Narita (pop 100,717) is one of Japan’s major transportation hubs. Narita International Airport (also known as New Tokyo International Airport) handles most international air traffic for the Tokyo area. Narita lies about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of central Tokyo. Narita is in Chiba prefecture, in eastern Honshu.
In the late 1960’s, Japanese officials decided to build a new international airport near Tokyo. They sought to ease congestion at Tokyo International Airport, commonly called Haneda Airport, Tokyo’s other major airport. Officials chose an area of farmland in Narita for the site of the new airport. Construction began in 1969. The project displaced local farmers, who joined with students to protest the development. The students were concerned that the new airport would serve military purposes. The protesters sabotaged equipment and built structures on the land to slow the construction. These and other actions delayed the opening of the airport until 1978.
Narita is also home to the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, a major religious center for Shingon Buddhists. The temple was founded in A.D. 940.
