Hanging out on the world's longest suspended monorail in Chiba city
Near Shiyakushomae Station
A monorail glides past Chiba City Hall. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)
There are two basic kinds of monorail systems. In the "straddle" type, a train rides on top of a large beam that serves as its track. In the "suspended" type, the train hangs below the track.
If you've ever caught a monorail at Haneda Airport, Naha Airport or Tokyo Disney Resort, you're familiar with the straddle type. If you'd like to try the suspended type, you should head for Chiba city, home of the Guinness-certified longest suspended monorail system in the world.
The Chiba Urban Monorail began operating in 1988 in the largely residential north-central part of the city, between Sports Center Station and Chishirodai Station. By 1999, the system had been extended to its current world-record length of 15.2 kilometers, carrying passengers right to the shore of Tokyo Bay at Chibaminato Station.
Near Dobutsukoen Station: Chiba Zoological Park
Red pandas are the most celebrated residents of this zoo, but the most exciting creature to watch (and listen to) is probably the siamang, a long-armed Southeast Asian gibbon that can swing from and run along elevated climbing rails with astonishing speed and grace. Inflating its bright red throat sac, it hoots loudly enough to be heard at the monorail stop outside the zoo. For more sedate entertainment, watch a roly-poly capypara munch on cabbage at feeding time. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)
There are actually two lines -- called Line 1 and Line 2 -- both of which run from Chibaminato to Shiyakushomae Station, which serves Chiba City Hall, and then to Chiba Station, where there are connections to the JR and Keisei lines (and also an eye-catching koban police station built to resemble a giant owl). After that, Line 1 heads south to Kenchomae Station, which serves the Chiba prefectural government building, while Line 2 heads north toward Chiba Park, Chiba Central Sports Center (where the monorail threads between two stadiums) and the Chiba Zoological Park.
As on many conventional trains, it is possible for passengers to stand behind the driver's cab and enjoy the view out of the front window. But some cars on the Chiba Urban Monorail offer an extra treat for rail fans: The cabs have glass panels in the floor, through which you can look straight down at the ground while the train glides above busy streets or along a small river.
In fiscal 2018, the system carried more than 19 million passengers, marking a seventh consecutive year of increase. Creative methods are being used to attract even more riders, such as a Feb. 22 event at which passengers will sample a variety of Chiba Prefecture sakes, and a March 14 event featuring a live jazz performance. Visit chiba-monorail.co.jp for details.
Near Yoshikawakoen Station: Pantry Coyote
An excellent mom-and-pop hamburger shop run by Takeshi and Shiori Fukunaga. It's small and cozy, and if you're lucky enough to get the seat at the end of the counter, you can watch them working over the hot grill, cooking burgers, toasting buns, sauteeing onions and mushrooms, melting cheese, troweling on mayonnaise, squirting yellow spirals of mustard -- it's a joy to behold. And an even bigger joy to eat. Opens at 11:30 a.m., with last order at 9 p.m. (or 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays). Closed on Wednesdays and third Tuesdays. The Chiba City Museum of Science and the Chiba City Museum of Art are both nearby. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)Near Yoshikawakoen Station:
Yoru Machi Skate Rink
Visible from the windows of passing monorails, this 400-square-meter outdoor skating rink in the middle of Chuo Koen park is scheduled to be open until March 22. There's no worry about the rink melting by then, because there is no frozen water: The rink is paved with panels of "world top-level synthetic ice" that looks slick and can handle skate blades. Rental skates are available. The rink opens at 11 a.m. on weekends and holidays and 1 p.m. on weekdays. You can skate until 10 p.m., with last admission at 9. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)Near Mitsuwadai Station: Cowbell
A local hamburger steak restaurant chain with just three branches, all in Chiba Prefecture. The ground meat is served almost completely raw, but comes with a hot stone on which you can finish cooking it yourself. Certain menu items, including a generous side dish of tender and delicious gyusuji nikomi stewed beef tendon, are made with Tochigi wagyu beef specially supplied to Cowbell by a farm in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)
