Kamagaya, Chiba Information & Kamagaya, Chiba Links at HealthHaven.com

Kamagaya
Kamagaya; 鎌ヶ谷市
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Location of Kamagaya in Chiba
	; Kamagaya
	Coordinates: 35°47′N 140°0′E / 35.783°N 140°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba
	Government
- Mayor	Kiyoshi Shimizu
	Area
- Total	21.11 km2 (8.2 sq mi)
Population; (April 2008)	104,768
- Density	4,960/km2 (12,846.3/sq mi)
	City Symbols
- Tree	Osmanthus
- Flower	Japanese pear and Chinese bellflower
Website	City of Kamagaya
Phone number	047-445-1141
	Address 2-6-1, Shinkamagaya, Kamagaya-shi, Chiba-ken; 273-0195

Kamagaya (鎌ヶ谷市, Kamagaya-shi^?) is a city located in Chiba, Japan.

As of April 2008, the city has an estimated population of 104,768. The total area is 21.11 km².

The city was founded on September 1, 1971. It is gradually developing into a transportation hub, as a station on a direct train line (Narita Rapid Railway) from Keisei Ueno to Narita Airport currently under construction (until 2011), in addition to being a transfer point between the Tobu Noda Line, Shin-Keisei Line, and the Hokuso Line, in addition to good road links, and a non-civilian airport (Shimofusa Air Base).

Kamagaya's trademark produce is the round, Nashi Pear, and there are many pear orchards dotted about the city, whose white blossoms open toward the end of the cherry blossom season.

The Kamagaya International Friendship Association, or KIFA, organises inexpensive language lessons^[1] (in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean), and cultural events. KIFA has an office in Kamagaya City Hall.

[edit] Education

The city operates five junior high schools and nine elementary schools.

Five Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs)(two from the United Kingdom and three from New Zealand) from the JET Programme teach English at these schools. English lessons at elementary school begin in either the fifth, fourth, or first grade, varying from school to school, and some elementary schools also offer an English Club. Kamagaya City is one of the closest locations to Tokyo to employ JET Scheme ALTs.

[edit] Evacuation Areas

In preparation for a possible disaster, the city has 25 Appointed Evacuation Areas which includes all of the elementary (9), junior high (5), and high schools (2), two nursery schools (Michinobe and Kunugiyama), the City Memorial Park, Kamagaya City Gymnasium, Japan Ground Self Defence Force Matsudo Station, Kamagaya Country Club, Training Center for Credit Union, and Japan Maritime Self Defence Force Shimousa Air Base.^[2]