgane Road * Keiyō Road *

Japan National Route 16 is a national highway in Japan. A beltway around Tokyo, it links the major prefectural capital cities of Yokohama (in Kanagawa Prefecture), Saitama (in Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, pref ...

* Japan National Route 126 *

Japan National Route 51 thumb National Route 51 is a national highway of Japan connecting Chūō-ku, Chiba and Mito, Ibaraki is the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 268,036 in 12 ...

Education

Tokyo University of Information Sciences is a private university in Wakaba Ward of the city of Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The university was established in 1988 by the School corporation Tokyo University of Agriculture The , abbreviated as Nodai (農大, ''nōdai'') or Tokyo ...

* Uekusa University * Uekusa Gakuen Junior College Municipal elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Chiba City Board of Education ( 千葉市教育委員会). Municipal junior high schools: * Chishirodaiminami ( 千城台南中学校) * Chishirodainishi (千城台西中学校) * Kaizuka (貝塚中学校) * Kasori ( 加曽利中学校) * Mitsuwadai (みつわ台中学校) * Omiya (大宮中学校) * Sanno ( 山王中学校) * Sarashina (更科中学校) * Shirai (白井中学校) * Wakamatsu ( 若松中学校) Municipal elementary schools: * Chishiro ( 千城小学校) * Chishirodai Higashi (千城台東小学校) * Chishirodai Mirai (千城台みらい小学校) * Chishirodai Wakaba ( 千城台わかば小学校) * Kita Kaizuka (北貝塚小学校) * Minamoto (源小学校) * Mitsuwadai Kita (みつわ台北小学校) * Mitsuwadai Minami (みつわ台南小学校) * Ogura (小倉小学校) * Omiya (大宮小学校) * Sakazuki (坂月小学校) * Sakuragi (桜木小学校) * Sarashima (更科小学校) * Shirai (白井小学校) * Tsuganodai (都賀の台小学校) * Wakamatsu ( 若松小学校) * Wakamatsudai (若松台小学校) Former elementary schools: * Chishirodai Asahi (千城台旭小学校) * Chishirodai Kita (千城台北小学校) * Chishirodai Minami (千城台南小学校) * Chishirodai Nishi (千城台西小学校) * Omiyadai (大宮台小学校)

Noted people from Wakaba Ward

Kazuhisa Ishii Kazuhisa Ishii (石井一久 ''Ishii Kazuhisa'') (born September 9, 1973) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher and manager and general manager. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yakult Swallows and Saitama Se ...

– professional baseball player *

Shugo Oshinari is a Japanese actor. Career Oshinari co-starred in Shunji Iwai's '' All About Lily Chou-Chou'' with Hayato Ichihara. He also appeared in films such as Kenta Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale II: Requiem'' and Takahisa Zeze's '' Heaven's Story''. ...

– actor * Tatsuya Morita – professional soccer player *

Naoto Kamifukumoto is a Japanese footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club Shonan Bellmare. Career After four years at Juntendo University, Kamifukumoto first became a Special Designated Player, then a regular for Oita Trinita in 2012. He was first ...

– professional soccer player

References

Greater Tokyo Area Wards of Chiba (city) {{Chiba-geo-stub