Chikura, Chiba

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Chikura (千倉町; -machi) is a town located in Awa District, Chiba, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 12,599 and a density of 343.86 persons per km². The total area was 36.64 km². On March 20, 2006, the municipalities of Tomiura, Tomiyama, Miyoshi, Shirahama, Chikura, Maruyama and Wada (all from Awa District) merged to form the city of Minamiboso. Chikura-machi is now a neighborhood within the city of Minamiboso, and is referred to as Chikura-cho.

Chikura's claim to fame for many years was that it was where the trans-Pacific phone line emerged from the ocean to connect Japan with North America. While it is still in place, satellite communications have largely reduced the importance of the Chikura cable station, which is next to Setohama beach. Chikura is very well known in the region for its flowers and fish. Shiokaze-Okuku is a large market where locals sell fresh fish and seafood. On the weekends during the summer, a flea market of sorts happens in the parking lot. There is also a full-scale fishing ship docked nearby which you can tour for free. It also has several gift shops.

The area has an annual summer festival, Chikura Matsuri. The only Shinto shrine in town is Takabe-jinja Shrine, which is the only shrine in Japan devoted to the God of Cooking. Twice a year, a special ceremony is held where a fish is cleaned and prepared without being touched by the monks' hands.

Every first weekend of March, there is a two day flower walk - the Minamiboso Two Day Flower Walk - which guides you through Chikura and surroundings. In this framework, there is a close relationship and exchange program with the city of Blankenberge, Belgium, and the link Two Day March of Flanders. In the summer it is a very popular place as beach resort and surfing.

On February 26, 2008, a six-company consortium called Unity (which includes Google) announced plans to build a new trans-Pacific cable linking North America with Asia through Chikura.