More affordable and less hectic than central Tokyo, the commuter belt area of Chiba makes a great base on the edge of the Japanese capital, finds Ronan Abayawickrema. Further exploration, though, reveals a prefecture that makes a fascinating destination in itself...

Ask a travel-savvy friend to name their top three must-see destinations in Japan, and it’s a fairly safe bet that Chiba won’t make the list. But this often-overlooked prefecture – it has just two entries in “The Rough Guide to Japan”– to the east of Tokyo makes an ideal, more wallet-friendly alternative to the Japanese capital as a base for backpackers, and has a number of attractions off the main tourist track.

Long-time Chiba resident Alex De Vile feels the area gets something of a raw deal: “I think the problem with so many guide books is they have to deliver the idea of a conspicuous spectacle or event to the readers – with Tokyo Disneyland [actually in Chiba] being a case in point. If it can’t be snapped in a picture or explained to relatives back at home in a cosy soundbite, it’s a harder sell.”

The beauty of choosing Chiba as a base for exploring the Tokyo area is that you won’t have to make involved plans for getting there, as you’ll most likely arrive in Japan at Narita International Airport, in the north of the prefecture.

I’d recommend basing yourself in the Matsudo/Kashiwa area, which is more easily accessible to central Tokyo, but it’s worth considering an overnight stay in the Narita area, either at the start or end of your trip, to allow a half-day to take in the vast temple complex of Naritasan Shinsho-jo. Attracting over 10 million visitors a year, it’s on a much grander scale than the necessarily more compact temple complexes in Tokyo itself, and the Hindu-influenced statues of many-armed deities inside the 18th-century pagoda are a rarity in Japanese Buddhist temples and worth the visit alone.

From Narita Airport it’s about 90 minutes by train to Matsudo, which is only half an hour from Ueno station, a well-known hub in central Tokyo. Neighbouring city Kashiwa is slightly further from the capital, 10 minutes from Matsudo on a direct train line, yet either would make an ideal base on the edge of Tokyo.

What’s more, Kashiwa and Matsudo offer a more manageable introduction to Japan than the often frenetic capital. Although both are sizeable cities by Irish standards – the larger Matsudo has a population of around 480,000 – they are much less daunting than Tokyo’s packed Shinjuku or Shibuya commercial areas and anything worth seeing in either city tends to be clustered around the train station.

Both offer good, one-stop shopping areas, particularly Kashiwa, which is known locally as ‘little Shibuya’ and boasts a similar upscale feel, albeit on a much smaller scale. Branches of upmarket department stores Takashimaya and Sogo both offer suprisingly affordable gift shops for presents to take home.

Cost of living

The cost of living in commuter suburbs such as these is noticeably cheaper than in central Tokyo. Both cities are bristling with cheap restaurants – some with fixed-price Nomi Tabe all-you-can eat deals –and lively, inexpensive bars, with the warren of streets west of Matsudo station a particularly fruitful place for a bar crawl.

The Cavern pub, about 10 minutes from Kashiwa station close to Kashiwa Shrine, is also worth an honourable mention. There’s a cover charge on the first drink, but the pub’s lovingly detailed kitsch interior and the song request forms on each table (as the name suggests, the playlist is Fab Four and solo releases only, though they do also have the Traveling Wilburys for a bit of a change) make it worth your while. The affable DJ even speaks some English, though be warned – much of his vocabulary is Beatles-related.

One of the advantages of a night out in either city is that you’re much more likely to meet local revellers than in Tokyo’s ritzier nightlife districts.

Gaijin (‘foreign devils’, a term cheerfully worn as a badge of honour by many expats) are much less common in these commuter cities than in the capital and thus a definite source of interest on a night out. You’ll get numerous polite requests from locals keen to practice their English (“Please allow me to introduce myself” seems to be a popular ice-breaker) and acceptance can often result in a monumental all-night bender.

One particularly memorable night involved a friend of mine challenging all-comers to an arm-wrestling match – a dubious decision given that we had been invited to join the table of a local arm-wrestling club. (He lost, several times, but was graciously toasted, several times, as a “worthy opponent”.)

Once you’ve slept off the night before, one place you should certainly visit is Hondo-ji temple, in the appealing small town of Kita Kogane, 10 minutes from Matsudo by train. Take the north exit from the train station, walk for about 10 minutes and you’ll approach the temple on a pleasant, tree-lined boulevard with old-fashioned noodle shops, and a good-value restaurant serving tempura and hearty bowls of curry udon.

You enter the temple underneath a huge wooden gate flanked by a pair of ferocious Deva king statues, guardian deities who traditionally stand watch at Buddhist temple gates. Pay your ¥500 entrance fee, and look immediately to your left to take in the breathtaking sight of the 700-year-old temple’s five-storey pagoda framed by the lush surrounding gardens.

The equal of any of the better-known temples in Tokyo and Kyoto, Hondo-ji is picturesque at any time of year, but particularly beautiful when its hundreds of purple, pink and aquamarine hydrangea plants come into bloom around the end of June or start of July. This is a popular time with domestic tourists, though – as is Cherry blossom season in spring, and autumn, when the leaves turn russet.

However, if you come at any other time of year, you may well have the complex almost to yourself. As well as just drinking in your surroundings, you should look for the grave of the wife of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the formidable warlord who became Japan’s first Shogun and de facto ruler in 1600. The Tokugawa clan had connections to Chiba, and you can also visit the estate of Tokugawa Akitake, a descendant of Ieyasu and brother of the last Shogun, at Tojo Historical Park near Matsudo.

Before you leave Hondo-ji, walk around the graveyard next to the pagoda. It’s a slightly eerie forest of steles, thin Japanese tomb markers made of slate, and you can see where relatives have left glasses of sake, or other favourite tipples, as offerings for their loved ones. Most affecting, though, are the toys or teddy bears denoting children’s graves.

Also close to Matsudo is the 21st Century Park in Yabashira, which can provide a much-needed green respite from the largely built-up Matsudo/Kashiwa area. The park has been cleverly landscaped, and although it’s not that large, at around 5 hectares, you really do feel as if you’ve left the urban sprawl behind, particularly in the section designed to resemble a farming village.

However, the illusion is shattered when “Moon River” is piped over tannoy speakers attached to the trees to warn that the park is closing soon. It’s particularly worth visiting in summer when the park stays open late to allow visitors to watch the fireflies flitting around in the dark, or in spring to stroll along the lengthy Sakura dori, or cherry blossom avenue, where you can enjoy the blooms without the heaving crowds typical of the better-known hanami (flower viewing) festivals in Tokyo parks such as Ueno or Yoyogi.

Although there is plenty to see in Chiba, you’ll definitely want to make a few day trips into Tokyo. Japan’s intriguing capital is really several cities in one, and any suggested itineries are merely going to skim the surface of all there is to see.

Day trip

Nevertheless, if I was going to make a day trip from Matsudo, my first choice would be Shinjuku, a journey of about an hour by train. This is the Tokyo of neon and skyscrapers, and the area’s narrow streets are teeming with shops, restaurants and bars, as well as a mind-boggling throng of people. You just can’t help but be excited by the sheer energy of it all.

One of the best views of the area – and the only free one – is from the 45th floor of the Toyko Metropolitan Government Building in Nishi-Shinjuku (West Shinjuku), with the night-time view of the neon panorama the most impressive.

Another rewarding daytrip option is the famous temple complex at Asakusa, which is a tourist favourite but none the less beguiling for it.

Less well known, however, is the 1930s Asakusa Kannon Onsen bathhouse next to the 7th century Sensoji Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Tokyo. With its original wood-panelled changing rooms and art deco murals, this onsen, or Japanese hot spring bath, oozes character, and is just the place you feel Hercule Poirot would have visited, if Agatha Christie had ever got around to writing “Murder in Tokyo.”

Many tourists are wary of onsen, fearing they might breach Japanese bathing etiquette, but a visit to one is actually pretty straightforward as long as you’re aware of two basic rules.

At Kannon, you pay your entry fee (around ¥700) and collect a towel, what appears to be a napkin, bathroom slippers and a small bar of soap.

The first golden rule of onsen etiquette is that you wash before bathing, in the adjoining washroom, filling the bucket provided with water from the wall taps and pouring it over yourself. You never wash in the bath itself, which is just for soaking in.

The second rule is that bathing costumes are a no-no – there are separate male and female baths – though you can use your ‘modesty towel’ (the napkin – it’s not that modest) if you’re feeling coy. It might sound like a right old palaver, but once you’re submerged up to your neck in the piping hot spring water, which has various health-giving properties, watching the light from the windows play on the dolphin mural, you’ll definitely feel it’s worth it.

These are just a smattering of the things to do if you decide to base yourself in the Matsudo/Kashiwa area, but perhaps Chiba’s greatest selling point is that it isn’t as geared toward foreign tourists as nearby Tokyo. For this very reason, you’re more likely to see more of everyday Japanese life here than if you opt to stay in the capital.

And as Chiba-based expatriate De Vile notes, there is plenty more to see in Japan than just the well-known tourist spots.

“The first time my mother visited I dutifully took her to Kyoto to do the temple run, which she mildly enjoyed. When she came again, she said that perhaps we didn’t need to see so many temples as before. When I asked what she would like to do, she told me she would love to see a supermarket. We took her to Jusco [department store] and to some older-style fish mongers and butchers and she was absolutely entranced. It’s often the small details of life here that are the most fascinating.”

- Ronan Abayawickrema.