Kyonan, Chiba

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Kyonan (鋸南町; -machi) is a town located in Awa District, Chiba, Japan.

As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 9,996 and a density of 221.35 persons per km². The total area is 45.16 km².

The town is located right next to the Pacific Ocean and strives to be a tourist destination, although there is very little to do there. Many of its inhabitants are either merchants or farmers.

1 Education
2 Dining
3 Foreign Presence
4 External links

[edit] Education

There are 3 elementary schools in Kyonan: Hota Elementary, Katsuyama Elementary, and Sakuma Elementary. The smallest, Sakuma Elementary, has only 39 students. The other two have less than 250 students each.

On April 6th, 2006, 85 new first year students were welcomed to Kyonan junior high, bringing the student population to 266. Including the tea lady and part time counselor, there are 28 staff members.

Given the small population of the town, there is no high school in Kyonan nor is there a college.

[edit] Dining

The noodle shop in Hota serves excellent soba and udon and is reasonably priced as well.

The sushi shop at Hota station is very authentic. Your fish is prepared right before your eyes.

A restaurant called Fishing, located near the junior high, is somewhat more expensive, but a fun place to try.

In Katsuyama, Daikichi serves wonderful tonkatsu for a lower price than any franchise restaurant.

Country Ramen, located across from the Pachinko Hilton in Katsuyama, has low prices, and a "Challenge," where intrepid gourmands must eat a Jumbo serving of ramen in 20 minutes or less.

Sumiyoshi, also in Katsuyama, serves decent Chinese food.

If you're desperate you can pick up bentou or sushi at Odoya, but the quality is exactly what the low prices suggest.

There are very few dining options available in Kyonan and most restaurants close at six or seven. If you're starving, head north on 127 until you reach Gusto, a sit down restaurant that stays open late. Some izakayas are open until 10 as well.

[edit] Foreign Presence

The only Caucasian foreigners who come to live in Kyonan-machi are the English teachers brought in by the town's board of education. The current Kyonan ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) begins a second year July 24, 2006. The previous 2 ALTs worked a year each, with a remarkable 3-year teacher coming before them. Hearsay claims that the English teachers have all been male since a female ALT became homesick and returned to her home country only a few months into her contract, but given the amount of gossip devoted to Kyonan's sole foreign presence this can not be stated with any certainty.