10 Most Popular Food & Dining Areas in Chiba
A Guide to Chiba’s Restaurant-Lined Streets and Local Foodie Areas
The prefecture of Chiba, on Japan’s scenic Honshū island, is home to one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports. It’s also famed for its regional cuisine that’s served in temple-style restaurants and no-frills cafes. Foodies flock here for the freshly-caught seafood (conger eel, clams, pufferfish) and agricultural bounty (peanuts, pears, sweet potatoes, strawberries).
Stroll Chiba’s atmospheric streets for local delicacies like Namerō (minced fish with miso), Kujukuri (sesame sardines), and spicy Katsuura Tantanmen ramen. The region’s villages and cities teem with eateries that suit all kinds of budgets, from Maihama and Kisarazu to Kamogawa and Funabashi.
What are the most popular food and dining areas in Chiba?
1. Choshi Fishing Port
Witness the large tuna auction
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Choshi Fishing Port, which boasts one of the largest hauls in Japan, is a great place to try blueback seafood like tuna, bonito, mackerel, sardine, and Japanese saury. If you want to check out a large tuna auction, head to the first auction hall at Choshi Fishing Port between 8 am and 11.30 am.
You can visit the fishing port to watch the auction early in the morning, then buy some fresh tuna to cook and eat. Dishes using fresh seafood can be sampled at Wosse 21 and Choshi Port Tower (they’re both located in front of Choshi Fishing Port). The popular seafood rice bowl (kaisen-don) is not to be missed!
Location: Kawaguchicho, Choshi, Chiba 288-0001, Japan
Open: Wosse 21 & Choshi Port Tower: Daily from 8.30 am to 5 pm
Choshi Fishing Port
2. Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
For eel-based dishes and soba noodles
Good for: Couples, Food, Unusual
As you approach Naritasan Shinshoji Temple from Narita Station, you’ll find it’s reminiscent of an atmospheric temple town that has flourished since the Edo period. The specialty here is eel-based dishes because eels caught in Lake Inba used to be grilled and offered to temple visitors.
You’ll also find plenty of shops selling tantalizing desserts such as kudzu starch cake (kuzumochi), Japanese pancakes filled with red bean paste (obanyaki), ice cream with agar jelly and fruits (cream anmitsu), and sweet rice dumplings (dango). There are plenty of non-eel restaurants too including Japanese eateries that serve aged Wagyu beef and soba noodles, and a small selection of global joints dishing up authentic French and Brazilian meals.
Location: Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, 1 Narita, Chiba 286-0023, Japan
Open: Daily from 8 am to 4 pm
Phone: +81 (0)476-22-2111
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
3. Tateyama
For freshly-caught seafood
Good for: Adventure, Food, Unusual
Tateyama, a city by the sea at the tip of the Boso Peninsula, is a great place to visit if you want to enjoy fresh seafood. Tateyama’s broiled seafood rice bowl is a local specialty that uses eight kinds of seafood. It’s a unique dish that comes in a triple-layered bowl, with each bowl containing broiled seafood, sashimi, and colorful chirashi sprinkled with fish bits. It’s available throughout the year.
The Tateyama lobster steak set meal, which includes lobster steak, rice soup, sashimi, and other delectable dishes is available only from August to November, but it’s well worth ordering if you happen to be there during those months. It’s better to make a reservation in advance because both dishes are limited in quantity. You can also enjoy other local seafood dishes like minced fish with soybean paste (namero) and grilled fish cakes (sangayaki).
Location: Tateyama, Chiba, Japan
Tateyama
4. Funabashi
Explore the Izakayas
Good for: Couples, Food, Nightlife, Shoppers
Funabashi Station is one of the busiest areas in Chiba, being a transfer point for the JR Line and Tobu Noda Line and having Keisei-Funabashi Station nearby. There’s also a Lalaport TOKYO-BAY and IKEA Tokyo-Bay in the Minami Funabashi area, so it’s handy place for shopping as well.
Funabashi is an unpretentious city where you can enjoy a variety of foods including Japanese-style bars (izakaya), eateries serving skewered chicken, coffee shops, sushi restaurants, and other reasonably priced haunts. It’s a great place to have a good time with friends. Plus, there are stylish gastro pubs and Italian restaurants which are ideal for date nights. In summer, beer gardens and terraces open up to the public.
Location: Funabashi, Chiba, Japan
Funabashi
5. Maihama
Resort that’s home to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Maihama, home to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, is a resort that caters to all kinds of travelers. The huge IKSPIARI shopping mall in Disney Resort is a must-visit. There’s also a wide variety of restaurants there, from casual ramen joints and hamburger restaurants to more upmarket options that are ideal for dates, including classy cafés and steakhouses.
On top of that, you’ll find many hotels that have partnered with Disney Resort like Hilton Tokyo Bay and Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. Each offers a variety of attractive hotel amenities such as poolside barbeques and extravagant buffets.
Location: 26-5 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba 279-0031, Japan
Maihama
6. Kaihin Makuhari
For a dramatic change of scenery
Good for: Food, Nightlife, Shoppers
The cityscape of Kaihin Makuhari with Makuhari Messe and its dynamic architecture is so radical, it can feel as though you’re visiting another country. If you’re at a loose end, there are a number of huge shopping malls to visit.
Lunch options here include pizza restaurants, as well as coffee shops attached to bakeries. Hotel restaurants are also open at dinner time if you want to switch things up. In Makuhari, where international conferences are held frequently, you’ll find various luxury bistros for special occasions. It’s a great spot for memorable meals and panoramic sunset views.
Location: Hibino, Mihama Ward, Chiba, 261-0021, Japan
Kaihin Makuhari
7. Area around Chiba Station
Launch point with plenty of food joints
Good for: Food, Nightlife, Shoppers
Chiba Station offers convenient access to different areas of the city and prefecture. It’s also a base for sightseeing and business trips. There are many budget hotels situated around Chiba Station. It’s an unpretentious area where you’ll find an abundance of family-friendly restaurants, Japanese bars (izakaya), and fast-food eateries.
Make sure you drop by Perie Chiba, a shopping mall directly connected to JR Chiba Station. It boasts a wide selection of food vendors and coffee shops that serve rice in tea (ochazuke), dumplings (gyoza), and dipping noodles (tsukemen). There are plenty of dining areas inside the station too where you can dig into a reasonably priced breakfast or hit up a stylish late night bar.
Location: Chuo Ward, Chiba, Japan
Area around Chiba Station
8. Kisarazu
From food courts to sushi restaurants
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
The opening of the Aqua-Line has made Kisarazu much easier to get to from the Tokyo area. You can head toward Kisarazu Kaneda Highway Exit by car or venture to Kisarazu Station on the JR Uchibo Line train. You’ll come to Mitsu Outlet Park Kisarazu just after leaving the Kaneda Highway Exit.
Here, you’ll find food court vendors that serve quick and tasty meals (ramen, conveyor belt sushi, hamburgers, and pasta). You can also enjoy fresh seafood dishes at a variety of restaurants and clink drinks in Japanese-style bars (izakaya) around Kisarazu Station. Make sure you try the local fish dishes such as sashimi and minced fish with soybean paste (namero).
Location: Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan
Kisarazu
9. Kamogawa
For the freshest catch of the day
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
If you visit the city of Kamogawa in Minamiboso, try the fresh fish that lands daily in the ports. Close to Awa-Kamogawa Station and Awa-Kominato Station, you’ll find plenty of restaurants serving mouthwatering dishes like sushi, seafood rice bowls (kaisen-don), Japanese set meals, and Japanese traditional multi-course meals (kaiseki). In fact, there are so many, it can be difficult to choose from.
Shiosai Market is an especially popular sightseeing spot. Here you can enjoy local dishes in the form of conveyor belt sushi, charcoal-grilled seafood, and fish cakes (sangayaki), which is a local fishermen’s dish from Boso. You can also buy Kamogawa souvenirs like fresh seafood and sun-dried fish to enjoy at home. The market is conveniently located along Kamogawa Bypass if you’re visiting by car, or it’s a 7-minute walk from Awa-Kamogawa Station.
Location: Kamogawa, Chiba, Japan
Kamogawa
10. Sawara
Enjoy a variety of traditional foods
Good for: Food, History, Unusual
Sawara, a city in Chiba’s Katori district, is about a 10-minute walk from JR Sawara Station. In the Edo period it flourished as a beautiful riverside town called Edo-Masari, meaning ‘better than Edo’. There are countless long-running restaurants here that recall those bygone days. Sawara’s specialty is wild eel caught in the Tone River.
The eel one can enjoy in atmospheric Little Edo is truly exceptional. It’s also fun to find traditional foods that are made with a lot of effort like black soba noodles kneaded with seaweed, preserved edibles boiled in sweetened soy sauce (tsukudani), sesame oil made with the traditional compression method, and Japanese confectionery using carefully selected ingredients.
Location: Sawara, Katori, Chiba, Japan
Sawara
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